State and globalisation III Flashcards
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Realist beliefs on Universal Human Rights
- Human nature is fixed, this is a fanciful notion
- No realistic binding so any ‘universal’ law is western, ‘toothless’, and not recognised nor enforced
Liberal beliefs on Universal Human Rights
The liberals considered human beings to be rational and peace-loving. They believe that although people are self-interested, they are rational, and respect the basic rights of one another
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Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 background info and description
- Set out the core political, social and religious rights that we should all enjoy
- Does not represent international law, states are not bound by it but there is a moral persuasive power and a level of accountability
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Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 examples of rights
- Freedom from discrimination (Article 2)
- The right to life, liberty and security of person (Article 3)
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The European Convention on Human Rights background info
- The convention enumerates what rights Europeans citizens may claim by virtue of their humanity rather than by means of their national citizenship
- Ruling on member states binding but not enforceable
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The European Convention on Human Rights major rulings
- 1999, court ruled the dismissal of 2 gay men from the military was in breach of their rights to a private life - as a result UK recognised the equal rights of gay people to serve
- 2010 - courts ruled Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 which authorised police to stop and search people without grounds for suspicion was contrary to ECHR. May as home secretary immediately complied with ruling and law was changed
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The European Convention on Human Rights examples of state willingness to ignore the ECHR
- Member states may derogate from the ECHR in public emergencies - lacks coercive powers to enforce its judgements on states if they do not obey its rulings
- UK defied ECHR by not allowing prisoner voting rights
- 2016 - Russia asserted the primacy of domestic laws over the ECHR
Iraq 1991
An international conflict triggered by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 lead by a 42 country coalition of NATO allies and Middle Eastern countries by the united states against them
‘Operation Desert Storm’ (100 hr land war) and air campaign drew Iraq’s forces out
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The failure of Iraq
- 2003 US and UK invaded without UN endorsement to achieve strategic objectives in the region
- Humanitarian disaster - 1/2M died, rise in militant Islamism, destabilised region
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The bad legacy of intervention in Libya and deterioration of relations between US, Russia and China
- Although it toppled Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, NATOs 2011 intervention in Libya left the state in anarchy
- US, Russia, China have conflicting strategic interests, lack of trust
The CNN effect
- 24hr news media like CNN, MSNBC and the BBC can now shape world events
- Relying on globalised communications technology and instant footage of human rights violations beamed across the world can provoke decision making about issues which, had they not attracted attention, would have been met with apathy and indifference
- ‘Black Hawk Down’, Ukraine war
UN war crimes Tribunals and the ICC
- One key aspect of the spread of global human rights is the establishment of international courts designed to prosecute human right abusers and perpretators of war crimes around the world
- EG International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia - established in Hague 1993 - convicted Ratko Mladic - war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide
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3 examples of nation-states unwilling to accept the ICC jurisdiction
- 3/5 permanent members of the UNSC have set a bad example of global coop by refusing
- USA enacted the American Service Member’s Protection Act 2002 which states the US gov can use ‘all means necessary’ to free them if ICC detains them
- 2016 - Russia withdrew signature from the Rome Statute when the ICC claimed the country’s forces had illegally annexed Crimea
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Potsdam University Climate Centre stats
- Humans have increased the levels of CO2 by 40% in 250 years
- Paris Climate Change Conference 2015 - 195 states have committed to reduce carbon emissions by 2c - they want a 40% reduction by 2030
- Helps developing countries reduce their carbon emissions by coop
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Can Political globalisation help to tackle climate change
- 1/2 people in office don’t believe climate change despite the US being 40% producer of greenhouse gases
- Requires global coop to reduce emissions, but individual countries may promise short term gains over long term benefits - insuffecient action
Cultural homogenisation
The process by which these characteristics that make the cultures of nation states different from each other are flattened out, encouraging the establishment of a more uniformly similar global culture
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Globalisation as homogenisation
- Universalisation - the dispersal of objects, images and ideas to people in all inhabited parts of the world - emergence of ‘global goods’
- 35% of the world’s mail, telexes and cables are English, with 40% of the world radio’s programmes are in English
‘Americanisation of the world’ and cultural imperialism
Some argue that global sameness as detailed above reflects the imposition of a culture industry which is western which therefore overwhelm more vulnerable cultures - Palestinian youths wearing Chicago Bull sweatshirts, coca-colonisation, mcdonalisation - has over 35,000 outlets in over 100 countries, sold in every country except North Korea
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Glocalization
Has enabled local communities to mould global brands to their own culture
McDonald’s restaurants in Israel sell kosher Big Macs without cheese. Their Indian restaurants include mostly chicken, lamb, and vegetarian offerings to cater to Hindus who don’t eat beef.
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Global liberalisation and the dominance of the USA in global financial organisations
Globalisation as Americanisation highlights a growing worldwide ascendancy of liberal ideas and structures
Reflected in global trends favouring free markets and free trade such as the Washington Consensus - perpetuated by organisations such as the IMF and the World Bank in which the USA is the dominant participant
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Dominance of TNCs
- Globally reaching businesses involved with international production and management of goods and services trade across different countries - soft power
- Meta has 3.91B users in the USA - Elon Musk can prop up economies
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States can use economic globalisation to boost their own power
- Mutual benefits flow from engaging in a global economy - a range of industries are targeted which can successfully compete in marketplace
- Reduces those living in poverty
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Globalised trade hollows out the state
- Erosion of econ sov. - decreased control of trade policy as globalised trade involving international agreements limits a state ability to independently set trade powers
- Race to the bottom
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Decline in dominance of US financial institutions in global trade
- AIIB - direct competitor to World Bank and IMF - funds infrastucture projects across Asia
- Belt and Road Initaitive - to expand trade routes across Asia, Europe and Africa - increase of own currency - yen in global trade
- Geopolitical shifts in global economic dynamics
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Rise of intergovernmentalism
- Sov states coop through IGOs and retain individual autonomy - states agree to make collective decisions that affect their domestic policies - they voluntaerily limit their contro for benefits such as econ. coop, political stab.
- Eurozone crisis - Greece, Italy faced significant pressure from IMF for austerity measures
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Resurgence of nationalism
- Growing emphasis on national identity, sov, prioritising of national interests over global concerns
- Backlash against globalisation and percieved loss of cultural identity - desire to preserve political autonomy and challenge external influences and assert cultural or ethnic identity
Universal Human Rights definition
‘The rights to which all peopke are entitled to because they are human, regardless of race, nationality, sex or religion. They are fundamental freedoms which lie at the core of humanity’
