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The international community is a vague term used in international relations
International relations

International relations represents the study of foreign affairs and global issues among states within the international system, including the roles of states, international organization , non-governmental organizations , and multinational corporations ....
 to refer to all the countries of the world or to a group of them. The term is used to imply the existence of common duties and obligations between them, frequently in the context of calls for the respect of human rights and for action to be taken against repressive regimes.






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The international community is a vague term used in international relations
International relations

International relations represents the study of foreign affairs and global issues among states within the international system, including the roles of states, international organization , non-governmental organizations , and multinational corporations ....
 to refer to all the countries of the world or to a group of them. The term is used to imply the existence of common duties and obligations between them, frequently in the context of calls for the respect of human rights and for action to be taken against repressive regimes. It is sometimes described as a euphemism used to refer to the West
Western world

The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
 or to the developed world
Developed country

The term developed country is used to describe countries that have a high level of development according to some criteria. Which criteria, and which countries are classified as being developed, is a contentious issue and there is fierce debate about this....
.

States thus often refer to "the will of the international community" to strengthen their own point of view, while in reality they are referring to the will of a small group of states or even only themselves. It is sometimes claimed that powerful countries and groups of countries use the term to describe organisations in which they play a predominant role, regardless of the opinion of other nations. For example, the Kosovo War
Kosovo War

Kosovo War occurred after the Rambouillet Agreement failed in February 1999. The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts in Kosovo:...
 was described as an action of the "international community" even though it was undertaken by NATO
NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization , also called the Atlantic Alliance, is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949....
, which represented under ten percent of the world's population during the Kosovo War.

For example, the term is used by some Western
Western world

The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
 leaders when criticising Iran for its nuclear ambitions by saying that "Iran is defying the will of the international community by continuing uranium enrichment". The league of non-aligned nations (122 countries out of 193 states recognised by the United Nations
United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
) has in fact backed Iran's right to enrich uranium.

See also

  • Sources of international law
    Sources of international law

    Sources of international law are the materials and processes out of which the rules and principles regulating the international community are developed....
  • List of community topics
    List of community topics

    This List of community topics is intended to be a comprehensive listing of topics, categories and other resources related to community in the broadest sense possible....
  • Internationalism (politics)
    Internationalism (politics)

    Internationalism is a political movement that advocates a greater economic and political cooperation among nations for the theoretical benefit of all....
  • World community
    World community

    The term is used primarily in political and humanitarian contexts to describe an international aggregate of nation states of widely varying types. In most connotations, the term is used to convey meanings attached to consensus or inclusion of all people in all lands and their governments....