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BOOK REVIEW
‘Akira Iriye, Global Community : the Role of
International Organizations in the Making of the
Contemporary World, University of California Press,
Berkeley, ,**. (Paperback). Pp. ix, ῏ῑῒ, Index.’
Taisaku IKESHIMA
Faculty of Contemporary Social Studies,
Department of Social Systems Studies
This book is based on the Thomas Jeffe-
ganizations but rather ‘to understand their
rson Memorial Lecture at the University of
role in the making of the world today’ (p. ix).
California, Berkeley, in the spring of ,***.
In this sense, his study in this volume seems
Akira Iriye, who is one of the most famous
to have been considerably successful, al-
Japanese academia based in the United
though the space in this book may have
States, teaches history as Charles Warren
hindered the author from fully analyzing
Professor of American History at Harvard
the multiῌfaceted role of these international
University. This volume is among his recent
organizations mentioned above.
works on globalization, globalism, and inter-
For Iriye, three principal reasons justify
nationalism such as Cultural International-
his approach ; the steady growth of the in-
ism and World Order (+331), The Globalization
ternational organizations in number and in
of America (+33-), and China and Japan in the
the scope and variety of activities since the
Global Setting (+33,).
late nineteenth century ; disregard of this
The aim of the author is ‘to trace the
phenomenon by most writings on modern
historical evolution of international organi-
world affairs ; and ‘reconceptualization’ of
zations,
non-
modern world history with a fresh perspec-
governmental, since the nineteenth century,
tive on the evolution of international rela-
in particular during the last fifty years, and
tions (p. +). Thus, he focuses on the following
to show how they have contributed to the
six types of organizations in order not to be
making of the contemporary world’ (p. vii).
comprehensive but to be illustrative ; those
He tried not to catalogue international or-
dealing with humanitarian relief, cultural
both
governmental
and
exchange, peace and disarmament, develop‘Akira Iriye, Global Community : the Role of International Organizations in the Making of the Contemporary World, University of California
Press, Berkeley, ,**. (Paperback). Pp. ix, ῏ῑῒ,
Index.’
mental assistance, human rights, and environmentalism. His intention is to explore
possibilities for world order rather than anarchy, and his point of view is that the ma-
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jority of the international organizations ‘are
focuses on no less important role of non-
by definition oriented toward seeking inter-
governmental organizations in the fields of
national
cultural
order,
cooperation,
and
inter-
dependence’ (p. /).
exchange,
humanitarian
relief,
peace, human rights and environmentalism.
Against this background, he seeks to
In Chapter -, Iriye projects a distinct
clarify the relationship between internation-
point of view as to the existence of a global
al organizations and globalization, so that
community in the +3/*s made up of interna-
this study will serve to spell out the ‘global
tional organizations ‘beyond the Cold War’,
community’, which, for him, suggests ‘the
as the title of the chapter suggests. In the
building of transnational networks that are
field of developmental assistance, in particu-
based upon a global consciousness, the idea
lar, exchanges between developed and dev-
that there is a wider world over and above
eloping nations were, according to the
separate states and national societies, and
author, enhanced in parallel with the educa-
that individuals and groups, no matter
tional and cultural exchanges throughout
where they are, share certain interests and
the world even in the intensification of the
concerns in that wider world’ (p. 2).
Cold War. This is, as he argues, because in-
Chapter + examines the interaction of
ternational organizations ‘were
offering
intergovernmental and international non-
hope’, goodwill and global interdependence
governmental organizations with each other
despite the fact that the bipolar conflicts and
and with the existing states in the process
power politics were creating an atmosphere
transforming the nature of international re-
of fear and insecurity (p. 3.).
lations. Iriye maintains that international-
Chapter . relates to the +30*s when the
ism, which came into existence in as early as
world saw the Cuban missile crisis, the Viet-
nineteenth century, ‘was being fostered thr-
nam War, and the ChineseῌSoviet rift. Iriye
ough international organizations working
explains that more than ever before, various
cooperatively among themselves and with
parts of the globe were becoming ‘inter-
state agencies’ (p. ,-). Moreover, ‘the interna-
connected’ through the growing number of
tional organizations represented the con-
international nongovernmental organiza-
science of the world’ and ‘global conscious-
tions. For him, nonstate networks in many
ness was kept alive’ (p. -0) in spite of the
fields were being established even under the
wars and international conflicts during
continuing intensity of Cold War. Moreover,
+3-*s.
the ‘mushrooming’ of the developmentῌori-
In Chapter ,, the author illustrates his
ented nongovernmental organizations, par-
strong belief in the continuous development
ticularly, was a distinctive feature of inter-
of the process of ‘global interconnectedness’
national relations during this period (p. +*2).
(p. .*) even during the Cold War. Moreover,
Behind the front scene of the Cold War, as he
the awareness of global interconnectedness
maintains, the consciousness of a global
could be mobilized to provide the basis for
community had been certainly generated by
postwar internationalism. While he admits
way of intergovernmental and nongov-
the significance of the role and function of
ernmental organizations.
the United Nations since its birth, he rather
In Chapter /, the author argues, through
‘Akira Iriye, Global Community : the Role of International Organizations in the Making of the Contemporary World, University of California Press, Berkeley, ,**. (Paperback). Pp. ix, ῏ῐῑ, Index.’
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the examination of the activities of inter-
led to the emergence of a global community
governmental and international nongov-
by means of networks of communication
ernmental organizations, that ‘these organi-
through intergovernmental and internation-
zations have played a decisive role ῌ in some
al nongovernmental organizations, whose
instances even more so than the sovereign
‘only weapons are ideas, a sense of commit-
states ῌ in the global transformation since
ment, and voluntary service’ (p. +3-).
the +31*s’ (p. +,3). During this decade, as he
In the concluding chapter, Iriye ad-
observes, international relations entered a
dresses the direction and desirability of the
new epoch when the solution of problems
phenomenon of globalization. He attributes
‘outside of world peace and arms control’ (p.
the accelerating force of globalization in the
+-.) came to attract the attention of people ;
twentieth century to the growth in number
i. e., in the fields of human rights, humanitar-
and scope of international organizations,
ian relief, developmental assistance, en-
stating that ‘underneath the geopolitical rea-
vironmental protection, and cultural ex-
lities defined by sovereign states, the centu-
change. Thus, he concludes that the chal-
ry witnessed a steady growth of another
lenge of multiculturalism, or cultural diver-
reality ῌ the global (and globalizing) ac-
sity, during this period, promoted the neces-
tivities by international organizations’ (p.
sity of crossῌnational and crossῌcultural ex-
,*,). In particular, nongovernmental organi-
change and communication especially by
zations, he suggests, have led the way to ‘a
means of intergovernmental and interna-
human community that would consist of
tional nongovernmental organizations (pp.
various complementing organizations shar-
+//ῌ+/0).
ing the same concerns and seeking to solve
Chapter 0 deals with the generation of a
greater global consciousness during the
them through cooperative endeavors’ (p.
,*3).
+32*s and the +33*s. The emergence of such
Of the many evocative implications of
consciousness, as he states, accelerated the
Global Community for debates about interna-
sudden and quick rise of international non-
tional relations, it is worthwhile to highlight
governmental organizations, in particular,
briefly the role of nongovernmental organi-
against the background of the ‘attentionῌ
zations, i. e., NGOs, the term of which he,
grabbing interstate dramas’ of interpower
consciously or unconsciously, does not at all
rivalries (p. +0*) before and in the postῌCold
use in the main text except for references in
War era. In addition, he maintains that it is
the endnotes of the volume. Doubtless, as
not state governments but ‘private initi-
Iriye observes, NGOs have been playing a
atives’ (p. +01) taken principally by non-
significant and influential role in various
governmental organizations that, towards
fields of contemporary international affairs.
the end of the century, became more urgent
However, it has not been established that
and imperative for carrying out important
they have been successful in striving to-
programs and projects which needed finan-
wards the achievement of real and genuine
cial and transnational support. In his opin-
globalization with a view to their own pur-
ion, the complex interconnectedness among
poses and goals. The consequences should
different strands of globalization evidently
be judged upon the definition and perspec-
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tive of the term, ‘global community’, as he
balization, including Manfred B. Steger’s
admits. It may be therefore said that, in the
Globalization : A Very Short Introduction
course of the analysis of the historical devel-
(,**-) and Martin Wolf’s Why Globalization
opment of NGOs, he could have described
Works (,**.), to name but a few. This book
and shown the precise and desirable image
under review, with plenty of examples based
of globalization of his own, regardless of his
on widely researched sources, must be
initial modest purpose of this rather com-
among those recommendable ones not only
pact research. Whether or not NGOs have
for the experts in the field of international
originally intended to bring about the cur-
relations and other related international stu-
rent situation, which the author positively
dies but also for historians, sociologists, and
appreciates in the book, still seems to be
anthropologists, whose interest will also be
open to further argument.
in the sphere of consciousness of people to-
Nowadays, there are numerous remarkably concise but instructive studies on glo-
wards globalization and/or nonῌglobalization.