This book is a critique of claims regarding how emerging economies are supposedly rewriting the rules of global governance and ushering in alternative models to neoliberal orthodoxy. It argues that such assumptions are abstractions that ignore both the transnationalizing nature of the global political economy and the actual policy goals of the ruling classes within most emerging economies.

Considering the larger issues behind the emerging economies (or powers) debate, the book deploys an adapted global capitalism perspective with insights from Gramsci, Poulantzas and Cox, to argue...

Human rights and conflict resolution have been traditionally perceived as two separate fields, sometimes in competition or in tension and occasionally with contradictory approaches towards achieving conflict transformation and enduring peace. Although human rights norms have been incorporated and institutionalized by various national, regional and international organizations that deal with conflict resolution, in practice, negotiators are often pressured to overlook international human rights principles in favor of compliance and more immediate outcomes.

Academic work...

This edited volume advances existing research on the production and use of expert knowledge by international bureaucracies. Given the complexity, technicality and apparent apolitical character of the issues dealt with in global governance arenas, evidence-based policy-making has imposed itself as the best way to evaluate the risks and consequences of political action in global arenas. In the absence of alternative, democratic modes of legitimation, international organizations have adopted this approach to policy-making.

By treating international bureaucracies as strategic actors,...

Combining the insights of a seasoned practitioner with the academic rigor of a meticulous policy and risk analyst, del Castillo discusses the major obstacles to peacebuilding that need to be removed before war-torn countries can move towards peace, stability, and prosperity. As a new UN Secretary-General assumes leadership in 2017, a top priority must be to address the bleak peacebuilding record where over half of the countries under UN watch relapse back into conflict within a decade.

While policy debate and the academic literature have focused on the security, political, and...

Combining the insights of a seasoned practitioner with the academic rigor of a meticulous policy and risk analyst, del Castillo discusses the major obstacles to peacebuilding that need to be removed before war-torn countries can move towards peace, stability, and prosperity. As a new UN Secretary-General assumes leadership in 2017, a top priority must be to address the bleak peacebuilding record where over half of the countries under UN watch relapse back into conflict within a decade.

While policy debate and the academic literature have focused on the security, political, and...

International organizations (IOs) that focus on refugees are finding themselves spread increasingly thin. As the scale of displacement reaches historic levels--protracted refugee situations now average 26 years--organizations are staying for years on end, often working well beyond their original mandates. In some cases, IOs may even act as a substitute for the state. This book considers the conditions under which surrogacy occurs and what it means for the organization's influence on the state. It looks specifically at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as a surrogate...

Inside the United Nations illustrates some of the parameters surrounding consensus-building at the United Nations, seeking to provide new insights beyond what is already known. The author spent twelve years as P.R of Guatemala at the UN, offering him privileged observatories in all three of the main inter-governmental organs: the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, and the Security Council.

In this book Rosenthal focuses on six case studies that offer the breadth and scope of what the UN does, and illustrate some of the main elements of the dynamics of...