Posted by Chester Morton / Thursday 24 March 2016 / No comments
Why do nations cooperate at the international level?
Definition
International cooperation can be described as the concept of the nations of the world coming together to work for the mutual
benefit of the countries involved.
TYPES OF COOPERATION
Bilateral Co-operation
This type of cooperation happens where
two countries join forces to achieve goals that are mutually beneficial to them. Ghana has signed bilateral agreements with countries like Britain, her former colonial master.
Multilateral Co-operation
This type of cooperation is similar to the bilateral cooperation but in the case of multilateral cooperation, there are more than two countries involved. In other words, three or more countries set common goals and combine their efforts to achieve them. The African Development Bank is the combined effort of African countries to boost development on the African continent.
SOME REASONS WHY COUNTRIES COOPERATE
International Peace
Nations cooperate to ensure that
there are international peace and security. They cooperate so that instead of resorting to armed conflict to resolve disagreements, they rather use dialogue. The United Nations Charter, for example, enjoins member-nations to settle their disputes through the use of dialogue so that world peace and security is not jeopardized.
World Economic Stability
Nations cooperate to achieve world economic stability. A change in the price of crude coming out of Saudi Arabia can throw the economy of many countries out of gear. It can be argued that many of the treaties that are signed among nations are aimed at achieving economic advancement for signatories of the treaty. As the nations of the world achieve economic development, the aggregate benefit is that world economic stability is created.
Inter-dependence
No state in the world is an
island. No nation has everything she needs or would ever
need. The nations of the world are inter-dependent on each other. Nations engage in the production of goods and services in which comparative advantage. After production, the product must be sent to the market to get enough money to buy the things that cannot be produced at a comparative advantage at home. Under such a circumstance, cooperation is not a choice, it a necessity.
Common Solutions to Problems
Many nations of the world have common or similar problems. There are problems of organized crime defying international boundaries; there are problems of the drug trade, human trafficking, money laundering and piracy in international waters. Solving such hydra-headed problems require collaboration with other nations of the world. This is why there is a need for international cooperation.
Promote Culture
Cooperation among the nations of the world is sometimes to promote their culture. The United States has been able to sell its culture to the world through the export of their blockbuster buster films to the world. The Arab world is currently promoting the Muslim culture and religion to many parts of the world.
Purposes of Security
Sometimes, nations cooperate as a
means of warding off military aggression from other states or even to quell internal strife. France, for example, has a military pact with her former colonies where France can step in when there is a threat to the
stability of the country concerned.
Historical Bonds
The formation of the Commonwealth,
for example, is to strengthen the historical bond and shared experiences that have existed between
Britain and her former colonies. This bond is instrumental for Ghana because, Britain is one of the largest trading partners of Ghana.
