Non-states Flashcards
Why is it a great mistake to assume that people everywhere define their identity primarily in terms of the state in which they reside?
For millions of people, especially those who live within the borders of multi-religious + multi-ethnic states, their primary identity will be defined by their religion
Why has the impact of religious movements + institutions been decidedly mixed?
- Christianity, Islam… have inspired humanitarian activities eg. abolition of slavery
- Religions have motivated some of the most brutal inter-state and internal wars and terrorist campaigns
How have religious institutions intervened directly in politics to dramatic effect?
- Catholic Church acted as a focus of resistance to Communism
- Success of Solidarity movement in liberating Poland from Communist rule owed a great deal to support of Catholic Church
When did the term ‘nations’ begin to have political significance?
The late 18th Century
Where do the origins of modern political nationalism lie?
- In the Western European states of 16th and 17th centuries
- When raison d’état and increasing cultural linguistic identification were reinforced by:
- the economically maximising potential of mercantilist, centralised state government
- the nation-state clearly emerged as the predominant European political unit
What underpins the modern doctrine of nationalism?
- National solidarity
- Universal citizenship
- Equal rights to civic participation
- Equal treatment under the law
What are two main issues with the nationalist doctrine?
- No clear agreement about how the nation should be defined: linguistic, ethnic + cultural-historical differences have habit of cross-cutting
- The spread of nationalist doctrines has exacerbated international conflict, providing additional justification for revolution + war
In cases of long standing imperial control or attempted elimination of political nationalism, what happens to cultural nationalism?
Cultural nationalism stubbornly survives.
As the former Soviet Union found, it is almost impossible, in practise, to eliminate the linguistic identity + solidarity of an ethnic group
What happened to cultural nationalism in Ireland and Wales in 19th Century?
It was found that the more the native language of an ethnic group is despised + deliberately discouraged by a government, the more it gains significance as a street language to express communal sufferings + hopes
When does cultural nationalism begin to lose its significance?
Only when the larger proportion of an ethnic group has been assimilated in the politically dominant culture, as in modern Brittany
Why are MNCs among the most influential + powerful non-state actors in the international system?
- MNCs are now considered to be among the most powerful actors in the GPE
- increasingly able to dictate the terms of production and trade
- key driving forces behind globalisation
- possess assets + deploy annual budgets which dwarf those of the many poor states where their operations may be located
What are the benefits to MNCs of having operations simultaneously in several countries?
- They can choose to locate their operations in countries where it is most profitable
- Have access to considerable funds for investment + can command best available business + technical expertise
Why might MNCs not bring huge benefits to the host country?
- MNCs tend to use capital-intensive methods of production so don’t need to employ large numbers of workers from host country
- Often skilled + managerial employees brought in from overseas
- May manage to avoid host country’s taxation by shifting profits out of host country
Why is the MNC not sovereign and why has globalisation not destroyed the capacity of the state to strike back at MNCs when they wish to do so?
- States have ultimate control over their territories + borders
- They can + do seize MNC assets, expel MNC personnel, impose draconian fines for alleged violations of law…
- Ultimately state is still sovereign
- Though it might be reluctant to take extreme steps for fear of causing a flight of overseas investment or the withdrawal of other MNCs from the country
Is most of the work carried out by humanitarian organisations done so with the full consent of the country?
Most of the international relief work is done with the full consent of the authorities in the country of need
