Regionalism Flashcards
Intergovernmentalism
Member states governments work together to come up with mutually beneficial agreements, but their sovereignty remains in tact.
-States can still easily opt out of agreements
-Nation states meet mutually beneficial agreements but at independently in their own self interest.
Supranationalism
The regional organisation meets all of the decisions and imposes them on its member states. Impinges on state sovereignty.
For example, the EU
-The erosion of serenity is voluntary and related to specific areas
-States are not acting on their own behalf but rather as part of a bigger organisation
Economic regionalism
Focuses on economic progress, free trade and removing barriers to trade within a region. By reducing restrictions such as taxes, tariffs and embargo’s. States also use regional protectionist policies.
-Must have interdependent economies and economic interest
-No long-term strategic aims
-Outward looking reaching trade deals as a bloc with other states outside the region
-Limited erosion of sovereignty.
Except in case of single currency.
Political regionalism
Focuses on resolving challenges and maximising opportunities that two or more states face.
-Relies on shared values and cultural similarities
-Inward looking acting on the regions self interest
-Emphasis on pooled sovereignty and deeper integration meaning there is an erosion of sovereignty.
Security regionalism
Focuses on defence and security against shared threats. States make an alliance to better strength than their regional borders against outsider attacks.
-Often shared political ties
-Some impact on sovereignty because of the emphasis on a common defence policy
Widening
The expansion of regional blocs to incorporate more member states.
E.g. the EU’s expansion to include states from eastern Europe
Deepening
The level of integration becomes increasingly more comprehensive in terms of the number of policy areas which states cooperate.
Pooled sovereignty
Strengthening individual states sovereignty by combining its power with other nation states and enabling them to share resources and influence to greater effect.
Regionalism acts as a stumbling block to globalisation?
-Inward looking regional blocs display regional egoism and are only interested in the concerns of their own regions therefore fairly isolationist in policy
-Regional blocks may cut off economically through the implementation of protectionist policies that impinge on the free movement of global trade
-Regionalism further divides the world into segments which leads to the restriction of global cosmopolitanism.
-Regional blocks cannot affect to react together to organise global relations
Regionalism acts as a building block to globalisation
-Enhances globalisation by compartmentalising the globe making it smaller and more manageable
-Regional blocks organise states into those that have similar goals making the process of global governance more efficient
-Regionalism involved similar processes of cooperation on a smaller scale
-Outwardly looking regional blocks want to make the most of global networks and I simply acting as a larger unit than a nation state
Regionalism and Conflict
-Generally promotes peace and security. Democratic peace theory argues democratic states are less likely to go to war with each other. E.g EU with countries such as France and Germany former long standing rivals now unlikely to go to war
-The African Union has its own peace and security council which responds to conflict in Africa. It has carried out numerous peacekeeping missions under the UNSC authority.
-ASEAN and the Arab league have done very little in this regard
-If states are economically reliant on each other then there is little incentive for them to go to war
Regionalism and poverty
-There is greater cooperation on both economic and political incentive to tackle issue of poverty within regional bloc.
e.g The EU and it’s attempts to address issue of poverty, particularly in the former Yugoslavian state to align those states populations and economies with the rest of Europe
-Regionalism promotes international cooperation in the areas of aid and development
-initiative such as the UN’s is Sustainable development goals can be much more effective if regional alliances can help implement them.
Regionalism and human rights
-regional cooperation could be advantages to human rights at both regional and global level
-However there’s less incentive to combat human rights violations regionally than there is to combat poverty.
-The EU has incorporated regulations over workers rights and is arguably influenced by the ECHR’s role in the region
-The African union has threatened to withdrawal from the ICC. Other regional organisations have come under fire for not putting enough pressure on its members to address human rights issues e.g. the case with ASEAN and Myanmar. While the Arab league is criticised for his human rights record especially around women’s rights
Regionalism weakens state sovereignty
-Political regionalism is likely to weaken state sovereignty where there are supranational elements
-Even an economic alliances it could be argued sovereignty weekend as seen in the depth crisis in the EU. Some states were expected to bail others out.
-The move to nationalism can be seen as a reaction against perceived erosion of sovereignty by IGOs e.g. the Brexit campaign in the UK argued the impact on its sovereignty was a main reason to leave the EU.
Regionalism doesn’t weaken state sovereignty
-If political regionalism is purely intergovernmental then states can still maintain their sovereignty
-Economic and security regionalism are less likely to weaken sovereignty and in some instances fortify it
-Regionalism can help tackle issues in a way that is mutually beneficial thereby strengthening its position of its members
EU Peace and security
While in the initial reasons behind the EU economic it came into being at a time when you was keen to promote peace and stability emerging from WWII. The initial trade agreement to ensure peace and stability by encouraging cooperation and reducing competition and conflict.
-Over time the level of integration has become so deep between member states that the idea of war is now unthinkable.
EU as an economic union
The EU has been a deepening of economic and monetary union between member states. In 2002 the euro came into circulation.
Focused on removing tariff barriers to trade between member states.
4 freedom of movement are a key feature of the European single market:
People: travel zone which there are no borders or passport checks allowing for the free movement of people
Goods: single market member states have removed all customs checks and restrictions within the region
Capital: Large amounts of money can be moved freely without restriction
Services: companies within the EU are free to set up and provide services in other EU countries.
