Island School Global Politics
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      • 1. What is global politics?
      • 2. How is the course assessed?
      • 3. How can we analyse global politics?
      • 4. What political issues do I care about?
      • 5-7. Case Study: What does COVID-19 reveal about global politics?
      • 8. How can I prepare for studying global politics?
    • Unit 1: Power, Sovereignty and International Relations >
      • 1. What is the nature of power? >
        • 1. What is power?
        • 2. How does realism define power?
        • 3. How does liberalism define power?
        • 4. How do critical theories define power?
        • 5. Assessment: Which theory best explains power?
      • 2. How has state power evolved? >
        • 1. How did the nation state emerge?
        • 2. What is sovereignty?
        • 3. How is state sovereignty challenged today?
        • 4. What is the 'social contract'?
        • 5. What gives state power its legitimacy?
        • 6. Assessment: What type of states are more legitimate?
      • 3. Can other groups influence the power of the state? >
        • 1. How much power do IGOs have over states?
        • 2. Are NGOs insignificant global actors?
        • 3. How effective are social movements?
        • 4. How do resistance movements operate?
        • 5. Are political parties legitimate actors?
        • 6. Do informal forums undermine democracy?
        • 7. Assessment: How effective are other groups?
      • 4. Can global interactions improve the world? >
        • 1. Does global governance work?
        • 2. What role do treaties play?
        • 3. Does collective security work?
        • 4. Do alliances reduce or increase tensions?
        • 5. Does economic cooperation lead to interdependence?
        • 6. Is informal cooperation more effective?
        • 7. What drives modern conflicts?
        • 8. Is terrorism a reaction to globalisation?
        • 9. Can domestic conflicts influence global politics?
        • 10: Assessment: Can global interactions improve the world?
      • Unit 1: Exam Questions
    • Unit 2: Human Rights >
      • 1. How have Human Rights evolved? >
        • 1. What are human rights?
        • 2. How significant is the UDHR?
        • 3. How have human rights developed?
        • 4. Assessment: Are human rights a Western construct?
      • 2. Who or what protects our Human Rights? >
        • 1. How do states enforce human rights?
        • 2. Is international monitoring effective?
        • 3. Who enforces humanitarian law?
        • 4. How can civil society help monitor human rights?
        • 5. Assessment: Who should be responsible for human rights?
      • 3. How do Human Rights operate in practice? >
        • 1. Who makes claims on human rights?
        • 2. How are human rights contested locally?
        • 3. How are human rights contested nationally?
        • 4. How are human rights contested globally?
        • 5. Assessment: Does current human rights practice ensure equality?
      • 4. Why are Human Rights so contested? >
        • 1. Are collective rights more important?
        • 2. Are human rights universal?
        • 3. Are human rights too politicised?
        • 4. Assessment: How should we view human rights?
      • Unit 2: Exam Questions
    • Unit 3: Development >
      • 1. Why is development contested?
      • 2. How can development be helped or hindered?
      • 3. Can globalisation help increase development?
      • 4. Can development be made more sustainable?
    • Unit 4: Peace and Conflict >
      • 1. Is the use of violence ever justified? >
        • 1. What is peace, conflict and violence?
        • 2. What forms can conflict take?
        • 3. Is it right to ever go to war?
        • 4. Assessment: On what grounds can violence be justified?
      • 2. What causes conflicts to develop?
      • 3. How do conflicts evolve over time?
      • 4. Can peace be achieved by managing conflicts?
      • Unit 4: Exam Questions
    • HL Extension: Global Political Challenges >
      • Topic 1: Environment
      • Topic 2: Poverty
      • Topic 3: Health
      • Topic 4: Identity
      • Topic 5: Borders
      • Topic 6: Security
    • EA: Engagement Activity
    • EE: Extended Essay in Global Politics
    • News Blog
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2. What role do treaties play?

Activity 1 - What are treaties?


Activity Tasks
  1. Define - What are treaties? Why do states sign them? Discuss with a partner and come up with a definition of your own. Then check against the definition in Slides 3 and 4 of the Lesson Presentation. Were you correct? 
  2. List - Make a list of as many international treaties as you can recall. What was the purpose of each one? Share your list with the class.
  3. Search - What is the oldest known international treaty in the world? Quickly research this on the internet. What was it? Who signed it? What was the purpose of the treaty?
  4. Discuss - How are treaties formed? Make notes on the process of treaty creation and the format of treaties from Slides 6-7 of the Lesson Presentation. Then explore treaty format by examining the UN Charter here. 
  5. Rank - Examine Slides 8-9 of the Lesson Presentation. In your opinion, what are the main reasons for why states choose to obey treaties? Rank the five causes in order of importance, then share your ideas with the class.
  6. Argue - Review the three theoretical perspectives on treaties from Slide 10 of the Lesson Presentation. Which perspective best explains the role treaties play in global politics? Write a paragraph explaining your opinion.

Activity 2 - Analysing Treaties


Activity Tasks
  1. Select - Get into groups or work as a class. Using this worksheet, each group should investigate a different international treaty. Choose between: NPT; START; UN Charter; Paris Agreement; Treaty of Lisbon; UNCLOS
  2. Research - Using the internet, research and try to answer in as much factual detail the following questions for your treaty:
    1. When was the treaty signed?
    2. Where was the treaty signed?
    3. What are its aims and objectives?
    4. Who are its signatories?
    5. What are its key terms and provisions?
    6. What are its successes?
    7. What have been its challenges?
  3. Share - Share your findings with the class. You may like to create a simple visual or verbal presentation.
  4. Evaluate - Having heard about the six treaties, which treaty has led to more interdependence in the world between states? Make the case for your treaty.

Case Study: China and the UNCLOS


Activity Tasks
  1. Watch - Watch this YouTube video introducing the case study about China’s and the UNCLOS. What is the disagreement about between China and the UNCLOS treaty?
  2. Groups - Divide into groups or pairs. Each grouping should choose one of the following sources to investigate:
    1. Might China Withdraw From the UN Law Of The Sea Treaty?
    2. China and UNCLOS: An Inconvenient History
    3. China is threatening to leave a major UN sea treaty—and there’s nothing the US can say about it
    4. China can't just 'pick and choose' from the Law of the Sea
    5. Chinese Domestic Law in the South China Sea
    6. Countering China’s Actions in the South China Sea
    7. Two Years On, South China Sea Ruling Remains a Battleground for the Rules-Based Order
  3. Mind Map - Using Padlet or a similar software, create a class mind-map exploring the China/UNCLOS conflict as a case study of treaty compliance in practice. Add details from each of the sources to build up your notes.
  4. Review - Using your finished mind-map, review these questions:
    1. What were the main aims of the UNCLOS treaty?
    2. What are Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) and what does the treaty state about them?
    3. Why was China threatening to withdraw from the UNCLOS treaty?
    4. Has China complied with the rules of the UNCLOS treaty?
    5. How have other states reacted to China’s position on the South China Seas?
    6. Has China complied with the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling from 2016?
    7. Why do you think China hasn’t yet withdrawn from the UNCLOS treaty? 

Further Reading


​OBLIGATORY READING
  1. Murphy, R. & Gleek, C. (2016). Pearson Baccalaureate: Global Politics, pp. 25
RECOMMENDED READING
  1. Heywood, A. (2011). Global Politics, pp. 331-340
SUPPLEMENTARY READING
  1. Dorr, Oliver. (2012). Introduction: On the Role of Treaties in the Development of International Law, from ‘Vienna convention on the law of treaties: A commentary’, pp. 1-6

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  • Home
  • Explorations
  • MUN
    • ISMUN Blog
  • IBDP Global Politics
    • Pre-IB Course >
      • 1. What is global politics?
      • 2. How is the course assessed?
      • 3. How can we analyse global politics?
      • 4. What political issues do I care about?
      • 5-7. Case Study: What does COVID-19 reveal about global politics?
      • 8. How can I prepare for studying global politics?
    • Unit 1: Power, Sovereignty and International Relations >
      • 1. What is the nature of power? >
        • 1. What is power?
        • 2. How does realism define power?
        • 3. How does liberalism define power?
        • 4. How do critical theories define power?
        • 5. Assessment: Which theory best explains power?
      • 2. How has state power evolved? >
        • 1. How did the nation state emerge?
        • 2. What is sovereignty?
        • 3. How is state sovereignty challenged today?
        • 4. What is the 'social contract'?
        • 5. What gives state power its legitimacy?
        • 6. Assessment: What type of states are more legitimate?
      • 3. Can other groups influence the power of the state? >
        • 1. How much power do IGOs have over states?
        • 2. Are NGOs insignificant global actors?
        • 3. How effective are social movements?
        • 4. How do resistance movements operate?
        • 5. Are political parties legitimate actors?
        • 6. Do informal forums undermine democracy?
        • 7. Assessment: How effective are other groups?
      • 4. Can global interactions improve the world? >
        • 1. Does global governance work?
        • 2. What role do treaties play?
        • 3. Does collective security work?
        • 4. Do alliances reduce or increase tensions?
        • 5. Does economic cooperation lead to interdependence?
        • 6. Is informal cooperation more effective?
        • 7. What drives modern conflicts?
        • 8. Is terrorism a reaction to globalisation?
        • 9. Can domestic conflicts influence global politics?
        • 10: Assessment: Can global interactions improve the world?
      • Unit 1: Exam Questions
    • Unit 2: Human Rights >
      • 1. How have Human Rights evolved? >
        • 1. What are human rights?
        • 2. How significant is the UDHR?
        • 3. How have human rights developed?
        • 4. Assessment: Are human rights a Western construct?
      • 2. Who or what protects our Human Rights? >
        • 1. How do states enforce human rights?
        • 2. Is international monitoring effective?
        • 3. Who enforces humanitarian law?
        • 4. How can civil society help monitor human rights?
        • 5. Assessment: Who should be responsible for human rights?
      • 3. How do Human Rights operate in practice? >
        • 1. Who makes claims on human rights?
        • 2. How are human rights contested locally?
        • 3. How are human rights contested nationally?
        • 4. How are human rights contested globally?
        • 5. Assessment: Does current human rights practice ensure equality?
      • 4. Why are Human Rights so contested? >
        • 1. Are collective rights more important?
        • 2. Are human rights universal?
        • 3. Are human rights too politicised?
        • 4. Assessment: How should we view human rights?
      • Unit 2: Exam Questions
    • Unit 3: Development >
      • 1. Why is development contested?
      • 2. How can development be helped or hindered?
      • 3. Can globalisation help increase development?
      • 4. Can development be made more sustainable?
    • Unit 4: Peace and Conflict >
      • 1. Is the use of violence ever justified? >
        • 1. What is peace, conflict and violence?
        • 2. What forms can conflict take?
        • 3. Is it right to ever go to war?
        • 4. Assessment: On what grounds can violence be justified?
      • 2. What causes conflicts to develop?
      • 3. How do conflicts evolve over time?
      • 4. Can peace be achieved by managing conflicts?
      • Unit 4: Exam Questions
    • HL Extension: Global Political Challenges >
      • Topic 1: Environment
      • Topic 2: Poverty
      • Topic 3: Health
      • Topic 4: Identity
      • Topic 5: Borders
      • Topic 6: Security
    • EA: Engagement Activity
    • EE: Extended Essay in Global Politics
    • News Blog
    • Research Links
  • More