Extra Flashcards
Francis Fukuyama: key ideas about the state and globalisation
in 1992, Francis Fukuyama published The End of History and the Last Man
he argued that war would eventually become a thing of the past due to the rise of liberal democracies that tend to be unwilling to engage in conflict with each other
in 1989, the Berlin Wall was torn down, leading to the reunification of Germany as a liberal democracy and in Eastern Europe, communist dictatorships were overthrown and replaced with democratically elected governments
in 1991, the Soviet union collapsed and in 1992, the leaders of the EEC pledged themselves to a common citizenship and currency, becoming the EU
the close connectivity between democracies could evolve to challenge the primacy of the state and the EU could provide a model for the future relationship between nations
as states work more closely together, supranational governments would increasingly challenge the absolute sovereignty of the nation state
how has the internet and regionalism promoted insularity rather than integration?
the internet has also facilitated insularity
for example, the television network Russia Today deploys its global outreach, not to breakdown barriers, but to provide Russian nationalism with a global audience
the rapid advance of regionalism has not undermined national citizenship, it has actually provoked a backlash
especially in Europe, where most countries have seen a rise in Eurosceptic nationalist parties — a phenomenon that Brexit is likely to encourage
how does Thomas Hobbes’ ideas link to the state and globalisation?
Thomas Hobbes supports the idea that the state should be the main actor in global relations
he argued that adherence to the authority of the sovereign state provides the most effective way of protecting society from mankind’s potential for anarchy
he appreciated that a powerful sovereign state, with the ability to control its subjects, provides the best way of ensuring peace and stability
the Treaty of Westphalia
the Peace of Westphalia (1648) ended the Thirty Years War and developed the principle of state sovereignty
it ended the Holy Roman Emperor’s claim to possess sovereign authority over virtually independent German states
this meant that each individual state would be sovereign over its own internal affairs and no other state, or supposedly superior body, could intervene within its borders
Westphalia also defined the sovereign equality of states — no state has the legal right to intervene in the sovereign affairs of another state + all states, whatever their size, possess the same legal right to independence
Woodrow Wilson: what were his ideas and what did they lead to?
during the 20th century, Westphalian principles dominated the globe
in Fourteen Points (1918), US President Woodrow Wilson established the principle that nationstate sovereignty should be founded upon the right of self-determination based on a shared ethnic heritage
this led to the creation of new states such as Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland after WW1
the Montevideo Convention (1933)
the Montevideo Convention (1933) determined that a sovereign state must possess….
- a defined territory
- a permanent population
- a viable government
- the capacity to enter into diplomatic relations with other states
a state would possess a monopoly of lawmaking powers within its borders, while outside interference could not legally change a state’s borders
post-WW2 decolonisation
following the end of WW2, there was yet more nationbuilding as former colonies of the great powers gained independence
in 1947, the independent states of India and Pakistan were established while old empires in Africa crumbled in the face of nationalist movements
in the Middle East, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria all achieved independence after WW2
from 1989 to 1991, as communism collapsed through Eastern Europe, new nation states (including the 15 constituent parts of the Soviet Union) were established based upon principles of self-determination
only 15 of the 193 members of the UN had existed as independent nation states in 1910
current state sovereignty
no state, however powerful, has the right to intervene in the affairs of another state since all states can claim the same right to determine policy within their own borders without fear of outside interference
states act out of self interest in order to achieve the best possible outcome for themselves
the legitimacy of the nation state derives from its acceptance as a nation state by other nation states — for example, Palestine claims statehood but since the UN does not officially accept these claims, it remains unrecognised
influence of non state actors in increasing interconnectedness
nonstate actors = entities such as NGOs, IGOs, TNCs and even criminal and terrorist networks that wield significant influence over global affairs
global interconnectedness has been advanced through the rise of such non-state actors
as the problems that the world faces becomes more complex, from climate change to international terrorism, a collective security dilemma is created which states cannot resolve on their own
therefore, they increasingly turn to nonstate actors to help solve such global issues
what is global governance?
global governance exists today
refers to the complex web of interconnectedness in which nation-states are working with eachother and with nonstate actors
various IGOs (such as the UN, WTO, IMF and World Bank) as well as regional organisations and international judicial bodies facilitate this interconnectedness and encourage global governance
states retain sovereignty and choose the extent to which they cooperate with each other and other stakeholders
global governance therefore involves interconnectedness rather than the centralisation of global power within one single supranational body
liberals encourage the development of global governance since it reduces state egoism by connecting the global community and consequently reduces the possibility of war
what is a world government?
does not exist today
means that the nationstate, either voluntarily or involuntarily, would abandon the right to govern its own citizens
power would be centralised in one location rather than diffused among various states and nonstate actors, as it is today
the closest the world has come to a world government is the UN, but this organisation is based upon the sovereign equality of its member states and so is primarily intergovernmental rather than supranational
realists oppose the principles of world government since they argue that the state is the most important actor in global relations
liberals are also cautious about world government since it is often associated with a lack of democratic accountability and the empire building tendencies of dictators
is globalisation a new phenomenon?
A GLOBAL VILLAGE
hyperglobalisers assume that current globalisation is unique and has established interconnectedness between states on a scale never seen before
some liberal critics believe that we are now living in a ‘global village’ in which our similarities outweigh our differences
the internet penetrates almost everywhere in the world and global capital flows are instantaneous, creating a supraterritorial world in which state sovereignty and borders matter less than ever before
is globalisation a new phenomenon?
GLOBALISATION HAS HAPPENED BEFORE
globalisation is in the process of transforming the world, yet many historians argue that ‘we have been here before’
the first great age of globalisation lasted from 1870 to 1913, when global trade dramatically increased and British hegemony expanded
British values, such as freetrade, a meritocratic civil service and opposition to slavery, had a global influence significantly more profound than today’s commercialisation and materialism
Mahatma Gandhi played a key role in ending British rule in India, but his autobiography demonstrates how deeply he had absorbed British values
today, the British Commonwealth is the second biggest organisation in the world and British principles of parliamentary democracy have globally penetrated, possibly even more deeply than than modern ‘Americanisation’
is globalisation a new phenomenon?
GLOBALISATION HAS HAPPENED BEFORE (continued)
it would be misleading to suggest that states and people are more connected than ever before in history
in reality, the way in which leaders such as Putin, Trump and Erdogan have deployed nationalistic rhetoric and policies to win public support indicates that nationalism is, if anything, becoming more important in global relations
this is a far cry from the earlier periods of history, when nationality was significantly less important than it is today
the great age of migration was actually the 19th century, when millions sought a new life in the USA and there was extensive movement of people within the British Empire
the expansion of continental railways was so rapid that in 1861 France even abandoned the passport and passport free travel became the norm across Europe until WW1
the universality of the Roman Catholic Church also challenged state sovereignty and transformed the cultures of indigenous populations — missionaries spread the Catholic faith from Japan to South America
during the Roman period, a single language, culture and citizenship dominated Western Europe and the near east, demonstrating that cultural homogenisation and globalisation is not a new process
history suggests that they have been earlier, possibly even more profound, periods of globalisation
has globalisation changed the world?
YES
economic globalisation has dramatically increased global trade, lifting millions out of poverty and creating the potential for greater convergence between the Global North and Global South
as a result of economic globalisation, China is on course to becoming the world’s biggest economy, challenging US hegemony — this represents a shift of the global balance of power eastwards, towards emerging economies
due to the internet, global capital flows are now instantaneous, interlinking economies all over the world — since the world is so economically and financially interconnected, no state can avoid financial crises, such as the collapse of Lehman Bros in 2008
TNCs, rather than nationstates, are increasingly determining employment opportunities and labour rights, especially in the developing world AND NGOs, such as Greenpeace, add another layer to global decision-making, further challenging the primacy of nation states
cultural globalisation has led to a global monoculture culture, in which there are a few truly national products remaining as TNCs, such as Adidas and Nike, manufacture and sell across the globe
states work more closely together in IGOs like the UN and the UN’s R2P has encouraged a more universal standard of human rights
the internet has facilitated the spread of radicalisation and terrorism, undermining national allegiances and challenging the state’s ability to tackle internal and external threats
