think about who those organizations are and what they really do. So, today we just wanted

to take a quick moment to decode some of this international alphabet soup.

First off is NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This is a group of states who’ve

agreed to defend each other against military and political threats from non-NATO members.

NATO has 28 member states, including the US, Canada, and most of Europe. They’ve agreed

to contribute troops and supplies for some joint military actions. Russia and Ukraine

are not NATO members. But NATO has been in the news recently over the possibility of

stepping in against Russia in the Ukrainian conflict.

Next is the UN or United Nations. We all generally know what that is, but you may not be familiar

with the groups they are responsible for. Things like UNICEF, UNESCO, and the WHO. UNICEF

is the United Nations Children’s Fund; they provide humanitarian and developmental aid

to children and mothers in developing countries. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational Scientific

and Cultural Organization. Their goal is to spread knowledge and preserve culture through

international collaboration. They do things like establish literacy programs and designate

protected World Heritage Sites.

The WHO is the World Health Organization, also run by the UN. They are concerned with

international public health, they take on epidemics like the current Ebola outbreak

in West Africa and handle other medical projects and research.

Another term that pops up every so often is the G8, or the Group of 8. This refers to

both a group of 8 world leaders, the leaders from these 8 nations to be exact, and a series

of informal retreats for those leaders. Though the G8 retreats usually also involve one or

two guests, like the head of the EU, those guests aren’t technically a part of the

G8.

Speaking of the EU, that stands for the European Union, which is a politico-economic union

of 28 European nations that have agreed to accept the same currency, the euro, and the

same standards for free trade and travel for their member states and citizens. They are

also working toward one codified set of laws to govern things like agriculture and regional

development. It is basically a very robust trade organization that allows Europe to work

as one political and economic force.

Another important trade organization is OPEC, which stands for the Organization of the Petroleum

Exporting Countries. This refers to a group of 12 oil producing nations, that collude

with each other to protect their common interest in the Oil market. They meet on pricing and

practices to ensure that the market stays stable and their oil profits remain high.

Obviously, this is considered a controversial practice for those who believe in a free market

economy.

The IMF or International Monetary Fund is another international organization that has

taken some criticism lately. The IMF is a fund that 188 nations pay in to. It is designed

to assist nations that need loans or other help with economic stability. Critics accuse

the IMF of having a Western bias and being overly supportive of nations that have strong

ties to the US and the EU. IMF-in out of here.

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