The state and globalisation

Question 1

Define sovereignty

Answer 1

The principle of absoluete and unlimioyed power and the defining characteristic of a state. National sovereignty mens that a state has abosulte authority over all its xitizens within its borders

Question 2

Define nation-state

Answer 2

Nation state is an autonomous political oprganisation defined by the common ties of a shared nationality and citizenship based upon a recognisable culture manifested through, for example, a common ancestry and language. State borders broadly match a relativelt homogenous culture. m

Question 3

In reference to Fukuyama’s writings in 1992, what was supposed to be the future of liberal democracies, and of the world?

Answer 3

War would become a thing of the past due to the rise in liberal democracies - unwillingness to engage in conflict

Close connectivity between democracies could evolve to challenge the primacy of the state and that the EU could provide a model for the future relationship between nations.
As states worked closer together, supranational governance would increasingly challenge the absolute sovereignty of the nation-state.

1989 - the fall of the Berlin Wall leading to the reunification of Germany as a liberal democracy.
1991 - Soviet Union collapsed and 1 year later, in Maastricht, the leaders of the EEC pledged themselves to common citizenship and currency - the community was renamed a union

Question 4

Define globalisation

Answer 4

Process by which the world has become so interconnected that a variety of non-state actors, global trends and events challenge territorial borders and state soverignty.

Question 5

What were the significant outcomes of the Peace of Westphalia (1648)?

Answer 5

It ended the thirty year war 1618-1648 - fought in central Europe
It ended the Holy Roman Emperor’s claim to possess sovereign authority over virtually independent states (this meant each individual state would be sovereign over its own internal affairs and no other state or, supposedly, superior body could intervene within its borders)
By establishing the principle of territorial integrity of sovereign states, Westphalia also defined the theory of sovereign equality if states:
No state has the legal right to intervene in the sovereign affairs of another state
All states, whatever their size, possess the same legal right to independence

Question 6

What was crucial about the “Congress of Vienna” (1815)

Answer 6

The state, as the absolute provider of security both from internal rebellion and outward aggression, would provide the foundations for both domestic and global politics
(the expansion of French power during the revolutionary and Napoleonic period (1793-1815) challenged this principle)
The COV reasserted the primacy of sovereign states in determining European affairs, establishing a balance of power that would last for almost 100 years.

Question 7

Summarize the hallmarks of a sovereign state: (Montevideo Convention, 1933)

Answer 7

The Montevideo Convention determined that a sovereign state must process:
A defined territory
A permanent population
A ciable government
The capacity to enter into diplomatic relations with other states

Question 8

What effect did post war declonialization have?

Answer 8

The former colonies of the allied victors gained independence.

In 1947 the independent states of Pakistan and India were formed

The british prime minister MacMillan stated that there was a ‘wind of change’ moving across Africa as the empires crumbled whilst nationalism grew

Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon all gained independence in the middle east

Question 9

Summarize the key features of the UN & sovereignty

Answer 9

Political community
Common identity 
IR structures 
sovereign equality 
No intervention or “interference” right
Equal territorial integrity 
Realist interpretation: self-interest
Mutual recognition and acceptance

Question 10

Explain and bulletpoint the key ideas of internal sovereignty

Answer 10

Location of sovereignty within a state

In the UK, the Westminster Parliament possesses legislative sovereignty. However, the devolved Scottish and Welsh assemblies may be in the process of achieving de facto sovereignty in their domestic affairs.

The consequences of the UKs EU ref suggest that popular sovereignty weighs more than legislative sovereignty, since parliament was unprepared to ignore the vote

The UKs withdrawal from the EU will further change the location of sov in the UK

In certain circumstances the PM exercises sov on behalf of the monarch through the use of the royal prerogative

It can be a fluid concept since, within the state, the location of sovereignty may change. In 2017, the Supreme Court determined that parliament, not the government, had the sovereign authority to trigger article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty

Question 11

Explain and bulletpoint the key ideas of external sovereignty

Answer 11

Equal sovereignty in relations between states

The least powerful state is as sovereign as the most powerful state and so its territorial integrity is as legally valid

The cover of sovereignty is an equally strong protective cover for all the states
Strong protective cover for the sov of all states
According to Westphalian principles, one state may disagree with the way in which another is governed. However, because all states possess sovereign independence, this gives that state no excuse to interfere with another state’s sovereign affairs
Article 2 of Chapter 1 of the UN charter recognises this fact - confirms the “sovereign equality” of all nation states.

Question 12

Define the term interconnectedness

Answer 12

the way in which states become more linked through their shared membership of intergivermental and regional organisations. Through cooperation, states no longer approach global relations in terms of maximising their own power.

Question 13

Define economic globalisation

Answer 13

It is a process by which states across the world become more closely connected and intedependent according to the principles of free trade, which leads to the greater transnational flow of goods, services and capital

Question 14

Define Non-state actors

Answer 14

Entities such as NGOs, IGOs, transnational corporations and even criminal and terrorisy networks, that wield significant influence over global affairs.

Question 15

Explain globalisation and the impact on the power & influence of the state.

Answer 15

Globalisation has had a dramatic impact on the power & influence of the state.
G has created a complex web of interconnectedness that challenges the state’s sole authority to make decisions affecting the lives of its citizens.
This process of growing interconnectedness has manifested economically, financially, politically, technologically and culturally.

Question 16

What is the significance of economic and financial globalisation?

Answer 16

Since the end of the Cold War, economic liberalism, often referred to as the ‘Washington Consensus’ has led to the dominance of free market principles in Global trade. This means that:

• States need to establish the sort of conditions that global investors find attractive, which includes policies of low corporate taxation and light regulation, since too much taxation and or bureaucracy is likely to repel investment.
• Any state that seeks to act in defiance of economic globalisation will risk a loss of investment and capital flight.

Governments do not exert absolute control over macroeconomic decisions they make.

Question 17

What is the significance of the globalisation of markets?

Answer 17

The globalisation of financial markets, facilitated by the instantaneous communication the internet provides, means that global events can affect a state’s economic wellbeing. This is seen in a number of ways:

• In 1997, global capital flight from Thailand gravely threatened southeast Asian prosperity, as it led to the contagion spreading throughout the region when investors withdrew capital from its neighbours.
• In 2007-8, The subprime mortgage crisis in the USA, precipitated by the bankruptcy of US bank Lehman Brothers, provoked a global banking crisis. This lead to stock markets throughout the world plummeting and a global recession, in which the value of global trade declined by 9%.

Question 18

Summarize how & why the influence of non-state actors has increased:
- Encorporate an example

Answer 18

Global interconnectedness has also been advanced through the rise of non state actors. As the problems that the world faces become more complex, from climate change to international terrorism, a ‘collective security dilemma’ is created, which states cannot resolve on their own. Therefore, they increasingly need to work together in IGOs in order to try and resolve these problems.

For example, In 2009 the G20 responded to the global financial crisis by implementing a global strategy of reflation and continued commitment to free trade forum in which recommendations for action are agreed. International Atomic Energy Agency is designed to ensure that its signatory states abide by the terms of the Treaty on the Non proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Question 19

What are the “Bretton Woods” institutions? How & why do they impact state sovereignty?

Answer 19

The institutions are:
- The world bank
- IMF
- WTO
All of them impact on state sovereignty by advancing global free markets and free trade. The structural adjustment programmes that the World Bank and the IMF implemented are founded on the core premise that economic growth is maximised through free market reforms and free trade. Governments should encourage foreign investment by adopting economic policies conducive to foreign investment

Question 20

Explain the role of the United nations

Answer 20

The UN is the most significant IGO. Established in 1945, it is based on the liberal principle that the international community needs to work together to resolve ‘collective dilemmas’. Nation states do not sacrifice their sovereignty as members of the UN. However, by cooperating, nation states create a more peaceful and prosperous work that they each benefit from.

Question 21

Name the 5 UN agencies studied

Answer 21

World health organisation
International atomic energy agency
United nations high commission for refugees
United nations international childrens fund
World food programme

Question 22

What is the World Health Organisation responsible for?

Answer 22

Responsible for the eradication of smallpox and the near total elimination of polio. The WHO also spearheads and coordinates the global response to epidemics such as Ebola and the Zika virus.

Question 23

What is the International Atomic Energy Agency responsible for?

Answer 23

Monitors states’ fulfilments of the terms of the NPT. (Non-Proliferation Treaty)

Question 24

What is the United Natiosn High commission for Refugees responsible for?

Answer 24

The world’s most important tool in seeking to alleviate the plight of refugees. In 2017, there were 65 million refugees worldwide: the highest number since the end of the Second World War.

Question 25

What is the United Nations International Childrens fund responsible for?

Answer 25

Spearheads childhood immunisation programmes in the developing world and globally promotes the rights of the child.

Question 26

What is the World Food Organisation responsible for?

Answer 26

Provides food relief to 76.7 million people in 81 countries in 2015.

Question 27

List the main recent UN actions

Answer 27

The Millennium (2000 - 15) and Sustainable development goals (2015 -) which have made considerable progress in reducing poverty.
Multi agency approach to achieve these goals
They want to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Achieve universal primary education
Promote equality
Reduce child death
Improve maternal health
Combat disease
Climate change conferences which have provided an opportunity for states to work together on limiting carbon emissions and reducing the impact of climate change.