The Hague Appeal for Peace Conference
| Author | Pamela Teitelbaum,Peter Stoett |
| Published date | 01 March 2000 |
| Date | 01 March 2000 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200005500103 |
| Subject Matter | Comment & Opinion |
PETER
STOETT
&
PAMELA
TEITELBAUM
The
Hague
Appeal
for
Peace
Conference
Reflections
on
'civil
society'
and
NGOs
INTRODUCTION
Scholars
of
international
relations
have
always
been
concerned
with
the
activities
of
non-state
entities
in
the
complex
web
of
structures
and
actors in
world
affairs.
Some reject
the
idea
that
non-state
organiza-
tions
play
a
significant
role
while
others
embrace
it.
Recently,
more
attention
is
being
paid
to
the
role
played
by
non-governmental
organi-
zations
(NGOs)
in
shaping
policy agendas
and,
in
particular,
in
leading
campaigns
towards
the
establishment
of
global regimes for
such
devel-
opments
as
banning
land mines,
reducing child
labour,
promoting
sus-
tainable
development,
ceasing
the
use
of
child
soldiers,
and
creating
an
International
Criminal
Court.
An
old
term,
civil
society,
has
resurfaced
to
describe
broadly
the
aggregate
actions
of
NGOs,
ranging
from representatives
of
indigenous
peoples
and
solidarity movements
to
issues
surrounding
women's
rights
and
Tibetan
independence,
all
of
which
engage
in
activism
along
a
myriad
of
political
lines.
The
term
has
been
in
use
in
political
philos-
ophy
for
many
years,
from
Hegel
to
Gramsci
to
Habermas;
and
authors
such
as
Paul
Wapner
have
applied
the
concept
to
the
transna-
Pamela
Teitelbaum
is
a
graduate student
at
Concordia
University
currently working
with
an
international
NGO
based
in
Montreal
Peter
Stoett
is
an
Assistant
Professor
ofPolitical
Science
at
Concordia
University
Both
attended
the
1999
Hague Appealfor
Peace
conference
and
thank
the
Social
Science
and
Humanities
Research
Council
the
Concordia
Institutional
Relations
Office,
the
Graduate
Students
Association,
and
the
Concordia
Political
Science
Department
for
related
funding.
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
Winter
1999-2000
To continue reading
Request your trial