Category Archives: Global Politics

A new IGO – What is the purpose of the European Political Community?

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The attendees of the first EPC meeting.

An IGO is an intergovernmental organisation. This means that it is an organisation made up of sovereign states who agree to cooperate with each other on international issues. Importantly, unlike a supranational organisation, member states do not cede any of their own sovereignty in order to join. Since 1945 there has been a significant growth of IGOs. Notable examples are:

  • The UN
  • The IMF
  • The WTO

However, the newest IGO is the European Political Community (EPC). So what is it, why was it formed and what purpose will it serve?

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What is the so-called ‘Dictator’s Club’?

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President Xi and President Putin are the key figures in the so-called ‘Dictator’s Club’.

The Dictator’s Club is the term often given by some commentators in the West to refer to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. This is a IGO representing primarily European and Asian States. So, why was it formed and what is its purpose on the international stage?

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Britain, the UN and the Chagos Islands – An example of the Soft nature of international law

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The Chagos Islands are an Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. They comprise more than 60 individual islands and their sovereignty has long been under dispute. Numerous legal rulings have been made about the sovereignty of the islands, but no resolution has yet been reached. As such, it is a very good example of the soft nature of international law which is one of the fundamental weaknesses of the international legal system.

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