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Political Institutions GapFill
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Global governance is organised through a network of prominent international institutions. It is important to understand the structures within these organisations and to be familiar with debates surrounding their effectiveness on the international stage.
In terms of political governance, the United Nations plays a central role in global politics. The UN was founded in 1945 with the signing of the United Nations Charter by an initial 50 members. As of 2011, the United Nations has 193 member states, along with two further observer states. This makes it the largest international institution by number of member states in the world.
The UN has a large number of subsidiary organisations with wide-ranging remits. One of these is the , which acts as a debating chamber for all member states, through which diplomacy can be conducted. Another organisation is the , a forum consisting of selected annual members from each continent which meet every year to discuss to UN's priorities on economic and social development. A third organisation is the , which aims for resolution of conflicts between states. Perhaps the most prominent subsidiary organisation, however, is the , which, importantly, has the legal mandate to authorise military action against states or non-state actors. It is made up of 15 members, 10 of whom are temporary and rotated annually, and five of whom are permanent and have the power to veto any resolution outright.
The veto power is especially controversial as it is accused of giving the permanent members too much power in matters of global conflict, and is perceived as having been frequently misused. The UN was founded in the aftermath of the , and permanent veto-wielding membership of the Security Council reflects this, consisting of the five victors from that conflict: China, France, Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), the UK and the USA.
Another key organisation in terms of political governance is the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, or NATO. Its membership is far more restricted than the UN's, with only 30 member states in . Its remit is also more restricted, being purely a military-orientated organisation. NATO was originally set up in 1949, during the , becoming a geopolitical rival to the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact military alliance.
NATO's purpose and aims have shifted since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, becoming involved in conflicts around the world and playing a leading role in the emerging trend of humanitarian military intervention. NATO is controversial both for its shifting purpose as an organisation and for some its actions, which are accused of contributing to conflict rather than resolving it.