International Regimes Professors Peter Kien-hong YU　

Indicative Syllabus

According to Stephen D. Krasner in his 1983 edited book, International Regimes, "[r]egimes can be defined as sets of implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures around which actors' expectations converge in a given area of international relations."

And as an eminent Chinese-American political scientist has observed: "International regimes are closely related to the governance of international relations, just as international governance is made necessary by the anarchic nature (i.e., lack of an overarching authority, such as a world government, over and above states) of the Westphalian system we live in. Quite typical of our anarchic system, international regimes are not, and cannot, be superimposed, but result from the coordinative decision-making and collective action by the co-equal entities called states. They are useful in peace making and indispensable for international cooperation in as wide a range of issue areas from defense, trade, monetary policy, food policy, to the protection of global commons and the environment."

This course provides an opportunity for students to adopt some major approaches to the study of international regimes, such as the Anatartic Regime, Baltic Sea Regime, Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species, Intentional Oil Pollution at Sea, Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution, Rhine Regime, Stratospheric Ozone Regime, Whaling Regime, etc.

The objective of International Regimes is to help students to explore problems of order, continuity, and change in the international system with particular attention given to the theory and practice of international cooperation, ranging from what we use to know about international organization to current lively debates since Fall 1980, if not the early 1970’s, about international regimes.

Indicative Course Outline

1. Introduction to International Regimes: Definitions (Chinese and non-Chinese); Analytical Divide: Domestic and International Regimes; Regime Element (sets: implicit or explicit; normative framework: principles and norms; instrumental form: rules and decision-making procedures; and actors: expectations converge and given area of international relations), etc.;
2. High Politics and Low Politics: Distinctions between International Regimes and International Relations/Politics, International/Global Governance, International Cooperation (and its Problems), International Organization, International Organizations, International Institutions, International Law, Global Commons, Self-help, Convergent Expectations, etc.;
3. Questions to Ask About International Regimes as posed by Oran R. Young, Robert Wolfe, and others;
4. The Rise and Fragility/Fall of International Regimes: The Importance of Socially Embeddedness;
5. The “Do International Regimes Matter” Credo and Susan Strange’s Rejection of International Regimes;
6. Can the Study of International Regimes be Applied to East Asia?
7. Global Commons (and/or Shadow of the Future): Antarctica, Oceans, Arctic, Space, the Electromagnetic (Radio) Frequency Spectrum, etc.;
8. Security Regimes (and Small States) such as the Non-proliferation Regime, Trade Regime (e.g., Taipei’s Application to GATT), Regimes for the Environment, and Human Rights Regimes, etc.;
9. Other Case Studies: Foreign Aid Regime, AIDS Epidemic, Specific East-West Economic Regimes etc.;
10. Conclusion.

Evaluation and Course Requirements

Continuous Assessment/Evaluation: Mid-term Test Plus Some Quizzes During Lectures (15%), Tutorial Participation, and Summary/commentary Report Plus Weekly Questions, Totaling 40%

Final Examination: 60%

Each student is required to present at least one (oral) summary/commentary report, including posing three questions.

N.B.: Please show up in class on time.

References

Ahuja, Kanta, Huub Coppens, and Herman van der Wusten, Regime Transformations and Global Realignments (New Delhi, India: Sage Publications);

Commission on Global Governance, (1995), Our Common Neighbourhood (Oxford: Oxford University Press).

De Senarclens, Pierre, (1993), “Regime Theory and the Study of International Organizations,” International Social Science Journal, Vol.45, No.4 (November 1993), pp.453-462.

Dolman, Anthony J., (1981), Resources, Regimes, World Order (New York: Pergamon Press).

Hasenclever, Andreas et. al., (1997), Theories of International Regimes (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

Hsiung, James C., (1997), Anarchy and Order: The Interplay of Law and Politics in International Relations (Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers).

Krasner, Stephen D., (1985), International Regimes (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press).

Krasner, Stephen D., (1993), “Sovereignty, Regimes, and Human Rights,” in Kanta Ahuja, et. al., Regime Transformations and Global Realignments (New Delhi, India: Sage Publications, 1993), pp.139-167.

Legaut, Albert et. al., (1994-1995), "The United Nations at Fifty: Regime Theory and Collective Security," International Journal, Vol.50, No.1 (Winter 1994-1995), 71-102.

Lumsdaine, David H., (1993), Moral Vision in International Politics: The Foreign Aid Regime, 1949-1989 (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press).

Mack, Andrew and John Ravenhill, (1994), Pacific Cooperation: Building Economic and Security Regimes in the Asia-Pacific Region (Boulder, CO.: Westview Press);

Meyer, John W. et. al., (1997), "The Structuring of a World Environmental Regime, 1870-1990," International Organization, Vol.51, No.4 (Autumn 1997), 623-51;

Rajagopalan, Rajesh, (1999), “Why the Non-proliferation Regime Will Survive,” Strategic Analysis, Vol.XXIII, No.2 (May 1999), pp.203-214;

Rittberger, Volker, ed., (1993), Regime Theory and International Relations (Oxford: Claredon Press).

Sagan, Scott D., (1996-1997), "Why Do States Build Nuclear Weapons? Three Models in Search of a Bomb," International Security, Vol.21, No.3 (Winter 1996-1997), 54-86.

Wolfe, Robert, (1999), “Rendering Unto Caesar: How Legal Pluralism and Regime Theory Help in Understanding ‘Multiple Centres of Power’,” paper presented to the Project on Trends Workshop on Multiple Centres of Power, Victoria, May 13, 1999.

Yoshimatsu, Hidetaka, (1998), "Regimes, International Society, and Regional Cooperation in East Asia," Pacific Focus, Vol.XIII, No.2 (Fall 1998), 103-124.

Young, Oran R., (1989), International Cooperation: Building Regimes for Natural Resources and the Environment (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press).

Young, Oran R., (1998), Creating Regimes: Arctic Accords and International Governance (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University, 1998), pp.29-51.

Zacher, Mark W., (1992), with Sutton, Brent A., Governing Global Networks: International Regimes for Transportation and Communications (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), chapter 2.

Zurn, Michael, (1998), "The Rise of International Environmental Politics: A Review of Current Research," World Politics, Vol.50, No.4 (July 1998), 617-649.

On Preparation of Summary/commentary Report

Before they begin to write, students are advised to consult Guidelines for Writing Research Papers and Hints, Admonitions, and Downright Threats From a Jaded Reader of Too Many Sloppy Essays. For websites devoted to writing, see Mike Howlett's suggestions.

Tips for Effective Presentations