IB DP Global Politics – Core Topic: Interdependence in Global Politics Revision Notes

These are condensed notes for the final weeks. For full explanations and a worked example, use the interdependence study guide.

These notes cover the core topic Interdependence in global politics in IB Diploma Programme Global Politics. It follows the IB Diploma Programme Global politics guide (first assessment 2026, published February 2024), the course examined from the May 2026 session onwards. The notes cover all six prescribed content rows the guide lists for this topic, part of the core topics Understanding power and global politics, which are the same for SL and HL.

Course links: IB DP Global Politics hub | printable checklist | practice questions for this unit

The six prescribed content rows

1. Global governance and international law
2. The UN – structure, roles and functions (Charter, General Assembly, Security Council); achievements and limitations
3. Participation of IGOs and non-state actors in global governance
4. Cooperation and competition between political actors
5. Treaties, collective security, strategic alliances, economic cooperation
6. Global interactions and networks

Paper 1 is set on the core topics, so any of these can anchor a set of sources. Paper 2 section B integrating questions can also draw on them.

Key terms

Term	Meaning in one line
Interdependence	Mutual reliance on access to resources that sustain ways of life – economic, security and sustainability dimensions
Asymmetric interdependence	One side relies on the other more than the reverse; the less dependent side gains leverage
Sensitivity	How badly an actor is hit by a change elsewhere
Vulnerability	How costly it is for an actor to adjust (find another supplier, market or ally)
Government	Formal institutions with authority to make and enforce binding rules over a territory
Governance	Steering behaviour through rules, norms and networks, with or without a central authority
Global governance	Overlapping arrangements among states, IGOs and non-state actors – no world government
Supranational	Decisions bind members even if an individual member disagrees (for example, much EU law)
Intergovernmental	States cooperate but keep a veto or right to opt out (for example, ASEAN’s consensus)
Soft law	Non-binding standards that still shape behaviour (for example, the Basel Accords)
Collective security	All members of a system act against any member that commits aggression (the UN model)
Collective defence	Allies defend each other against an outside attack (NATO’s Article 5)

Sources of international law

Source	Creates law or identifies it?	Example
Treaties	Creates (binds parties)	Montreal Protocol; NPT
International custom	Creates (practice plus sense of obligation)	Diplomatic immunity, long observed before it was written into a treaty
General principles of law	Creates	Good faith
Decisions of international, regional and national courts	Identifies	ICJ judgments
Scholarly writings	Identifies	Leading legal commentaries

National and international law – the three comparison points

• Scope: national law covers everyone in the territory; international law mainly covers states and IGOs, with some rules reaching individuals.
• Nature: national law has a legislature, compulsory courts and police; international law rests on consent, with no central enforcer.
• Dynamic: national law changes by legislation; international law changes through negotiation, state practice and court decisions.

The UN in one box

Charter (1945)     Art. 2(4) no threat or use of force; Art. 51 self-defence
General Assembly   all members, one vote each; mostly recommendations;
                   approves the budget
Security Council   15 members: 5 permanent (China, France, Russia, UK, USA)
                   + 10 elected for two-year terms
                   substantive decision = 9 votes AND no permanent-member veto
                   Chapter VII decisions bind all members
Other organs       ECOSOC, ICJ, Secretariat, Trusteeship Council (inactive)

Worked reminder: does the resolution pass?

• 11 in favour, 1 against (a permanent member), 3 abstentions. Fails. Nine votes are reached, but the “no” is a veto.
• 9 in favour, 0 against, 6 abstentions including two permanent members. Passes. Abstention is not a veto, and nine votes are reached.
• 8 in favour, 0 against, 7 abstentions. Fails. Fewer than nine votes in favour.

Evaluating the UN – method in steps

1. Name the body (UNDP, UNHRC, ICJ, Security Council, General Assembly).
2. State its function in one line.
3. Give one achievement with a specific case.
4. Give one limitation with a specific case.
5. Explain the limitation using a key concept – usually sovereignty (consent, veto, non-binding findings) or power (permanent members).
6. Judge: is the limitation built into the design, or fixable?

Body	Achievement to cite	Limitation to cite
Security Council	Resolution 1973 (2011) on Libya passed with China and Russia abstaining	Russian veto on Ukraine (2022)
General Assembly	Emergency special session on Ukraine (2022) showed wide agreement	Resolution not binding
UNDP	Human Development Index widened how development is measured	Voluntary funding; needs host consent
UNHRC	Universal Periodic Review covers every member state	Members with poor records; findings not binding
ICJ	The Gambia v. Myanmar (2019) under the Genocide Convention	Jurisdiction needs consent; advisory opinions not binding

IGOs and non-state actors – quick map

• Regional: EU (supranational), AU (can intervene over genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity; suspends members after coups), ASEAN (consensus, non-interference), Mercosur (trade bloc; Venezuela suspended 2016).
• Specific scope: IEA (energy security, emergency stocks), OPEC (producers’ oil policy; OPEC+ with Russia since 2016), Commonwealth of Learning (distance learning), Digital Nations (digital government).
• Non-state: NGOs (campaigning, monitoring – the landmines campaign and the 1997 Ottawa Treaty), companies (standards, investment), city networks (C40), expert bodies (Basel Committee).

Forms of cooperation – which one is it?

Ask yourself	If yes, it is…	Example from the guide
Is there a binding written agreement?	Treaty	NPT, Montreal Protocol
Do members promise to respond together to a threat?	Collective security (or defence)	NATO, OAS
Is it a partnership for shared strategic aims, often less formal?	Strategic alliance	USA and Israel; China and partners in Africa and Latin America
Is it about trade, integration or regulating production?	Economic cooperation	WTO agreements, trade blocs
Is there coordination without a formal agreement?	Informal cooperation	Extraordinary rendition; technology harmonisation; cultural exchange

Must-know distinctions

• ICJ vs International Criminal Court. The ICJ hears disputes between states; the ICC tries individuals.
• GA resolution vs SC resolution. A GA resolution recommends; an SC resolution under Chapter VII binds.
• Cooperation vs harmony. Cooperation means adjusting behaviour despite different interests. If interests already match, no cooperation is needed.
• Interdependence vs dependence. Interdependence is mutual; dependence is one-way. Most real cases sit between the two.
• Sensitivity vs vulnerability. Being hit by a shock is sensitivity; being unable to adjust cheaply is vulnerability.

Linking to the other key concepts

• Power: asymmetric interdependence gives leverage (sanctions, energy supplies, market access).
• Sovereignty: joining treaties and IGOs pools or limits freedom of action, but states consent to it.
• Legitimacy: global governance bodies are judged on who is represented and whether they deliver.

Use these links in Paper 1’s longer answers. Keep the main focus on interdependence. Each concept has its own unit: power, sovereignty and legitimacy.

Quick self-test

1. Name the three dimensions of interdependence the guide mentions.
2. Distinguish government from governance in one sentence each.
3. List the five sources of international law the guide gives.
4. How many votes does a substantive Security Council resolution need?
5. A resolution gets 10 votes in favour, 1 against from France and 4 abstentions. Does it pass?
6. Which UN body carries out the Universal Periodic Review?
7. Why are the Basel Accords described as governance without government?
8. Give one limitation of the ICJ.
9. State the difference between collective security and collective defence.
10. Which treaty on ozone-depleting substances has been ratified by every UN member state?
11. Name one form of informal cooperation from the guide.
12. What makes the EU supranational rather than intergovernmental?

Answers

1. Economic, security and sustainability.
2. Government is formal institutions with authority to make and enforce binding rules; governance is steering behaviour through rules, norms and networks, with or without a central authority.
3. Treaties; international custom; general principles of law; decisions of international, national and regional courts; scholarly writings.
4. Nine of fifteen, with no veto from a permanent member.
5. No. France is a permanent member, so its vote against is a veto.
6. The UN Human Rights Council.
7. They are standards agreed by regulators, not a treaty; each state applies them through its own rules.
8. It needs the states’ consent to hear a dispute (or: its advisory opinions are not binding).
9. Collective security means all members act against any member that commits aggression; collective defence means allies defend each other against an outside attack.
10. The Montreal Protocol (1987).
11. Extraordinary rendition, technology harmonisation or cultural exchange.
12. EU law takes precedence over national law in its areas of competence, and many decisions bind members outvoted by qualified majority.

Where marks are usually lost

• Describing an organisation’s structure when the question asks how it manages interdependence.
• Writing “the UN decided” without saying which organ, or whether the decision binds.
• Treating a veto and an abstention as the same thing.
• Calling interdependence equal; the strongest answers show who depends on whom more.
• Mixing up the ICJ and the ICC.
• Quoting a source’s view without comparing it point by point with the other source in a comparison question.
• Giving one-sided evaluations; Paper 1’s longest question rewards exploring and evaluating different perspectives.
• Naming a treaty without saying what it requires and whether states comply.

Official syllabus

International Baccalaureate Organization, Diploma Programme Global politics guide, first assessment 2026 (published February 2024). Prescribed topic: Interdependence in global politics, within the core topics. See also the syllabus guide and exam preparation guide.