British Union of Nations. Commonwealth of Nations in International Relations

The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary interstate association headed by. In addition to Great Britain itself, it includes almost all of its former colonies, protectorates, dominions, as well as Cameroon, Mozambique, Namibia and Rwanda. Today there are 53 member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations in the world. The head of the Commonwealth is the monarch of Great Britain.

The basis of the Commonwealth is the recognition of the equal status of each of the states, independent of each other in any aspect of their domestic or foreign policy, despite the fact that these states are brought together by a common loyalty to the Crown and free membership in the British Commonwealth of Nations.

The British Dependencies are 14 countries under the sovereignty of Great Britain, but not part of the monarchy. Unlike the voluntary Commonwealth of Nations, these states and their territories are under the control of Great Britain. Before the official term “Great Dependent Territories” was introduced in 2002, these countries were called “colonies”.

If you are, for example, you will be asked, “Have you visited the UK, Commonwealth countries or British Dependencies in the last 10 years?” If you have visited one of the countries listed below, you should note this on your UK visa application.

Commonwealth countries

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UK dependent territories

• Anguilla
• Bermuda
• British Antarctic Territory
• British Indian Ocean Territory
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Falkland Islands

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TYPOLOGY OF COUNTRIES. FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

BRITISH COMMONWEALTH

States within the Commonwealth . This is a special form of government in member countries of the Commonwealth (British), which recognize the Queen of Great Britain as the head of state.

In 1931, Great Britain, which began to lose dependent territories, united its former and present colonies into British Commonwealth nations, since 1947 it became known as the Commonwealth.

By the beginning of 2007, the Commonwealth included 53 independent states and the dependent territories of Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand, which were home to 1.7 billion people (30% of the world's population).

The Head of the Commonwealth is the Queen of Great Britain. Most member countries of the Commonwealth are republics (32), 6 - monarchies(Brunei, Lesotho, Malaysia, Swaziland, Samoa, Tonga), 16 countries recognize the Queen of Great Britain as head of state, i.e. formally they are constitutional monarchies. The Commonwealth includes countries that are formally equal, but differ in level economic development, ethnic, religious composition of the population.

Commonwealth member countries have single state language- English, similar systems of legislation, education, public service. All states belonging to the Commonwealth have full sovereignty in their internal and external affairs. Commonwealth does not have a single constitution, no union-contractual agreements, no official attributes; it does not act in the international arena (for example, at the UN, in any international events, etc.). The decisions of its annual conferences are invalid for a country that does not vote for them.

Members of the Commonwealth may be excluded from its composition for actions contrary to the charter (military coups, violation of human rights, civil wars ), and also have unconditional right of unilateral exit. Thus, in 1972, the Pakistan, was readmitted in 1989, expelled in 1999, and readmitted in 2004. Expelled in 1961 for apartheid policies. South Africa, which rejoined in 1994. Fiji expelled in 1987, renewed in 1997, suspended in 2006, expelled in 1995 Nigeria, then readopted in 1999, dropped by Zimbabwe in 2002.

The Commonwealth finances and organizes for its members international programs on protection environment, education, scientific and technical cooperation, takes measures to increase mutual trade, etc.

Member countries of the British Commonwealth

№	Commonwealth member countries	Head of State	Year of entry	Notes
1.	Antigua and Barbuda	Queen Elizabeth II	1981
2.	Australia	Queen Elizabeth II	1931	Dependent territories: o. Norfolk, Territory of the Coral Sea Islands, Heard and McDonald Islands, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Fr. Christmas, Ashmore and Cartier Islands
3.	Bahamas	Queen Elizabeth II	1973
4.	Bangladesh	The president	1972
5.	Barbados	Queen Elizabeth II	1966
6.	Belize	Queen Elizabeth II	1981
7.	Botswana	The president	1966
8.	Brunei	Sultan	1984
9.	Great Britain	Queen Elizabeth II		Dependent territories: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territories, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Hendenson Island. St. Helena and administratively subordinate islands of Tristan da Cunha and Christmas, South. Georgiy and Yuzh. Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
10.	Vanuatu	The president	1980
11.	Ghana	The president	1957
12.	Guyana	The president	1966
13.	Gambia	The president	1965
14.	Grenada	Queen Elizabeth II	1974
15.	Dominica	The president	1978
16.	Samoa	head of state for life - Chief Malietoa Tanumafili II	1970
17.	Zambia	The president	1964
18.	Zimbabwe	The president	1980	Membership suspended in 2002, expelled in 2003.
19.	India	The president	1947
20.	Cameroon	The president	1995
21.	Canada	Queen Elizabeth II	1931
22.	Kenya	The president	1963
23.	Cyprus	The president	1961
24.	Kiribati	The president	1979
25.	Lesotho	King	1966
26.	Mauritius	The president	1968
27.	Malawi	The president	1964
28.	Malaysia	Sultan	1957
29.	Maldives	The president	1982
30.	Malta	The president	1964
31.	Mozambique	The president	1995
32.	Namibia	The president	1990
33.	Nauru	The president	1968
34.	New Zealand	Queen Elizabeth II	1931	Tokelau, as well as the Self-Governing States in Free Association with New Zealand - the Cook Islands and Niue
35.	Nigeria	The president	1960	Removed in 1995, readmitted in 1999.
36.	Pakistan	The president	1989	Withdrew in 1972, readmitted in 1989, expelled after the 1999 military coup, readmitted in 2004.
37.	Papua New Guinea	Queen Elizabeth II	1975
38.	Swaziland	King	1968
39.	Seychelles	The president	1976
40.	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Queen Elizabeth II	1979
41.	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Queen Elizabeth II	1983
42.	Saint Lucia	Queen Elizabeth II	1979
43.	Singapore	The president	1965
44.	Solomon Islands	Queen Elizabeth II	1978
45.	Sierra Leone	The president	1961
46.	Tanzania	The president	1961
47.	Tonga	King	1973
48.	Trinidad and Tobago	The president	1962
49.	Tuvalu	Queen Elizabeth II	1978
50.	Uganda	The president	1962
51.	Fiji	The president	1997	Withdrew in 1987, readmitted in 1997, suspended in 2006 after military coup
52.	Sri Lanka	The president	1948
53.	South Africa	The president	1994	Issued in 1961, accepted again in 1994.
54.	Jamaica	Queen Elizabeth II	1962

At the 1926 Conference of Prime Ministers of Great Britain and the British Dominions, the Balfour Declaration was adopted, in which Great Britain and the Dominions recognized that these states had "equal status and are not dependent on each other in any aspect of their domestic or foreign policy, despite the fact that they are brought together by a common loyalty to the Crown and free membership in the British Commonwealth of Nations."

The legal status of the Commonwealth was established on December 11, 1931, and until 1947 it represented a kind of union of states, each of which was united with Great Britain by a personal union (that is, the British monarch was recognized as the head of the dominions).

Development

Membership in the Commonwealth is open to all countries that recognize the main goals of its activities. There must also be past or present constitutional links between the candidate for accession and the UK or another Commonwealth member. Not all members of the organization have direct constitutional ties to Great Britain - some of the South Pacific states were governed by Australia or New Zealand, and Namibia was governed by South Africa. In 1995, Cameroon became a member of the Commonwealth. Only part of its territory was under British control under the mandate of the League of Nations (-) and under the trusteeship agreement with the UN (1946-1961).

There is only one member of the Commonwealth for whom this rule has been violated. Mozambique, a former colony of Portugal, was admitted to the Commonwealth following the triumphant restoration of South Africa's membership and the holding of Mozambique's first democratic elections. Mozambique was asked for by its neighbors, all of whom were members of the Commonwealth and wanted to help Mozambique overcome the damage caused to the country's economy due to its confrontation with the white minority regimes in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa. The heads of state of the Commonwealth nevertheless decided that the Mozambique issue should be considered as special and not creating a precedent for the future.

Failed membership

Termination of membership

Each Commonwealth country enjoys the unconditional right to unilaterally withdraw from it.

Although heads of government of Commonwealth member countries have the right to suspend the participation of individual countries in the work of Commonwealth bodies, the possibility of exclusion from the Commonwealth is not defined by any documents. At the same time, states of the Commonwealth (Commonwealth Realms) that proclaim themselves to be republics automatically leave the Commonwealth unless they ask the remaining members to maintain their membership in the Commonwealth. Ireland did not make such a request, since at the time of its proclamation of a republic in 1949 this provision did not yet exist. The issue of Ireland joining the Commonwealth has been raised several times, but this proposal does not enjoy support among the local population, who continue to associate the Commonwealth with British imperialism. The Irish Republic became the first state to leave the Commonwealth and not regain its membership.

Suspension of participation in Commonwealth affairs

IN last years There were several cases of suspension of the participation of Commonwealth members “in the activities of Commonwealth Councils” (in meetings of leaders and ministers of member countries) for obvious violations of democratic governance norms. This measure does not terminate that State's membership in the Commonwealth.

This measure was taken in relation to Fiji in and after the military coup in this country and in relation to Pakistan from to and from November for a similar reason.

Nigeria did not participate in the meetings from to. A similar measure was taken in relation to Zimbabwe (the reason was the electoral and land reforms of the government of Robert Mugabe).

Structure of the Commonwealth

Marlborough House, headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat

Traditionally, the head of the Commonwealth is declared to be the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. As the head of the Commonwealth, she does not perform any formal functions and her role in the daily activities of the organization is only symbolic. In 17 Commonwealth states, the British monarch is still the de jure head of state, but also does not perform formal functions.

The post of head of the Commonwealth is not a title and is not inherited. When there is a change of monarch on the British throne, the heads of government of the Commonwealth member countries will have to make a formal decision on the appointment of a new head of the organization.

The administrative management of the Commonwealth is carried out by the Secretariat, whose headquarters have been located in London since 1965. Since 2008, the head of the Secretariat has been Kamalesh Sharma (India).

The anniversary of the creation of the Commonwealth - Commonwealth Day - is celebrated in the UK on the second Tuesday in March, and the official name of the British Government's Foreign Office (analogous to the Foreign Office) is still the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Foreign and Commonwealth Office ).

Diplomatic relations

The states belonging to the Commonwealth maintain ordinary diplomatic relations among themselves through High Commissioners ( High Commissioners), having the rank of ambassadors. Diplomatic relations between the Commonwealth countries and other states are carried out as usual.

After the end of World War II, the collapse of the British Empire began, caused by the growth of national liberation movements in the British possessions and the financial difficulties of the British government. Since 1946, the “British Commonwealth” began to be called simply “the Commonwealth”.

Already the acquisition of independence by India and the establishment of a republican form of government in it (and, consequently, the refusal to recognize the British monarch as head of state) required a radical revision of the foundations of the organization of the Commonwealth. In particular, the name of the organization itself was changed, and humanitarian missions became the priority goals of its activities, educational activities etc. The Commonwealth is viewed primarily as an organization within which states differing in their level of development and the nature of their economy have the opportunity to enter into close and equal interaction.

Burma and Aden, which gained independence in 1948 and 1967. accordingly, they became the only former British colonies not to become part of the Commonwealth after independence. Of the former protectorates and mandate territories of the League of Nations, the Commonwealth did not include Egypt (which became independent in 1922), Israel (1948), Iraq (1932), Bahrain (1971), Jordan (1946), Kuwait (1961) and Oman (1971). ). The Irish Republic left the Commonwealth with the proclamation of a republican form of government in 1949. Despite this, according to the Ireland Act 1949, citizens of the Irish Republic have equal status under British law with citizens of Commonwealth countries.

The issue of the contradiction between the republican form of government and membership in the Commonwealth was resolved in April 1949. at the meeting of Commonwealth Prime Ministers in London. India agreed to recognize the British monarch as "the symbol of the free association of the independent Member States of the Commonwealth and the Head of the Commonwealth" from January 1950, when the declaration of India as a republic was to take effect. The remaining members of the Commonwealth, for their part, agreed to maintain India's membership in the organization. At the insistence of Pakistan, it was decided that a similar decision would be made in relation to other states. The Declaration of London is often seen as the document marking the beginning of the Commonwealth in its modern form.

Until now, in 16 states that are members of the Commonwealth (in addition to the United Kingdom), the British monarch, represented by the Governor-General, is recognized as the head of state. He is also the head of the Commonwealth; this title, however, does not imply any political power over the member states of the Commonwealth and does not automatically extend to the British monarch. Most Commonwealth member states do not recognize the British monarch as head of state. This, however, does not affect their status within the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is not political union, and membership does not allow Great Britain to exert any political influence on other members.

With the growth of the Commonwealth, Great Britain and the pre-1945 Dominions (the name "Dominion" fell out of official use in the 1940s) became informally known as "Old Commonwealth"(Old Commonwealth), especially since the 1960s, when disagreements began between some of them and the less wealthy members of the Commonwealth from among the newly independent states of Africa and Asia. These disagreements, which led to accusations of racism and colonialism against the Old, "White" Commonwealth that its interests were different from those of the organization's African members, arose during the bitter debate over Southern Rhodesia in the 1970s, the imposition of sanctions on South Africa in the 1980s and, more recently, on the need to promote democratic reforms in Nigeria and subsequently Zimbabwe. In particular, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe often uses the phrase "White Commonwealth", claiming that the Commonwealth's attempts to force him to bring about political changes in the country are in fact manifestations of racism and colonialism on the part of the White Commonwealth, which dominates the Commonwealth of Nations as such.

Purpose of the lecture:

Main questions:

1. History of the occurrence of BSN

2. Evolution of the Commonwealth .

3. History of the occurrence of BSN

An association of independent states formerly part of the British Empire, recognizing the British monarch as a symbol of free unity. The Commonwealth includes (at the beginning of 1999): Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Malaysia, Singapore, Cyprus, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Cameroon, Mozambique, Namibia, Malawi, Malta, Gambia, Botswana , Guyana, Lesotho, Barbados, Mauritius, Swaziland, Nauru, Tonga, Western Samoa, Fiji, Bangladesh, Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Kiribati, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Zimbabwe, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Republic of Maldives, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Brunei, Vanuatu.

Empire before the Commonwealth. After the British Empire lost 13 American colonies, leaving behind Canada, India, some possessions in the West Indies and a number of scattered and remote settlements, two political lines emerged in the metropolis. The first implied a focus on expanding British influence in India and Far East. The second line, along with the expansion of this influence (in the interests of British industry and in order to save government expenses), allowed the development of self-government in the colonies to prevent a repetition of the War of Independence of the North American colonies. In the process of implementing these guidelines, the differences between the colonies developed by English settlers and, in the opinion of the mother country, capable of self-government (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and later the provinces) were aggravated. South Africa), and those conquered colonies in which direct forms of British rule were established (territories in Asia and parts of Africa). However, in both cases, Great Britain viewed each colony as a relatively independent entity with a local government that had the right to pursue an independent policy. This attitude encouraged the development of parliamentary forms of government in the colonies and the establishment of the rule of law, which was facilitated by the spread in English and its use in the administrative sphere and in the educational system.

The Commonwealth followed the principle of open association based on the nature of the relationship that Great Britain established with the settler colonies. Canada created a model for the development of parliamentary democratic forms of government in the colonies. In 1837, Upper and Lower Canada rebelled, demanding the rights of colonial self-government first established by American revolutionaries 60 years earlier. In response to this demand, the Governor General of the British North America Lord Durham (Derham, Derham) in 1839 made a report in which he proposed introducing the so-called. "responsible government" This involved the formation of a government cabinet on the British model. Durham recognized that an elected and responsible colonial assembly executive branch will be able to exercise control over internal politics. At the same time, he specifically stipulated that Great Britain retained the decisive vote in the following five main areas of colonial policy: control of public lands, the form of colonial constitutions, foreign policy, international trade, defense. All of these restrictions were gradually removed in Canada, Australia and New Zealand from the 1840s until the end of the First World War.

Control of public lands in the colonies quickly passed to local governments, which won the right to accept own constitutions and judicial systems. As early as 1859, Canada began imposing its tariffs, limiting British control over foreign trade.

Progress in foreign policy and defense was less noticeable. Although, over time, Great Britain recognized the need to consult with the Dominions on foreign policy matters, it still retained the decisive vote here. The British navy continued to defend the empire as a whole, but ground troops were withdrawn from self-governing colonies, which assumed the functions of self-defense.

Thus, in the colonies there was a growing tendency to expand the scope of responsibility in matters of local government, which was accompanied by a growth in national self-awareness. The merger of colonies into larger territorial entities also required greater independence in domestic policy. In 1867, the provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick united to form the Dominion of Canada (formally Canada was considered a confederation). The six Australian colonies formed the Commonwealth of Australia in 1900. In 1910, the four South African colonies formed the Union of South Africa.

At the end of the 19th century. The Empire established two important institutions to maintain contacts between Great Britain and the self-governing colonies. In 1879, the Canadian government appointed a high commissioner to protect the country's interests in London. The British government refused to give him ambassadorial status, but an important precedent was still set, and other colonies also appointed high commissioners. In 1887, the British government invited the governments of the self-governing colonies to send delegates to the colonial conference in London. Meetings of this kind were held periodically in subsequent decades, and from 1907 they began to be called imperial conferences; it was decided that subsequent meetings should be held with the participation of the British Prime Minister and the Prime Ministers of the self-governing colonies. At the imperial conference of 1926 such colonies received official name dominions.

4. Evolution of the Commonwealth.

First World War was a turning point in the development of the Commonwealth. Great Britain declared war on behalf of the entire empire without consulting the colonies; however, the Dominions were still represented in imperial war cabinets and conferences. The resolution of the Imperial Conference of 1917 recognized that the dominions were given the right to vote in matters of foreign policy of the empire and that future cooperation would be carried out on the basis of “constant consultation and joint action.” Based on this, the general course of foreign policy was pursued both during the war and at the conclusion of peace. The new orientation towards the relative independence of the dominions in foreign policy received symbolic expression in the act of signing the Treaty of Versailles by the dominions and India.

The nature of the association changed along with the status of its members. The term "Commonwealth of Nations", first used in 1884, came into widespread use from 1917, denoting the association of Great Britain, Canada, the Union of South Africa, the Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand and Newfoundland (which lost dominion status in 1933 as a result of the economic crisis, and in 1949 became the tenth province of Canada). At the Imperial Conference of 1926, the famous Balfour Formula was proposed, which defined the Dominions as “autonomous communities of the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate to each other in any aspect of their domestic or foreign policy, but united by a common allegiance to the Crown and constituting a free association of members of the British Commonwealth of Nations." This principle was approved by the Statute of Westminster 1931, adopted by the British Parliament at the request of the dominions. The statute essentially fixed the existing state of affairs, legally establishing equality British Parliament and parliaments of the dominions; the legislation of each dominion was recognized as independent and had sovereign force. External relations became also the area of ​​sovereign decision of each dominion. In addition, the document stipulated that from now on the order of succession to the throne of Great Britain would be regulated by members of the Commonwealth.

During the interwar period, the dominions put forward demands for complete independence, which made it impossible to develop a unified foreign policy course outlined at the imperial conferences during the First World War, although consultations continued on a regular basis. The reaction of the Dominions to Britain's declaration of war in 1939 showed that they were free to choose their actions. The parliaments of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand expressed full support for Great Britain and, together with it, declared war on the Axis countries on September 3, 1939. Canada entered the war on its own, six days after Britain. There was a split in the Union of South Africa on this issue, and the country's parliament voted by only a slight majority to declare war. The Irish Free State remained neutral.

In 1947, India was divided into two independent states: India and Pakistan. In 1949, India declared itself a republic, thereby marking a new step in the evolution of the Commonwealth. India expressed a desire to remain in the Commonwealth, although Balfour's condition of general adherence to the crown as a republic no longer suited her. At the 1949 Prime Ministers' Conference, India adopted the British monarch as the symbol of the free association of member states and as the head of the Commonwealth - a title that was never clearly defined. With this formulation, other members of the Commonwealth began to proclaim themselves republics. After 1947, the term "dominion" fell out of use, as it no longer corresponded to the status of those members of the Commonwealth who refused to recognize the British monarch as head of state.

In 1960, in a referendum held by the government of the Union of South Africa, consisting mainly of members of the Afrikaner National Party, the white population (only they participated in the referendum) voted by a small majority in favor of a republic, which was proclaimed in May 1961. To remain in the Commonwealth, South Africa -The African Republic has appealed to other members for recognition. This caused a sharp reaction, especially from non-white Commonwealth countries, which condemned the system of apartheid and white supremacy in South Africa. As a result, South African Prime Minister H. Verwoerd withdrew his country's application for continued membership in the Commonwealth. In 1994, the new democratic government asked for the country to be restored to the Commonwealth, and this request was granted.

After 1945 the character of the Commonwealth changed significantly. When India became a republic but remained within the association, doubts about compatibility national independence with membership in the Commonwealth completely disappeared. The Commonwealth is now a multilingual, multiracial and multicultural community.

Questions for self-control

1. What are the causes and prerequisites for the occurrence of BS?

2. Reveal the problems and prospects for the development of BS.

1. Artemova A.F. Great Britain. A book for reading on regional studies. M.: AST, 2006 – 499 p.

2. Barnes D. England, England. M.: AST, 2004 – 290 p.

3. Gromyko A. A. Great Britain. The era of reforms.. M.: AST, 2005. – 347 p.

4. Daniel K. England. History of the country. M.:. Eskmo 2004. – 490 p.

Topic 8 NATO, CST

Purpose of the lecture: Explore the stages of the sample planning process in marketing research.

Main questions:

NATO is the largest and most organized and stable military alliance. It was created at the initiative of the United States to counter the spread of the communist threat. This alliance includes the following countries: USA, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg, Holland, Norway, Great Britain, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain and France. However, France in 1963 demanded the withdrawal of NATO headquarters and troops from its territory. The office is currently located in Brussels.

The main point in the NATO treaty is that aggression against any country of this military bloc is considered as aggression against all members of the bloc. In accordance with the treaty, the national troops of member countries remain subordinate to their states and only through state channels any order may be given.

The basis for NATO's activities is consultation, cooperation and discussion, which are conducted in such a way that each member of the organization has complete freedom.

NATO forces are in Europe, where the largest contingent of troops belongs to the United States and Germany. The leading role in the organization belongs to the United States, but issues of interaction between national, united and supranational bodies have not yet been resolved. The highest body is the North Atlantic Council, in which all decisions require unanimity. The Council meets twice a year at the level of foreign ministers and weekly permanent representatives at the ambassadorial level. The Chairman of the Council is the NATO Secretary General. For determining military policy In accordance with the current situation, there is a defense planning committee, in which permanent representatives of the participating countries sit. All structures (administrative, military and others) operate under the auspices of the Council.

The Secretary General, in addition to leading the work of the Council, prepares the organization's budget, develops the agenda for meetings, hires and fires staff, and represents NATO in relations with governments and organizations. NATO committees deal with politics, defense, weapons, economics, science, information and culture. There are special committees on space exploration, pipelines and telecommunications.

Military structures are headed by the heads of military committees or their representatives. The military area is divided into three parts in accordance with the current commands: European, Atlantic, including the English Channel and Canada-American.

During the period of détente, NATO began to focus on reducing the balance of power in Europe and developing trade relations with the countries of the former Soviet bloc. After the collapse of the USSR, trends appeared in the organization to transform the military bloc into a military-political structure.

Organization of the Treaty on collective security(CSTO) is a military-political union created by the former Soviet republics on the basis of the Collective Security Treaty (CST), signed on May 15, 1992. The contract is renewed automatically every five years.

CSTO members

On May 15, 1992, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan signed a collective security treaty (CST) in Tashkent. Azerbaijan signed the agreement on September 24, 1993, Georgia - on September 9, 1993, Belarus - on December 31, 1993.

The agreement entered into force on April 20, 1994. The contract was for 5 years and could be extended. On April 2, 1999, the presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed a protocol to extend the treaty for the next five-year period, but Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan refused to extend the treaty, and in the same year Uzbekistan joined GUUAM.

At the Moscow session of the CST on May 14, 2002, a decision was made to transform the CST into a full-fledged international organization - the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). On October 7, 2002, the Charter and Agreement on legal status CSTO, which were ratified by all CSTO member states and entered into force on September 18, 2003.

On August 16, 2006, a decision was signed in Sochi on the full accession (restoration of membership) of Uzbekistan to the CSTO.

Russia in Lately pins great hopes on this organization, hoping with its help to strengthen its strategic positions in Central Asia. Russia considers this region a zone of its own strategic interests.

At the same time, the US Manas air base is located here on the territory of Kyrgyzstan, and Kyrgyzstan does not intend to do anything to close it. Tajikistan at the beginning of 2006 agreed to a significant build-up of the French military group located on its territory, operating as part of coalition forces in Afghanistan.

To strengthen positions CSTO Russia proposes to reform the collective rapid deployment forces of the Central Asian region. These forces consist of ten battalions: three each from Russia and Tajikistan, two each from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The total number of personnel of the collective forces is about 4 thousand people. The aviation component (10 aircraft and 14 helicopters) is located at the Russian Kant airbase in Kyrgyzstan.

A proposal to expand the scope of activities of collective forces is being considered - in particular, it is planned to use them in Afghanistan.

In connection with Uzbekistan’s accession to the CSTO, it is noted that back in 2005, the Uzbek authorities came up with a project to create international “anti-revolutionary” punitive forces in the post-Soviet space within the CSTO. In preparation for joining this organization, Uzbekistan has prepared a package of proposals for its improvement, including the creation within its framework of intelligence and counterintelligence structures, as well as the development of mechanisms that would allow the CSTO to provide internal security guarantees to the Central Asian states.

Heads the organization general secretary. Since 2003, this has been Nikolai Bordyuzha.

All members of the G7, with the possible exception of Kazakhstan, are in strong political, economic and military dependence on Moscow and need its diplomatic cover.

- The tasks of the CSTO are directly interconnected with integration processes in the post-Soviet space, and this relationship is growing stronger. The advancement of military-political integration in the CSTO format contributes to the deployment of integration processes, actually forms the “integration core” in the CIS, and contributes to the optimal “division of labor” in the Commonwealth. Regarding the place and role of the CSTO in Eurasian Union, if one is formed, they can be very significant, since the Organization’s area of ​​responsibility covers vast spaces of Eurasia, and the Organization’s activities are aimed at creating a system of collective security in Europe and Asia, - said Nikolai Bordyuzha, commenting on the goals of creating the CSTO for the press.

On September 5, at a summit in Moscow, the leaders of the member countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization adopted a declaration in which they condemned Georgia for aggression, supported Russia’s actions and advocated “for ensuring lasting security for South Ossetia and Abkhazia." The CSTO countries warned NATO against expanding to the East and announced plans to strengthen the military component of the organization.

Like Shanghai organization cooperation, the CSTO spoke in favor of Russia’s active role in promoting peace and cooperation in the region. However, the main thing - joint recognition of the two Transcaucasian republics by members of the Organization - did not happen.

The Russian President once again stated the need to strengthen the military component of the CSTO. Actually, there is nothing unusual about this, because the CSTO is a military organization created to protect member countries from external attacks. There are also mutual obligations in the event of an attack on one of the organization’s members. As Medvedev himself admitted, this was the main topic during his negotiations with his colleagues.

The main part of the document was devoted to the current situation in the world and the role of the CSTO itself in it. In the very first lines of the declaration, the leaders of the CSTO countries inform the world community that from now on they “are determined to adhere to close coordination of foreign policy interaction, the line of progressive development of military and military-technical cooperation, improvement of practice collaboration For all questions". At the same time, declaring their firm intention to ensure security in the area of ​​their responsibility, the G7 warned against encroachments on this area, frankly making it clear how it would cooperate: “Serious conflict potential is accumulating in the immediate vicinity of the CSTO area of ​​responsibility. CSTO members call on NATO countries to weigh everything possible consequences expanding the alliance to the East and placing new missile defense facilities near the borders of member states.”

Questions for self-control

1. What are the reasons and prerequisites for the emergence of NATO?

2. Reveal the problems and prospects for the development of NATO.

3. What are the reasons and prerequisites for the emergence of the CSTO?

4. Reveal the problems and prospects for the development of the CSTO.

1. Nikolaenko V. D. Organization of the Collective Security Treaty (origins, formation, prospects). M., 2004.

2. Kuzmin V., Falaleev M., Gavrilov Yu. Sum of forces: the CSTO has created a collective rapid response force // Russian newspaper central issue No. 4842 dated February 5, 2009

3. Smirnov N.E. The new strategic concept of NATO and the place of partner countries in it. Information and analytical material, M., 1999, etc.

4. Brzezinski 3. The Great Chessboard. M., 1998.

Topic 9 Non-regional economic international organizations: WTO, OPEC

Purpose of the lecture: Explore the stages of the sample planning process in marketing research.

Main questions:

History of creation

Worldwide trade Organization(WTO) was founded in 1995. It is the continuation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), concluded immediately after World War II.

In 1998, the golden anniversary of the GATT was celebrated in Geneva. This system, designed to regulate global trade through a mechanism to curb unilateral actions, has existed for almost 50 years and has proven its effectiveness as the legal basis for multilateral trade. The years following World War II were marked by exceptional growth in world trade. The growth of goods exports averaged 6% per year. Total trade volume in 1997 was 14 times the 1950 level.
The system developed during the process of conducting a series of trade negotiations (rounds) within the GATT framework. The early rounds focused primarily on tariff reductions, but later negotiations expanded to other areas such as anti-dumping and non-tariff measures. The last round – 1986-1994, so-called. The Uruguay Round led to the creation of the WTO, which significantly expanded the scope of the GATT to include trade in services and trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights. Thus, the GATT mechanism was improved and adapted to modern stage trade development. In addition, the GATT system, although in fact an international organization, was not formally one.

WTO structure

The WTO is both an organization and at the same time a set of legal documents, a kind of multilateral trade agreement that defines the rights and responsibilities of governments in the field of international trade in goods and services. Legal basis The WTO consists of the General Agreement on Trade in Goods (GATT) as amended in 1994 (GATT 1994), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). The WTO agreements have been ratified by the parliaments of all participating countries.

“The main tasks of the WTO are to liberalize international trade, ensure its fairness and predictability, promote economic growth and improve the economic well-being of people. WTO member countries, of which there were 148 as of May 2005, solve these problems by monitoring the implementation of multilateral agreements, conducting trade negotiations, trade settlements in accordance with the WTO mechanism, as well as providing assistance developing countries and reviewing States' national economic policies."
Decisions are made by all member states usually by consensus, which is an additional incentive to strengthen harmony within the WTO. Making a decision by a majority vote is also possible, but such practice has not yet existed in the WTO; During the work of the predecessor of the WTO, GATT, such isolated cases occurred.
Decisions at the highest level in the WTO are made by the Ministerial Conference, which meets at least once every two years. The first conference in Singapore in December 1996 confirmed the course of the participating countries towards trade liberalization and added to the existing organizational structure WTO three new working groups addressing the relationship between trade and investment, the interface between trade and competition policy, and transparency in public procurement. The second conference, held in 1998 in Geneva, was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the GATT\WTO; In addition, WTO members agreed to study global e-commerce issues. The third conference, which was convened in December 1999 in Seattle (USA) and was supposed to decide on the start of a new round of trade negotiations, ended with virtually no results. The next Ministerial Conference is scheduled to take place in November 2001 in Doha (Qatar).
Subordinate to the Ministerial Conference is the General Council, which is responsible for carrying out day-to-day work and meets several times a year at the headquarters in Geneva, composed of representatives of WTO members, usually ambassadors and heads of delegations of member countries. The General Council also has two special bodies: for the analysis of trade policy and for the resolution of disputes. In addition, the Trade and Development Committees report to the General Council; according to the restrictions associated with trade balance; on budget, finance and administrative issues.
The General Council delegates functions to three councils located at the next level of the WTO hierarchy: the Council for Trade in Goods, the Council for Trade in Services and the Council for trade aspects intellectual property rights.
The Council for Trade in Goods, in turn, manages the activities of specialized committees that monitor compliance with WTO principles and the implementation of GATT 1994 agreements in the field of trade in goods.
The Council for Trade in Services monitors the implementation of the GATS agreement. It includes the Committee on Trade in Financial Services and Working group for professional services.

The Council on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, in addition to monitoring the implementation of the relevant agreement (TRIPS), also deals with issues of preventing the emergence of conflicts related to international trade counterfeit goods.
Numerous specialized committees and working groups deal with individual WTO agreements and issues in areas such as environmental protection, developing country issues, WTO accession procedures and regional trade agreements.

The WTO Secretariat, which is based in Geneva, has approximately 500 full-time staff; it is headed by the general director. The WTO Secretariat, unlike similar bodies of other international organizations, does not make decisions, since this function is assigned to the member countries themselves. The main responsibilities of the Secretariat are to ensure technical support various councils and committees, as well as the Ministerial Conference, provide technical assistance to developing countries, analyze world trade and explain WTO provisions to the public and mass media. The Secretariat also provides some forms of legal assistance in the dispute resolution process and advises governments of countries wishing to become members of the WTO. Today there are more than twenty such countries.

Related information.