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INTL 101: INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL POLITICS. Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism?. LECTURE CONTENT. Key Concepts. Argument for State Sovereignty will survive Globalism. Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? YES Argument against State Sovereignty will Survive Globalism.
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INTL 101: INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL POLITICS Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism?
LECTURE CONTENT • Key Concepts. • Argument for State Sovereignty will survive Globalism. • Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? YES • Argument against State Sovereignty will Survive Globalism. • Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? NO
Key Concepts • Autonomy- Literal meaning is self-government. As such the term is associated with the idea of sovereignty and independence. In traditional international relations all states were assumed to be autonomous, that is, not subject to external authority whether this was spiritual or temporal. Peace of Westphalia- 1648 treaty often cited as the political big bang that created the modern system of autonomous state.
Key Concepts • Conflict resolution-is the process of attempting to resolve a dispute or a conflict. • Cyber-terrorism- is the leveraging of a target’s computers and information technology, particularly via the Internet, to cause physical, real-world harm or severe disruption with the aim of advancing the attacker’s own political or religious goals.
Key Concepts • Globalism- focuses on the importance of economy, especially capitalist relations of dominance or exploitation, to understanding world politics. • IGO- international organizations or more formally, IGO is an organization whose members are sovereign states or other IGOs like EU and WTO.
Key Concepts • Nation-states- states whose populations share a sense of national identity, usually including a language and culture. • NGO- is used in a variety of ways all over the world and, depending on the context in which it is used, can refer to many different types of organization. In its broadest sense, a NGO is one that is not directly part of the structure of government.
Key Concepts • Sovereignty- a state’s right, at least in principle, to do whatever it wants within its own territory. • Supranational- refers to laws or institutions that are above the state. The power and authority they exercise is not confined to one but to many.
Argument for State Sovereignty will survive Globalism. • Stephen D. Krasner, professor of international relations, argues that the nation-state has a keen instinct for survival and will adapt to globalization and other challenges to sovereignty.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? YES • Conventional norms of sovereignty have always been challenged, but sovereignty remains attractive. • Example: Stronger states- more autonomy. Weaker states-persistently penetrated.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? YES • In various parts of the world, national borders still represent the fault lines of conflict. • Example: Israelis and Palestinians. Indians and Pakistanis. • Commentators, governments and activists are mostly concerned about the erosion of national boundaries as a result of globalization. However, the most important impact of economic globalization and transnational norms will be to alter the scope of the state authority rather than to generate erode it.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? YES What does sovereignty mean? 3 uses of sovereignty: • In the contemporary world, sovereignty mainly has been linked with the idea that states are autonomous and independent from each other. The principle of non-intervention is important in this context.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? YES • More recently, sovereignty has come to be linked with the idea of control over trans-border movements. • Commentators when they say sovereign state is just about dead they do not mean that constitutional structures are about to disappear. They mean that technological change has made it very difficult , or perhaps impossible, for states to control movements across their borders.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? YES • Finally, sovereignty has meant that political authorities can enter into international agreements. Example: EU or NATO. • Universal Human rights are not an unprecedented challenge to sovereignty. The struggle to establish international rules has been going for a long time. Example: Religious toleration (the Vienna Settlement) >minority rights (bureau established with the League of Nations)> human rights (UN Charter).
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? YES • Globalization does not undermine state control. It has become easier, not harder, for state to manage the flow of goods and services. • Globalization is changing the scope of state control. The reach of the state has increased in some areas but contracted in others.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? YES • Although government involvement in religion ( leaders choose to surrender their control over religion because it proved too volatile) , monetary affairs (is an area where state control expanded and then contracted-single currency), and claims to loyalty (the erosion of national citizenship) has declined, overall government activity, as reflected in taxation and government expenditure, has increased as a percentage of national income.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? YES • NGOs, to some extent, are nibbling at national sovereignty. There is growing NGO impact in public policy and international law. But growing NGOs influence, their power to affect country’s domestic affairs has been limited when compared to governments, international organizations and multinational corporations.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? YES • Sovereignty, sometimes, blocks conflict resolution. The political importance of conventional sovereignty rules has made it harder to solve problems. Example : Jerusalem. • The EU is a new model for supranational governance, but only for Europeans.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? YES • It is not likely to become a “Unites States of Europe”- because of diversity. • The EU is inconsistent with conventional sovereignty rules. Example: Supranational institutions, European Court of Justice or European Commission. • The EU is a new and unique institutional structure, but it will coexist with, not displace , the sovereign state model.
Argument against State Sovereignty will Survive Globalism • Kiberly Weir, an assistant professor of political science, maintains that the tide of history is running against the sovereign state as a governing principle, which will soon go the way of earlier, now-discarded forms of governance, such as empire.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? NO • Those who think that sovereign state will be dominant forever in international system have been fooled. • The sovereign state is not just about dead, but they are dying. States are outdated institutions that have difficulty meeting the needs of citizens.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? NO • One argument- the size of states and the scope of their governments leave many people complaining about “big government”, where the multiple layers of bureaucracy complicate accomplishing any task. Example: Securing a passport can take months. • Other argument- states are too small to do the big things. We live in an era of global problems. Example: global warming, global spread of diseases.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? NO • Those who argue that states are still strong sovereign units are missing the reality of state existence. In theory, all states are equal, but this theory is largely fiction. It appears that states posses all or the qualities necessary to act as sovereign units, when, indeed, many states fail to provide security for their own citizens. So, those who argue that state sovereignty is not in decline ignore the fact that a majority of the states have very limited sovereignty (Quasi-State and Failed-State).
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? NO • Sovereignty does not mean final authority anymore. A closer look at sovereignty reveals that it is not necessarily what it appears to be. The international system is pushing states more and more to abide by decisions made by IGOs. Example: Membership in an international organization.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? NO • Changes in international system have required states and other actors to cooperate through international organizations. The primary incentive for states to cooperate is to minimize the effects of the changes and the challenges to state sovereignty. • Most states attempting to meet the basic needs of their citizens require international assistance. Example: EU conditionality.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? NO • While the notion of non-intervention is considered sacred in the international community, the reality of the situation is that intervention happens regularly. • Universal Human Rights are unprecedented challenge to sovereignty. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights invites interference in states’ domestic affairs in the name of humanitarian intervention.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? NO • Although some argue that UN agreements regarding the various human rights issues are often ineffective, more people are now aware of these issues. • NGOs monitor state action as well as lobby, protest, and boycott states that violate human rights. Example: Human Rights World Watch and Amensty International.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? NO • Globalization undermines state control. The effects of globalization are steadily eroding away at the state authority. • Trade, communications, technology and travel- all serve to undermine state control. • Just as traditional forms of terrorism challenge s state’s authority over its territory, cyber-terrorism also undermines control. Example: Viruses that destroy all databanks.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? NO • Globalization is changing the scope of state control- forcing states to alter their authority. States are being challenged by international organizations. • NGOs are nibbling at national sovereignty. This is especially if, as is appropriate, one considers corporations to be NGOs. • MNCs have power, mobility, and resources. • In global business environment where states compete for industries that provide revenue and jobs, MNCs have the upper hand over many small developing economies. Big businesses are not the only NGOs that nibble on states. The recent growth spurt of private citizen organizations attributed to a concept called post-materialism.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? NO • It appears that conflict resolution is based on more on issued of self-identity and expression than on preserving state sovereignty. A majority of conflict occurring in the post-cold war era is a result of ethnic interstate clashes. Oppressing minorities without fair representation chips away at state sovereignty.
Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? NO • The EU is a new model for supranational governance. The conventional states are becoming obsolete as regional and international organizations supplant them by providing more of what citizens need.