International Relations Questions and Answers

1. There are some fundamental differences and similarities between IGOs and NGOs. To begin with, one definition of IGO is, “International/ transnational actors that are composed of member-countries” (Rourke and Boyer 2010, G–6). A few good examples of IGOs are the E.U., NATO, and the U.N. A definition of NGOs would be, “International (transnational) organizations with private memberships” (Rourke and Boyer 2010, G–8). A few examples of NGOs are Amnesty International, the Red Cross, and Saving the Children.

Membership is one of the easiest ways to differentiate between these two organizations. NGOs members are diverse, usually being made up of ordinary citizens, volunteers, nurses, doctors, etc. NGOs may be funded by governments, foundations or businesses; although, some avoid formal funding altogether. IGO membership is considerably different than NGO membership. IGO membership consists of primarily of sovereign states, known as member states, or of other IGOs. To illustrate this idea, some of the U.N. member states are China, Belgium, Afghanistan, and many more. IGOs are founded by governments which recognize that it is in their national interests to obtain multilateral agreements (Wilkinson, Paul 2007, 79).

Another way to differentiate between these groups is took look at their positions in the world. IGOs work above the state level in the international system. They provide a form of supranational governance. They pursue actions to deal with threats, issues, and obstacles that cannot be dealt with on a unilateral level. NGOs are more independent of government restraint and politics. They often will even refuse funding from governments to avoid the perception that they are affiliated with any particular government. This allow...

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...ic structuralists favor a radical restructuring of the economic system to end the uneven distribution of wealth and power. I can’t support this system, because I believe there is nothing wrong with competition. However, I still fundamentally believe there is room for many parties to be successful.

Works Cited

Diez, Thomas, Ingvild Bode, and Aleksandra Fernandes da Costa. 2011. Key Concepts in International Relations. SAGE Key Concepts. Los Angeles ; London: SAGE Publications

Pease, Kelly-Kate S. 2010. International Organizations: Perspectives on Governance in the Twenty-First Century. 4th ed. New York: Longman.

Rourke, John T. and Mark A Boyer. 2010. International Politics on the World Stage. 8th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Wilkinson, Paul. 2007. International relations: A very short introduction. Oxford, GBR: Oxford University Press, UK.