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NGOs as Norm Obstructers: The Politics of Conservative NGOs in IOs
In Event: 50 Years of LGBTQ Scholarship at APSA Mini-Conference: Frontiers in LGBT Politics Research
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a drastic rise in the participation of conservative NGOs, advocating against sexual and reproductive rights, in international organizations (IOs). This paper analyzes this phenomenon and challenges the conventional understanding of NGOs’ involvement in IOs, contending that NGOs may collaborate with international institutions not to stimulate global mobilization for domestic change, but rather to obstruct international decisions and actions. The paper introduces the concepts of "IO's obstruction", defined as the attempts by NGOs to block an IO from adopting unwanted decisions regarding normative issues, by changing the cost of doing so for states and/or international civil servants; and “norm obstructers”, or NGOs opposing the adoption of “standards for the appropriate behavior of states” (Finnemore and Sikkink 1998, p. 893), which exist in opposition to norm entrepreneurs. This paper suggests that NGOs opt for obstruction as an international strategy under two primary conditions. First, when they lack a favorable political opportunity structure and are unable to influence sufficient states or international civil servants to adopt decisions aligned with their normative views. Second, when NGOs prefer a low-engagement strategy with international institutions. To test this theoretical framework, the paper examines the case of the Organization of American States (OAS), which has adopted progressive decisions on sexual and reproductive rights and has seen a sharp increase in the participation of conservative NGOs, seeking to obstruct the organization. The empirical methods employed in this paper are elite interviews, archival research of OAS documents, and participant observation of the 2023 General Assembly and parallel internal meetings of LGBT+ organizations.