International Community Understandings (ICU)
https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/olj/fp/fp_sepoct02_ank01.html
“We are supported by the collective will of the world,” declared U.S.President George W. Bush as he launched the war against Afghanistan’s Taliban regime in October 2001. For many people, that collective will has a name: the “international community.” This feel-good phrase evokes a benevolent, omniscient entity that makes decisions and takes action for the benefit of all countries and peoples. But invoking the international community is a lot easier than defining it.
“When governments, urged by civil society, work together to realize the long-held dream of an International Criminal Court for the prosecution of genocide and the most heinous crimes against humanity, that is the international community at work for the rule of law.
When an outpouring of international aid flows to victims of earthquakes and other disasters, that is the international community following its humanitarian impulse.
When rich countries pledge to open more of their markets to poor-country goods and decide to reverse the decade-long decline in official development assistance, that is the international community throwing its weight behind the cause of development.
When countries contribute troops to police cease-fire lines or to provide security in states that have collapsed or succumbed to civil war, that is the international community at work for collective security” Kofi A. Annan
The collective will of the world is already part of many lines of work within UNCTAD, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, that impact on SIDS, such as activities to tackle fossil fuel and fisheries subsidies. Although tourism dominates their economies, SIDS are part of a world where most trade happens in parts and components moving within highly globalized value chains. Then the international community looks at per-capita income, and says, ‘These guys are rich, and they live in paradise. Why should we give development assistance to them?
But it’s not all paradise in the SIDS. Economic and environmental vulnerability are universal across the board—even the richer SIDS could be wiped out by a single natural disaster. In this context, the international community puts an inordinate weight on income when it should be emphasizing environmental vulnerability as it debates whether island nations are worthy of preferential treatment.
“International community” is a dangerous reference point for the naive. Its connotation of sociability and commitment invites unwise reliance by those who must ultimately fend for themselves. Its diffusion of responsibility excuses countries that have no intention of lending a hand. The concept amounts to a moral hazard, inspiring imprudent behavior by leaders who expect that someone else will pull their fat out of the fire. Ruth Wedgwood