International community
The term "international community" is a phrase that can refer to either:
- All the lands represented in United Nations.
- The people of the lands all over the world.
- Shared values and principles among actors within an international system.
The international community is regulated by the international law created by the international treaties.
Contents |
History
This term arose in the 1960s. It is one of many expansions of the use of the word "community" to replace "people" or "the world", for example. In the 1950s, political cartoons used a picture of a man, often wearing a hat, whose head was a globe. This figure was labelled "The World", not this nine-syllable phrase.
Usage of the expression
It has been claimed that the superpower nations (now mainly the United States, although China and Russia are both capable of intercontinental force projection) use the term to describe organizations in which they play a predominant role, regardless of the opinion of other nations. For example, the Kosovo War was described as an action of the international community even though it was undertaken by NATO, which represented under ten percent of the world's population during the Kosovo War, this including Italy and Greece who were in opposition to the involvements.
Notes
Similarly, "international community" is being used by Western leaders when criticizing Iran for its nuclear ambitions by saying that Iran is defying the will of the international community by continuing uranium enrichment. The league of non-aligned nations (122 countries out of 193 recognised governments by both the USA and the UK, well over 50%) has in fact backed Iran's right to uranium enrichment. In this case, those countries do not form a part of the international community.
See also
Categories
Articles to be merged since October 2006 | International relations | International law | Types of communities | Propaganda phrases