World Council of Councils Releases International Cooperation Report Card

"CoC Think Tank Representatives Give Low Marks to International Cooperation Efforts on Urgent Issues"

Grades for 8 out of 10 Evaluated Issues Range from C- to C+

As the world confronts global challenges ranging from terrorism to climate change, the Council of Councils (CoC) has released its "Council of Councils Report Card on International Cooperation," assessing the international community's cooperative response to transnational threats as insufficient. Founded in March 2012 under the leadership of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the CoC comprises 26 international think tanks from 25 countries, with the primary objective of fostering discussions on global governance and multinational cooperation. The East Asia Institute (EAI), headed by President Lee Sook-jong, represents South Korea as a founding member.Council of Councils Report Card on International CooperationCouncil on Foreign Relations: hereinafter referred to as CFR), the CoC comprises 26 international think tanks from 25 countries, with the primary objective of fostering discussions on global governance and multinational cooperation. The East Asia Institute (EAI), headed by President Lee Sook-jong, represents South Korea as a founding member.

The recently released "International Cooperation Report Card" synthesizes the results of a survey conducted in 2014 among representatives of CoC member institutions regarding the priorities and performance in international cooperation across ten major issue areas. The evaluated categories included (1) global economy, (2) nuclear non-proliferation, (3) climate change, (4) development, (5) global health, (6) trade, (7) cyber governance, (8) transnational terrorism, (9) interstate conflict, and (10) intrastate conflict. According to this release, the international cooperation scores for eight out of the ten issue areas ranged from C- to C+, indicating a low level of performance.

"At every period in history, there have been major threats that challenge the existing order, and the threats of this era are global in nature," stated Richard N. Haass, President of the CFR. He further emphasized, "This report card shows in which areas international cooperation is most needed and what significant results can be achieved through such cooperation."Richard N. Haass

When asked about the most pressing issues for 2015, the majority of respondents identified "interstate conflict" as the top priority, unanimously calling for strengthened international cooperation in preventing and responding to such conflicts. Lee Sook-jong, President of the East Asia Institute (EAI), stressed that "these issues require a comprehensive and multi-layered approach, necessitating the active participation of both developing and developed countries." Ferdinando Nelli Feroci, Director of the Italian Institute of International Affairs, argued that "the most urgent task currently is to mitigate the risk of armed conflict among major powers." Most survey participants cited Russia's annexation of Crimea and the ongoing tensions in Ukraine as the most significant current issues. John Chipman, Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, also stated, "We witnessed serious interstate armed conflict in Europe in 2014, the repercussions of which spread globally, heightening tensions. The international community's response to this was not only unsuccessful but even exacerbated the problem."

Meanwhile, efforts to prevent and respond to "intrastate violence," despite being the second highest priority issue requiring international cooperation, received the lowest grade of D among the ten evaluated issues. Michael Fullilove, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Australia, commented, "The international community and the UN have failed to fulfill their responsibility to protect citizens from violence within states. Syria serves as the most egregious example."

In contrast, the "nuclear non-proliferation" issue area received a relatively high grade of B-, reflecting the progress made in the Iran nuclear negotiations in 2014. Amos Yadlin, Director of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Israel, stated, "The unprecedented sanctions imposed on Iran demonstrated that coordinated international economic sanctions based on agreement can yield diplomatic results and effectively prevent nuclear proliferation." Lee Sook-jong, President of the East Asia Institute, added, "While the issue of nuclear non-proliferation has seen success with Iran, significant challenges remain in seeking practical measures for denuclearization with North Korea." She emphasized, "International pressure urging North Korea to halt its nuclear development activities has failed, and there is no prospect of resuming the Six-Party Talks."

While representatives from the surveyed institutions generally expressed disappointment with the past year's performance, they also indicated opportunities for new breakthroughs this year in three areas: "trade expansion," "global health management," and "climate change mitigation." Rohinton Medhora, President of Canada's Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), remarked, "It is good news that protectionism has not gained traction despite the ongoing global economic crisis in many parts of the world." The Council of Councils (CoC) assessed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the U.S. and the EU as agreements likely to see the most progress this year.

Stewart M. Patrick, Director of the Council on Foreign Relations' International Institutions and Global Governance Program, which developed the International Cooperation Report Card, stated, "Globalization has introduced new threats and opportunities that individual countries cannot manage alone." He continued, "Addressing these threats and opportunities requires international cooperation, but it is difficult to prioritize among various issues and fully understand how to address them. The International Cooperation Report Card initiative was specifically designed to help policymakers worldwide understand trends in international cooperation and prioritize key issues."International Institutions and Global Governance ProgramStewart M. Patrick, stated, "Globalization has introduced new threats and opportunities that individual countries cannot manage alone." He continued, "Addressing these threats and opportunities requires international cooperation, but it is difficult to prioritize among various issues and fully understand how to address them. The International Cooperation Report Card initiative was specifically designed to help policymakers worldwide understand trends in international cooperation and prioritize key issues." (Continued)