The state and globalisation Flashcards
(46 cards)
Define Sovereignty
State sovereignty means that there is no power higher than them, and they cannot be told what to do by anyone else. They have absolute power, both internally and externally.
Define Nation state
A state is a geographical area with clear boundaries, therefore the nation-state is one in which a group of people regarding themselves as a nation rule themselves in their own sovereign territory. This is closely related to the concept of self-determination, and usually today the nation-state is the way a country is organised.
Define non-state actors
Non-state actors are participants in international relations with significant power and influence, but which are not nation states. Non-state actors include non-governmental organisations (e.g. the United Nations, World Bank) as well as “violent” non-state actors such as ISIS.
Define Globalisation
In the simplest terms globalisation is the greater integration of the world. This means that different countries, organisations, businesses have through the exchange of ideas, policies, cultures, and the interaction of economies become increasingly interconnected. Globalisation has been described as the “death of distance”.
Define Economic Globalisation
Economic globalisation refers to the integration and interconnectedness of national economies. It involves the free flow of goods, services, capital, and technology across borders.
Define Political Globalisation
Political globalisation refers to the amount of political co-operation that exists between different countries. This ties in with the belief that “umbrella” global organisations are better placed than individual states to prevent conflict.
Define Cultural Globalisation
Cultural globalisation is our third type of globalisation, and it refers to the diffusion and exchange of ideas, values, beliefs, and practices across different cultures and societies. It involves the spread of cultural products, such as music, movies, fashion, and cuisine, across national boundaries
Define Homogenisation and
monoculture
Coming together of global cultures and development of a single, homogenous culture without diversity or dissent
Define Interconnectedness
Mutual reliance between two or more states, institutions,
actors and groups
Define World government
Common political authority with legislative and executive power over states
Define Global governance
A movement towards the political integration of states in order to address problems that face more than one state or region
Define Legal sovereignty
Legal sovereignty (or de jure sovereignty) is the right to rule.
Underpinned by the exercise of power. If they cannot enforce command, only having legal sovereignty gives them only moral weight - the Baltic states had this problem during the collapse of the USSR (1990-91).
Define Political sovereignty
Political sovereignty (or de facto sovereignty) is based on where the power distribution actually lies, or their ability to exert power.
Nazi Germany, Stalinist Russia and Pol Pot’s Cambodia show that political sovereignty achieved through force, fear and terror are not soverign (or successful), but recognise the need to give their regimes the mantle of legal authority.
How is Sovereignty Morally Justified?
Sovereignty can be defined as having complete authority over a group who share a national identity.
* The state exists in order to protect the national identities of their citizens - they are compelled to do this because it is a fundamental HR to have freedom of expression, and many will choose to express their national identity.
* Sovereignty must be protected to allow these states to protect their citizens’ wishes of expressing their national identity.
The Key Principles of Parliamentary Sovereignty
There are 3 key aspects to Parliamentary sovereignty:
* Parliament can make laws on anything which it chooses.
* No parliament can bind its successors, or be bound by its previous successors.
* It is undermined by the EU, HRA, devolution and referendums.
The EU undermines sovereignty due to:
* The Factortame case (EU law has precedence over UK statute law). Parliament cannot make laws on anything which it chooses (fisheries policy etc.).
* The UK doesn’t have full control over where the EU spends its (our) money.
* The EU commission propose laws, yet are not approved by the UK.
But pooled sovereignty is created under the EU. By losing some of your internal sovereignty, and ‘pooling’ it with other states, you can increase your external sovereignty.
Westphalian Principles of Sovereignty
- Sovereign Equality: All states are equally sovereign - be that the USA or Benin etc.
- Self-Determination: States should be able to choose their own path, in order to celebrate their national differences.
- Non-Intervention: States must not interfere in the internal affairs of another state. This allows for sovereign equality and self-determination.
Outline Internal sovereignty
Internal Sovereignty: The location of supreme power/authority within the state.
Early thinkers believed that sovereignty should lie in the hands of a single sovereign. But Rosseau rejected monarchical rule in favor of the notion of popular sovereignty, where authority is based on the people, and their ‘will’. Sovereignty should reside in a single body. This has been undermined and criticised for being too absolutist, and not applying to modern government. Sovereignty is undermined by pluralist democracy and popular sovereignty in this view.
Sovereignty is characterised as being indivisible - yet federal systems have some sovereignty in states, and some in the federal government. The USA has polycentric sovereignty - is it in the constitution, or in the people etc.
In the UK, legal sovereignty lies in the Westminster Parliament - but the Factortame case (1991) means it may reside in the EU?
Politically, Parliament may never have been sovereign. It cannot act as it pleases due to devolution, referendums, the EU etc., which limits the real decision-making ability of Parliament.
Outline External sovereignty
External Sovereignty: The state’s role within the international order, and the capacity of a state to act independently and autonomously on the world stage.
The UNC protects external sovereignty, as states are allowed to determine their own decisions. E.g. states must consent to UN peacekeeping missions. It embodies two principles: national-independence, and self-government.
External sovereignty differs from internal sovereignty, in that it relates to the state’s place in the international order, and its sovereign independence in relation to other states. Divisions derive from issues of external sovereignty: The Israel-Palestine conflict is about the right to territory. The USSR collapse meant that new territories emerged in Europe. This form of sovereignty can lead to conflict with HR. States can treat their citizens however they like, although it’s agreed within the international community that they must respect HR, and humanitarian intervention can be justified (R2P). E.g. Kosovo (1999), the Taliban in Afghanistan (2001).
National sovereignty can also lead to conflict and war, because there is no supreme international authority, meaning that disputes between rival states will lead to conflict. In the same way that a lack of internal sovereignty will lead to Hobbes’ ‘state of nature’.
Has the Concept of Independent Sovereign States Become Outdated?
- The world is becoming increasingly interdependent and globalised.
- Economic life is dominated by TNCs and MNCs, which means that no state can be fully sovereign over their economic affairs.
- Politically, few states are externally sovereign: coercive power is unequally distributed around the world. Superpowers may be the only truly sovereign states, that are independent and can do whatever they want. But even then, superpowers tend to be forced into costly arms races.
- US world hegemony means that no other states can be completely sovereign. Yet the USA’s power is limited and constrained, hence their lack of success in the WoT and in humanitarian intervention.
Outline the History of a nation-state
Since the seventeenth century, the state has increasingly become the main player in global relations, providing the foundation for domestic peace and international relations. According to Hugo Grotius, the state is ‘a complete association of free men, joined together for the enjoyment of rights and for their common interest’, while both Jean Bodin and Thomas Hobbes argued that adherence to the authority of the sovereign state provided the most effective way of protecting society from mankind’s potential for anarchy. Bodin lived through the St Bartholemew’s Day Massacre in 1572, when vengeful Catholics murdered French Protestants in their thousands as royal governance broke down. Hobbes had first-hand experience of the destruction wrought by the English Civil War. Both appreciated that a powerful sovereign state, with the ability to control its subjects, provided the best way of ensuring peace and stability.
Outline the Key ideas of nationalism
Citizenship is a legal status granted by a government, granting membership, rights, and obligations. It is based on criteria like place of birth, residency, or ancestry, and grants rights and responsibilities like voting, working, and obeying laws. Nationality, on the other hand, is a social and cultural concept based on shared language, culture, and history. It is a sense of belonging to a particular nation or group of people, often based on shared experiences, values, and traditions. Nationship is not necessarily tied to a particular government or legal status, but can be passed down through generations. Nationship is important as it is the idea behind one of the most powerful forces in global politics: nationalism. Nationalism can be a force for good, uniting people and leading to freedom from tyranny, or a force for bad, leading countries and peoples to war and conflict. The nation state is a relatively recent development, with loyalty to and identification with the nation state becoming dominant since the 18th century.
Define Nationalism
the belief in one’s own country – is one of the most powerful ideas in modern history. Nationalism has led to the formation of nations, struggles for freedom, but also to tyranny and the persecution of minorities and to war.
Outline The Sovereignty of the State
Sovereignty in nation states refers to the absolute power of the state, which includes the monopoly on the legitimate use of violence. This power allows the state to arrest, trial, sentence, and execute citizens, often claiming it comes from the people. In the UK, parliament is the sovereign body, but as a democracy, the people can also claim popular sovereignty. The USA is a federal country with multiple autonomous sovereign bodies, with 50 states sharing sovereignty with the federal government. However, the concept of sovereignty may not exist in practice, as states are affected by other states’ actions and events.
Outline Issues with nationhood and statehood in the modern world : Nations without a state
Nations without their own state, such as the Kurds, Sahrawi, Tibetans, Basques, and Palestinians, have been seeking recognition and autonomy for decades. Some of these claims have been backed by international organizations like the United Nations. In 2014, Scotland held an independence referendum, allowing the people to decide whether to secede from the UK. However, the Basque and Catalonian people in Spain have not been recognized by the Spanish government. Secessionist movements in these regions use nationalist sentiment, drawing on their history, traditions, folklore, language, politics, and economics to push for an independent and sovereign nation. These movements have sometimes turned violent, with ETA in northern Spain fighting for their freedom, a stance some might call terrorism.
