PILLARS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM

Pillar	Key Components	Function
UN System	Security Council, General Assembly, ICJ, specialized agencies	Conflict resolution, peacekeeping, international law adjudication
International Law	Treaties, conventions, customary law, jus cogens norms	Establishes rules for state conduct, war, trade, human rights
Economic Institutions	IMF, World Bank, WTO, regional development banks	Financial stability, trade regulation, development assistance
Security Alliances	NATO, bilateral defense treaties, collective security pacts	Deterrence, mutual defense, military cooperation
Nuclear Non-Proliferation	NPT, IAEA, CTBT, nuclear weapon-free zones	Prevent weapons spread, verify compliance, arms control
Human Rights Framework	UDHR, ICC, regional courts, humanitarian law	Protect individual rights, prosecute atrocities

MAJOR WEAKNESSES

Weakness	Description	Impact
Veto Power Abuse	P5 members block resolutions for national interests	Paralysis on Syria, Ukraine, Israel-Palestine conflicts
Enforcement Gap	No global police force, relies on voluntary compliance	Weak punishment for violations, selective enforcement
Power Asymmetry	US/Western dominance in institutions since 1945	Legitimacy crisis, Global South resentment, parallel systems emerging
Sovereignty Shield	States hide behind non-interference principle	Enables internal atrocities, blocks humanitarian intervention
Resource Inequality	Developed nations control funding and decision-making	Poor nations have voice but no real power
Selective Justice	ICC only prosecutes African/weaker state leaders	Perceived as neo-colonial tool, powerful states immune
Treaty Non-Compliance	No binding enforcement mechanism for most agreements	Climate, trade, arms control agreements routinely violated
Emerging Challenges	System designed for state actors, not cyber, terrorism, pandemics	Struggles with non-state threats, technology, global commons

Contradiction	Problem
Sovereign equality vs. practical hierarchy	All states "equal" but P5 have veto, weighted voting in IMF/World Bank
Universal values vs. cultural relativism	Human rights claims clash with diverse civilizational norms
Liberal order vs. authoritarian challenge	China/Russia propose alternative models, reject Western universalism
Interdependence vs. competition	Economic integration exists alongside zero-sum security competition