Key Idea: Interdependence means states depend on one another, so what happens to one affects the others. It comes in four forms (economic, political, social/cultural, technological), and it drives global governance — the UN, international law, treaties and alliances — because no state can solve shared problems alone.
📚 The micros at a glance
From interdependence to global governance
- 1.6.1–1.6.6 Interdependence — Mutual reliance in four forms (economic, political, social/cultural, technological); a double-edged sword (COVID-19).
- 1.6.7 The United Nations — The main body of global governance — GA (all members, non-binding), Security Council (powerful, P5 veto), agencies. Achievements & limits.
- 1.6.8 Global governance & international law — Running the world without a world government; sources of int'l law; the enforcement gap.
- 1.6.9 Cooperation & alliances — Treaties (NPT), collective security (NATO), trade blocs, OPEC — cooperation AND competition.
⚖️ The debates that come up
- Shared gains (trade, ideas)
- Shared risks (crises spread)
- Judge: a double-edged sword
- Legitimacy, peacekeeping, aid
- Veto paralysis
- Judge: effective when great powers agree
- Rules & courts constrain
- No world police
- Judge: cooperation & pressure, not force
With reference to a source and one example you have studied, explain why interdependence is a 'double-edged sword'.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Important: Only giving the good side (or only the bad), or thinking the UN is a world government. Examiners reward students who show interdependence is <strong>double-edged</strong>, and that global governance runs the world <strong>without</strong> a world government, so its key weakness is <strong>enforcement</strong>.
Answer in your head first, then tap to reveal.
What is interdependence? Mutual, two-way reliance between states and actors, so that what happens to one affects the others — across economic, political, social/cultural and technological ties.
Why is it a 'double-edged sword'? The same connections that bring shared gains (trade, knowledge, cooperation) also bring shared vulnerability when one link breaks — as COVID-19 showed.
What is global governance? The way the world is run through cooperation, rules and institutions — without a single world government able to make and enforce binding law over all states.
What is the UN and how is it limited? The main body of global governance (1945). Its General Assembly gives every state a vote (non-binding); its Security Council holds real power, but the P5 veto can block action.
Why is international law hard to enforce? Because there is no world government or world police to compel a sovereign state, so powerful states can sometimes ignore the law — governance works through cooperation and pressure.
Exam tips
- Interdependence = mutual reliance; four forms; double-edged.
- Global governance = running the world WITHOUT a world government.
- UN: GA (non-binding) vs SC (powerful, P5 veto).
- The key weakness of international law is enforcement.