Understanding Supranational Organizations: Definition and Function
Let me explain what a supranational organization is: it's a multinational union or association where member countries give up some authority and sovereignty on internal matters to the group, and the decisions made are binding on all members. Essentially, these states share decision-making on issues that impact their citizens.
You see examples in the EU, the United Nations, and the World Trade Organization (WTO), each supranational to varying degrees. In the EU, for instance, members vote on policies that affect every other nation in the union.
Many view these organizations as a superior approach to managing national affairs, focusing on preventing conflicts and encouraging cooperation, especially in economic and military areas. However, critics with nationalist views often resent complying with international rules, claiming it means surrendering their country's sovereignty and the rights of its people.
Key Features of Supranational Organizations
Organizations like the EU, WTO, and UN let member countries work together on international policies, mainly to cut down on conflicts and build cooperation. By agreeing to share sovereignty on specific issues, these states boost their collective decision-making and influence on the global stage.
While the goal is to make governance more efficient and avoid wars, these groups frequently draw criticism from those who believe they encroach on national sovereignty and local control.
The Evolution Toward Supranational Governance
The rise of supranational groups represents an evolution—or a departure, depending on your perspective—from the Westphalian system, where nation-states held full sovereignty and answered to no higher authority in domestic or international matters, except through violence or treaties.
This supranational approach became more prominent after the two world wars in the early 20th century. To prevent further devastating and expensive conflicts, nations grew willing to hand over sovereignty on certain issues, typically trade and business, to decisions voted on by members of such organizations.
Important Historical Note
Consider the EU, which is the closest we've come to a genuine supranational union; it was established in the 1950s to stop neighboring countries from warring again, beginning as the European Coal and Steel Community.
The European Union: A Model of Supranational Integration
The EU stands as the prime example of a supranational entity and the nearest to a true union the world has witnessed. In the 1951 Europe Declaration, the founders of its initial form—the European Coal and Steel Community—declared they were building a real supranational institution to lay the groundwork for an organized Europe.
After World War II, even Albert Einstein pushed for a supranational organization to oversee military forces, suggesting it include the U.S., Soviet Union, and Great Britain, though it never materialized.
Over the seven decades since the European Coal and Steel Community's founding, the EU has transformed significantly, but not without difficulties. A populist reaction to economic instability and globalization prompted the British people to vote in 2016 to exit the EU, marking an unprecedented move.
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