The State And Globalisation Flashcards
Definition of the state according to Max Weber?
A human community that successfully claims the monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory
Definition of a state according to the Montevideo Convention?
A state is a political entity with the following qualities:
1. A permanent population
2. Clearly defined borders and territory
3. A functioning sovereign government
4. Majority recognition from other states
What is the current model of international politics based on?
Peace of Westphalia (1648)
What does the Westphalian state system assert about nation states?
Each nation state has the right to be free from other states’ interference in its internal affairs
What is controversial about the Westphalian state system?
It implies that states have the absolute authority to carry out any policies it wants to within its own borders, even including genocide, suppression of civil liberties etc… (liberals would disagree with this precedent by favouring international agreements like the genocide convention)
Why is the model of the nation state problematic?
- Nations without a state (e.g. Palestinians are effectively under Israeli sovereignty, national groups such as the Kurds and the Basques have no defined state)
- States not recognising other self defined nation states (e.g. China not recognising Taiwan despite Taiwan asserting its own sovereignty - however, it is possible that over time a self defined nation state will gradually come to be recognised, e.g Communist china was not initially recognised as a state by the west)
- Nation states with competing claims to the same territory (e.g. recent disputes about the South China Sea)
Examples of developments in global politics which show that the strict definition of sovereignty is being challenged
Economic interdependence (e.g. economic issues in one stage have a far higher chance of spreading - Asian Financial Crisis, Global Financial Crisis)
Climate change - the climate policies of one state affect other states (e.g. US, UK, China, India etc are big polluters, yet it is developing countries with limited emissions who are impacted by droughts and floods)
How is globalisation defined by Held?
The widening, intensifying, speeding up and growing impact of worldwide interconnectedness
What are the ‘engines’ of modern globalisation?
Communication
Transport
Migration
IGOs
Explain communication as an ‘engine’ of globalisation
Technology has made virtually instantaneous communication available to billions of people (even in developing countries like India, where apps like Whatsapp allow for the rapid dissemination of information)
In 1990, only 2.6 million people had internet access - this number has risen to over 5 billion today
Greater availability of news, aiding in the democratisation of states (e.g. global pressure was put on dictators during the Arab Spring protests due to viral clips of army brutality on Twitter)
Explain transport as an ‘engine’ of globalisation
Speed of transport hugely increased in recent times, allowing for goods to be shipped around the world far more quickly
e.g in 1956, the largest cargo ships could carry approx 80 containers - the largest ‘Post-Panamax’ ships today can carry approx 18,000
Goods can be shipped across the world in a matter of days
e.g. most flowers in UK supermarkets were grown in East African countries like Kenya and Tanzania
Explain migration as an ‘engine’ of globalisation
Economic booms encourage workers to move to countries with higher economic development or big infrastructure programmes
e.g. at least 30% of the Gulf population are Indian migrants, who work in places like Qatar and the UAE on huge oil projects
e.g. the NHS has tens of thousands of staff with Indian, Filipino, Irish, Polish and Portuguese nationality
This movement of ideas drives innovation - 49% of the UK’s largest companies were founded by immigrants
Define cultural globalisation
The process whereby information, commodities and images produced in one part of the world enter into a global flow, ‘flattening out’ cultural differences between nation-states
Which article of the UN Charter recognises state sovereignty?
Article 2 of Chapter 1 of the UN Charter
Examples to show the attraction of the nation state model?
Scotland (1.1% of population speaks Gaelic, 55.3% no in indyref)
Catalonia (73% speak Catalan, 81% yes in self-determination ref)
Shows strong correlation between cultural identity and desire to be a nation state
Threats to the existence of nation states?
Globalisation, which fundamentally undermines both aspects of what constitutes a nation state (exercising sovereignty over a clearly defined region and a shared cultural identity). e.g. the weakening of state borders has led to national identity becoming more fluid
Government power - the rise of new nation states threatens government power as more cultural groups push for their own state (e.g. in Catalonia)
Cultural globalisation: how has the spread of consumerism impacted world politics?
Advance of consumer capitalism, culminating in a process coined ‘Coca-Colonisation’ (referring to the emergence of global good and brands that have come to dominate economic markets, creating an image of bland uniformity).
Critics of this portray consumerism as a tool used by TNCs to expand their influence and profitability (e.g. journalist Naomi Klein called this the ‘tyranny of brand culture’)
Also an assault on local, regional and national distinctiveness (‘flattening out’)
Cultural globalisation: how has the advance of individualism impacted world politics?
Cultural globalisation is dominated by Western concepts of individualism (the belief in the supreme importance of the individual over any social group or collective body)
However, this is at odds with the values of other societies, in which they have held on to traditional notions of the collective (e.g. anti-individualist societies exist in Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore)
Cultural globalisation: how has ‘cultural imperialism’ impacted world politics?
Cultural globalisation tends to have a markedly Western, or more specifically American, character. There is a disproportionate extent to which the goods and images that dominate modern commerce and global media derive from the USA.
Explain the cultural backlash against cultural globalisation
Radical backlash against imposed values and practices is emerging. This is a response to what Benjamin Barber coined the ‘McWorld’ (a world culture shaped by symbiotic links) which has created cultural homogenisation. In certain parts of the Muslim world, there has been a strong reaction against the ‘morally bankrupt’ West, contributing to the rise of militant Islamism/ Pres Museveni of Uganda said ‘Respect African societies and their values. If you don’t agree, just keep quiet’
Rise of nationalism - e.g. race for the Covid vaccine, Brexit, Trump’s ‘America first’, Geert Wilders said Islam has no place in Dutch culture
What is a global monoculture?
A product of cultural globalisation in which diverse cultures have been flattened out to create a more uniform pattern of global culture
What is coca-colonisation?
Coined by Brendan Barber, ‘coca-colonisation’ refers to the materialism encouraged by cultural globalisation
What is interconnectedness?
The way in which states become more linked through their shared membership of intergovernmental and regional organisations.
What is economic globalisation?
The process by which states across the world become more closely connected and interdependent according to the principles of free trade, which leads to the greater flow transnational flow of goods, services and capital.
Examine the factors driving the widening and deepening of interconnectedness and interdependence: overview
The significance of financial globalisation
The globalisation of markets
The influence of non-state actors
What are non-state actors?
Entities, such as NGOs, IGOs, transnational corporations and even terrorist or criminal networks, that wield significant influence over global affairs
Examine the factors driving the widening and deepening of interconnectedness and interdependence: the significance of financial globalisation
Economic liberalism (Washington consensus) has led to the dominance of free market principles in global trade. Bretton Woods institutions (the IMF, the WTO and the World Bank) are based on these principles and are significant in international markets.
These lead to interconnectedness because 1) states need to establish the sort of conditions that attract global investors (e.g. light regulation and low corporation tax) and 2) any state that acts in defiance of these free trade principles risk loss off investment. States are interconnected in this way because they have to act in accordance with global financial norms.
e.g Ireland has a corporation tax rate of only 12.5% to drive investment
Examine the factors driving the widening and deepening of interconnectedness and interdependence: the globalisation of markets
The globalisation of financial markets, facilitated by instantaneous communication provided by the internet, increase interconnectedness because global events can affect a state’s economic wellbeing
e.g. in 1997, global capital flight from Thailand threatened the prosperity of southeast Asia as a whole as it discouraged investment into the region
e.g. in 2007-8, the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the USA provoked a global banking crisis (the value of global trade decreased by 9%)
Examine the factors driving the widening and deepening of interconnectedness and interdependence: the influence of non-state actors
Non state actors are entities, such as NGOs, IGOs, transnational corporations and even terrorist or criminal networks, that wield significant influence over global affairs.
As global issues emerge, like climate change and international terrorism, a ‘collective security dilemma’ is created which states cannot solve alone - they increasingly work together in IGOs to resolve problems
e.g. in 2009, the G20 responded to the global financial crisis collectively through a global strategy of reflation (a return of prices of goods to previous rates of inflation) and continued commitment to free trade
e.g. IPCC provides a global forum in which recommendations for actions are agreed
Impacts of globalisation on state sovereignty?
Economic globalisation - crises now affect everyone (e.g. Thailand, sub-prime mortgage crisis), global influence of TNCs, foreign investment now a policy priority for many (e.g. Ireland)
Intergovernmentalism - bound by IGOs (e.g. IAEA ensures signatories abide by terms of NPT) and supranational bodies like EU (e.g. Schengen agreement, ECJ)
Internet - anti-government websites contributed to the Arab Spring conflict, radicalisation and cyber terrorism caused by internet (e.g. ISIS propaganda vids)
Impact of Bretton Woods institutions?
World Bank, IMF, WTO
Impact state sovereignty by advancing global free markets and free trade
SAPs - implemented by IMF and World Bank to advance these principles e.g. would only bail out Greece during financial crisis if they made changes like increasing age at which people could claim a pension
WTO currently has 164 members - advances globalisation by encouraging member states to reduce import tariffs
Impact of UN?
Based on the liberal principle that the international community needs to work together to resolve ‘collective dilemmas’ (not sacrificing, but pooling sovereignty - Article 2 of Chapter 1)
Agencies include the WHO (eradication of smallpox and near eradication of polio globally, coordinated global response to Ebola and Zika virus crises), IAEA (monitors states’ fulfilment of the NPT), UNICEF (has coordinated child immunisation programmes in the developing world) and the WFP (provided food relief to 76.7 million people in 81 countries in 2015)
Also responsible for MDGs and SDGs and climate change conferences
Impact of regional organisations?
EU, ASEAN, USMCA, ASIS
Mini free-trade areas, providing the regions with greater influence in global trade (e.g. ASEAN collectively accounts for around 7.2% of global GDP)
States pool economic sovereignty to advance their own interests
Impact of the internet on economic globalisation?
Has led to the instantaneous trading of shares and movement of capital, creating a global marketplace for business and commerce
Spread of global brands (e.g. in 2016, Apple announced it had sold its billionth iPhone)
Advantages of economic globalisation
Greater quality of goods/services
Reduction in global poverty
Greater voice for developing states
Disadvantages of economic globalisation
Rising inequality within states
Contagion of instability
Ecological destruction
Advantages of economic globalisation: greater quality of goods/services
Rise in trade leads to greater availability and quality of goods
e.g. tropical fruits in British supermarkets
e.g. steel in China, raw materials like cobalt mined in the Congo)
Generally cheaper because of competition - states can produce what they can at the lowest opportunity cost then trade with each other, bringing down costs for food, electronics, manufactured goods, clothes etc…
This is also true for services as the movement of global labour helps to fill gaps in the Labour market (e.g. the NHS has tens of thousands of staff with Indian, Filipino, Irish, Polish and Portuguese nationality)
Advantages of economic globalisation: reduction in global poverty
Economic globalisation means TNCs often shift or outsource many aspects of their manufacturing to the developing world
This provides jobs, improves infrastructure and generates wealth (e.g. virtually all of Vietnamese workers employed by TNCs are in the top 20% of the country’s earners - however, they are underpaid and work long hours by Western standards)
Advances in knowledge and technology can be lowered in price and transmitted to the developing world in a globalised economy - e.g. mobile phones and the internet have led to a massive growth in online banking in sub-Saharan Africa,, reducing poverty in rural areas
Advantages of economic globalisation: greater voice for developing states
Economic development driven regionalism, giving smaller states a greater voice on the world stage (e.g. ASEAN collectively is responsible for 7.2% of global GDP, meaning developing member states like Cambodia and Vietnam can benefit)
ASIS represents the need for sustainable economic development, by advocating for its member states who are susceptible to damage from climate change
Disadvantages of economic globalisation: rising inequality within states
The wealth that is generated through global free trade is concentrated in the hands of the elite, drastically increasing the gap between rich and poor
In China, in 2016, it is estimated that the poorest 25% owns just 1% of the country’s wealth while the richest 1% own a third
Furthermore, in developed states, areas which formerly relied on manufacturing like the north of England or the ‘Rust Belt’ of the USA are likely to suffer due to outsourcing of jobs
Disadvantages of economic globalisation: contagion of instability
Integrating the global market may lead to more opportunities and wealth, but it also makes economic problems more contagious, spreading rapidly across the world
e.g. Thailand and the Asian Financial Crisis, sub-prime mortgages in the USA caused a global banking crisis
Disadvantages of economic globalisation: ecological destruction
Economic globalisation has exacerbated the consumerist, capitalist system. As capitalism is driven by profit, corporations will often have lax environmental regulations and/or will extract resources at an unsustainable rate
e.g. strip mining cobalt in the Congo pollutes the local water supply
e.g. 60% of Amazonian deforestation is for cattle ranches
This contributes to rise in greenhouse gases, which in turn raises global temperatures and damages the environment as a whole
Yes, economic globalisation has reduced global poverty arguments
Convergence between the Global North and Global South
Spread of consumer goods
Breaking out of the poverty cycle
