International Actors Flashcards
What is an International Actor?
- Actors are entities that participate in or promote international relations.
- Two types of actors involved in IR include state and non-state actors.
- State represents a government while non-state actors do not. However, they have impact on state actors
Classification of International Actors
- Scope (Global or regional)
- Functions (social, political ,economical, environmental )
Define Nation-State
can be largely defined as autonomous geopolitical entities inhabited by citizens sharing the same language, history and ethnicity.
Define State
Refers to either the present condition of a system or entity, or to a governed entity (such as a country) or sub entity (such as a province or region).
Define Nation
community who think they are different from others in term of history, ethnicity, language, religion.
Characteristics of the nation-state
- Geographically defined
- Sovereingty
- Government
- Boundaries
- Nationalism
- Obedience and loyalty of population
Role of nation-state in IR
- Decision making (politics, economy, social, culture).
Non-state actor (definition)
- Are no sovereign entities that exercise significant economic, political or social power and influence at a national and in some cases international level.
- There is no consensus on the members of this category and some definitions include: trade unions, community organizations, religious institutions, ethnic groups, universities.
- The impact of non-state actors is context-dependent, however, the roles they play and the influence they exert depend upon political, economic and social context.
Non-state actors (examples)
- International intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)
- Transnational or International non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
- Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
- Social Movements
- Terrorist Groups
- Criminal organizations
what are IGOs
- Voluntary associations of sovereign states
- Created by treaties and negotiations
- Pursue objectives of the states
IGOs (Examples)
- United Nation
- World Bank
- The group of Eight (G8)
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
What is United Nation
- Maintain international peace and security
- Develop friendly relations among nations
- Achieve international cooperation in solving international problems.
What is the World Bank
• International Financial Institution that works in reducing poverty in developing country by giving loans
What is the The group of Eight (G8)
- Made up of the world’s leading industrial countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, USA and Russia)
- Head of the G8 countries meet each year to discuss global issues such as world poverty and security.
What is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- Military Alliance
- A system of collective defense where its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party.
Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
- Driver of global economic integration
- Profit maximization
- More powerful as independent actors
- They act internationally in the interest of their (international) shareholders and do owe no form loyalty to no state.
Industrial Corporations
- Makes goods in factories in many countries and see them to business and consumers in various countries.
- The larges MNCs are automobile, oil and electronic indusutries.
- Almost all the MNCs are based in G7 states.
- Examples : Sony, Honda, Toyota, Petronas
Financial Corporations
- Such as banks
- Operate multinationally with more restrictions than industrial corporations.
- Examples: Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (OCBC Bank) and others.
Services
- McDonald’s fast-food chain
- International airlines
- Hilton Hotels
NGOs
- Organizations that are private, self-governing, voluntary, non-profit, and task, or interested-oriented, advocacy organization.
- They can implement projects, provide services, defend or promote specific causes or seek influence policy.
- Huge dedree of diversity in terms of unifying principals
- Independence from government, big-business and other outside influences, operating procedures, sources of founding, international reach and size.
- Since 2001, advocacy NGO works with transnational issues such as environment, public health, migration, displacement and social.
- Economic justice have received greater visibility and influence thanks to the increase of public demands for actions in such areas
NGOs Examples
- Amnesty International
- Oxfam
- AISEC
- World Wide Fund for Nature
- Wikimedia Foundation
- PATH
Amnesty International
Worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all
- conducts research and generate action to prevent and grave abuses of human rights.
- demand justice for those whose human rights have been violated.
- Protect civilians and basic welfare of children, LGBT rights, rights of people with AIDS, women rights, disability rights…
Oxfam
- International confederation of 17 organizations networked together in 92 countries, as part of a global movement for change, to build a future free from the injustice of poverty.
- Works to help eliminate global poverty with long-term and sustainable solutions.
AISEC
- Links students worldwide
- World Wide Fund for Nature
- Works on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment and hundreds and thousands more NGOs to go.
- Wikimedia Foundation
- Dedicated to encourage the growth, development and distribution of free, multilingual content, and to provide full content of these wiki-based projects to the public free of charge.
- Operates some of the largest collaboratively edited reference projects in the world, including Wikipedia, a top-ten internet property.
- PATH
- Stands for program appropriate technology in health
- works with the private and public sectors to help with advancing technologies to address global health challenges.
