<p>Opinions, rankings and evaluations of states’ development are proliferating. In the context of the transformation and EU accession of the Baltic States, there were many organizations involved in the scrutiny of their efforts to become accepted as modern and European. This scrutiny directed towards states can be seen as a new practice of transnational regulation. Especially in times of major transformation, as was the case in the Baltic States after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, monitoring and evaluation of achievements can be expected to shape how reforms were prioritized and how problems were perceived. In order to gain a better understanding of these transformations it is necessary to study the practice of organizations that scrutinize the states.</p><p>The aim of the thesis is to analyze the role of scrutiny as a practice of transnational regulation. By analyzing how international organizations scrutinize states, this thesis adds knowledge to how transforming states are constructed in the everyday practices of scrutiny. A main argument is that by evaluating and reporting on states, international organizations can be seen as ‘auditors’ of transformations in states. The thesis compares three such ‘auditors’ and their respective relations to the states under scrutiny, namely: the European Commission, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the NGO Transparency International. </p><p>The thesis contributes to discussions about the role of transnational regulation in the transformation of states. By comparing the three cases of scrutiny it is concluded that scrutiny produces both comfort and critique for and about these transforming states. In addition, through processes of scrutinizing, states are constructed as auditable and comparable. Scrutiny also inscribes states into a story about progress, it thus offers hope about reforms and of a better future.</p>

Welchen Aufgaben soll sich die NATO zuwenden? Wo soll sie enden? Als klassisches Militärbündnis verliert sie jedenfalls an Bedeutung. Die gegenwärtige Krise der regionalen Allianz mit globaler Reichweite muss genutzt werden für eine strategische Neuausrichtung der Struktur und Funktion des Bündnisses. Die Rolle der NATO als Werkzeug für multinationale Interventionen entscheidet über die Bildung globaler Koalitionen.

Opinions, rankings and evaluations of states’ development are proliferating. In the context of the transformation and EU accession of the Baltic States, there were many organizations involved in the scrutiny of their efforts to become accepted as modern and European. This scrutiny directed towards states can be seen as a new practice of transnational regulation. Especially in times of major transformation, as was the case in the Baltic States after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, monitoring and evaluation of achievements can be expected to shape how reforms were prioritized and how problems were perceived. In order to gain a better understanding of these transformations it is necessary to study the practice of organizations that scrutinize the states. The aim of the thesis is to analyze the role of scrutiny as a practice of transnational regulation. By analyzing how international organizations scrutinize states, this thesis adds knowledge to how transforming states are constructed in the everyday practices of scrutiny. A main argument is that by evaluating and reporting on states, international organizations can be seen as ‘auditors’ of transformations in states. The thesis compares three such ‘auditors’ and their respective relations to the states under scrutiny, namely: the European Commission, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the NGO Transparency International. The thesis contributes to discussions about the role of transnational regulation in the transformation of states. By comparing the three cases of scrutiny it is concluded that scrutiny produces both comfort and critique for and about these transforming states. In addition, through processes of scrutinizing, states are constructed as auditable and comparable. Scrutiny also inscribes states into a story about progress, it thus offers hope about reforms and of a better future.

This thesis analyses the role of international organizations in the West Bank and Gaza. The role of international organizations is discussed within the larger framework of global governance. In light of the theories on global transformation, the renewed role for international organizations as the agents of global governance is introduced within the Palestinian context. With a focus on the complex relationship between domestic and international actors, the role of international organizations as the promoters of good governance is examined in terms of Palestinian state building process. Several international organizations are introduced in terms of their objectives, projects and activities in Palestine.

This thesis attempts to provide a critical perspective on international efforts to prevent the financing of terrorism. The thesis argues that the fight against the financing of terrorism is a vital component of counter terrorism strategies and underlines the significance of international organizations in combating terrorist financing. The thesis examines the fund raising and movement activities of terrorist groups. Moreover, it analyzes the efforts of international organizations to combat terrorist financing and discusses the adequacy of these efforts. By arguing that international community&rsquo / s efforts are not adequate, the thesis makes some recommendations. Finally, the thesis tests to what extent neo-liberal institutionalist approach, which mainly concentrates on cooperation and regime formation regarding the global problems faced by the states, can explain the international fight against the financing of terrorism.

This thesis is meant to describe and analyze approach of international organizations in relation to education, development and empowerment as well as their role at the intersection of these three concepts. In its attempt to understand the nature of international involvement in education with a development discourse and particularly to see the effects of this involvement on the target groups of the projects and programs, the thesis explores Multi-Purpose Community Centers (&Ccedil / ATOMs) in Turkey&rsquo / s southeast. The thesis identifies, on the one hand, that the &Ccedil / ATOM project supports the analyses in the literature regarding the role of international organizations in the institutionalization of the idea of &lsquo / education for development&rsquo / and in the standardization and dissemination of their own discourses about this idea. On the other hand, the current work proposes that &Ccedil / ATOMs as a project supported by international organizations have produced rather limited but meaningful outcomes in terms of its economic effects on the participants / however, more importantly, it has also created qualitative changes on the daily life of the beneficiaries, which may contribute to social transformation of the region in the long term.

The main concern of this thesis is to problematize the so-called mutually beneficial relationship between free market mechanism and common good through the debates around Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Despite the social problems deepened by the free market, capitalist discourse attempts to justify itself by adopting some ethical concerns. However, it should be recognized that these attempts including CSR constitute market-based ethics. Trying to move beyond the existing critical literature on CSR, this thesis approaches to the concept of CSR from a Marxist perspective. I attempt to do it with the help of Marxist concept of commodity combined with Guy Debord&rsquo / s notion of spectacle. I argue that CSR can be considered as a spectacle, because it has at least two characteristics of the spectacle: confronting the working class with each other and commodifying the humanitarian values. This thesis also includes a close reading of the discourse about CSR in order to show that how these two characteristics of the spectacle are embedded in the global language of CSR and how they are manifested through the institutions of capitalism. In this context, I will focus on four institutions that have major contributions to the existing CSR discourse worldwide: UN Global Compact and OECD Guidelines for Multinational Corporations, the most comprehensive international guidelines for CSR, and Nike and Walmart, two monopolies that have been under intense public scrutiny for their unethical practices and have produced the most intense discourse about their corporate responsibility practices.

In the thesis transformation of the international organizations will be analyzed. Nation-state foreign policy approach will be applied to the analysis, because international organizations are a peculiar kind of political systems. This leads to the general key research question: how and why do international organizations change? The methodological purpose of the thesis is too show the limits of existing scholarship on international organizations, because they neglect the external factors behind actual change within international organizations. The organizations NATO and the UN were chosen as cases. The UN from an international law point of view is undeniably the most important IO and the only truly system-wide IO; whereas NATO is seen by many as simply the strongest IO due to its combined military strength. In the thesis it will be argued that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 served as an external shock and had an empirical effect on NATO and the UN. The main empirical aim of the analysis is to explore 9/11 effect upon two cases of IOs, namely the UN and NATO, in an attempt to gain better understanding of their transformation processes. The intention is also to explore the further effect of this change upon the security policy situation of small states. The research question of the thesis: how and why were the United Nations and North Atlantic Treaty Organization affected by the events of 9/11? Therefore the following tasks are set in the analysis: 1. to construct... [to full text] / Šioje analizėje nagrinėjami tarptautinių organizacijų transformacijos procesai. Tyrimo aspektas, kuriuo remiantis bus nagrinėjamos tarptautinės organizacijos yra pritaikytas iš valstybės užsienio politikos studijų. Šis tarptautinių organizacijų nagrinėjimo aspektas analizėje taikomas, kadangi kaip ir valstybės, tarptautinės organizacijos yra savitos politinės sistemos. Kaip jau minėta, tyrime nagrinėjami tarptautinių organizacijų kaitos procesai, todėl pagrindinė tyrimo problema – kaip ir kodėl tarptautinės organizacijos keičiasi. Šiuolaikiniai politikos mokslų tyrinėtojai analizuodami tarptautinių organizacijų kaitą yra linkę nagrinėti vidinę organizacijų dinamiką, t.y. veiksnius organizacijų viduje, sąlygojančius organizacijų pasikeitimus. Tokiu būdu yra pamirštama organizaciją supanti išorinė aplinka. Šioje analizėje dėmesys bus skiriamas išorinės aplinkos, t.y. išorinio šoko poveikio organizacijoms tyrimui. Tyrimo objektas - NATO ir Jungtinių Tautų (JTO) organizacijos. Analizei pasirinktos šios organizacijos, kadangi karine prasme NATO yra vertinama kaip stipriausia ir sėkmingiausia tarptautinė organizacija pasaulyje. Tuo tarpu JTO yra didžiausia tarptautinė bei vienintelė globali organizacija. Analizės tikslas - ištirti 2001 m. rugsėjo 11-osios teroro aktų JAV poveikį JTO ir NATO organizacijoms, išanalizuoti šio įvykio sąlygotus abiejų organizacijų pasikeitimų procesus ir ��ių pasikeitimų įtaką mažųjų valstybių saugumo politikos situacijai. Iš analizės tikslo kyla... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Informacinių technologijų, inovacijų ir besiformuojančių naujų socialinių struktūrų paskatinti globalizacijos procesai kasdien intensyvėja. Informacijos srautai tarsi sujungia pasaulį, ima formuotis bendri interasai tarp valstybių. Daugybė aktualių nacionalinių klausimų, vienoje ar kitoje šalyje, virsta globaliais. Šiandieninės problemos išsprūsta iš valstybinės galios ribų ir aplinkosaugos, saugumo, švietimo, skurdo klausimai tampa aktualūs visam pasauliui. Siekdamos užkirsti kelią ar surasti tam tikrų sprendimų, kaip intensyvėjančios globalios problemos galėtų būti suvaldytos, valstybės ima bendradarbiauti. Tokį bendradarbiavimą iliustruoja ne tik užsienio politikos plėtotė ar tarptautinių santykių vystymasis, bet ir tarptautinių organizacijų kūrimasis. Nors aukščiausios tarptautinės organizacijos valdymo institucijos numato organizacijos veiklos politiką, priima tam tikus tarptautinius standartus, o valstybės narės privalo nuolat jų laikytis, vis dėl to kiekviena šalis, priklausanti bet kuriai tarptautiniai organizacijai, gali siekti nacionalinių ir globalių interesų įgyvendinimo. Net ir maža politiškai bei ekonomiškai silpna valstybė gali apčiuopiamai prisidėti prie globalių problemų sprendimų. Tokia yra ir Lietuva. Priklausanti ne vienai tarptautiniai organizacijai, ši valstybė siekia ir nacionalinių ir globalių tikslų. Tokie tikslai įgyvendinami kruopščiai planuojant veiksmus, tiriant nuolat kintančią aplinką ir kuriant efektyvias komunikacines strategijas. Tarptautinių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Summary Induced by information technologies, innovations and developing new social structures- globalization process increase every day. Information flows connects the world, starts to develop new mutual interests between countries. Many relevant national questions in one or another country become global. Today those problems slip from national power and so environmental, security, education, poverty questions becomes important for everyone. Actually countries start to collaborate by trying to stop or find certain decisions, how growing global problems could be controlled. That kind of collaboration illustrates not only development of foreign countries or increase of international relations, but also formation of international organizations. Although the authority institutions of all the highest international organizations plans the work politics, accepts certain international standards and member countries have to follow them and still every country that belongs to any international organization, can pursue national and global interest accomplishment. Even small politically and economically week countries can greatly contribute to solutions of global problems. Actually Lithuania is also that kind of country. Member of international organizations, this country pursue national and global goals. These goals can be accomplished by accurately planning actions, researching constantly changing environment and creating effective communication strategies. By applying actions and... [to full text]

International organizations (IOs) such as the United Nations Children’s Fund have immense power in influencing state agenda and policies in issues in health such as advocating micronutrient interventions in developing countries. Scholarly literature classifies IOs as “norm entrepreneurs” who can alter state behavior through many forms of rhetoric. The theoretical model, constructivism, notes that IOs are autonomous actors in their decision-making who use states as tools to pursue their own interests. Thus, how do these IOs succeed in sustaining malnutrition-related interventions and programs in Kenya? In this thesis, I argue that IOs can effectively improve malnutrition outcomes by improving the allocation and accessibility of nutritional resources and services, setting an institutional framework for implementing and sustaining programs at hand, and fostering the operation of tools that will assist interventions to scale-up to national nutrition policies. To accomplish this, specific IOs possess external effects such as political will, strong funding, and a multi-sectoral nutrition approach, and multilateral IOs have internal factors such as authority, autonomy, and are able to find opportunities in uncertain situations. I also argue that IOs presented in this paper have made limited strides in reducing aggregate malnutrition rates of stunting, wasting and underweight in Kenya. I ground my analysis on constructivism to understand IO behavior towards malnutrition interventions for children under five in Kenya.