1. the state and globalisation

globalisation question bank

1 Examine the ways in which globalisation challenges the sovereignty of the nation state 2 examine why globalisation is so controversial 3 evaluate the extent to which the nation state retains the central role in global politics

1.2.2 hyperglobalisers

according to hyper-globalizers, globalisation has created profound readjustment of global power that is challenging the centrality of the nation state/state egoism. this is because of: - free trade - instantaneous global communication - capital investment - the impact of influential non-state actors and the development of a more global culture. - the growing need to resolve 'collective dilemmas' through international cooperation therefore, hyper-globalisers argue that an increasingly 'borederless' and 'post-sovereign state' world is inevitable. nation states are unable to insulate themselves from what is happening in the rest of the world --> a more interconnected global society and economy is being advanced --> the nation state has been 'hollowed out', creating greater emphasis on global governance --> some sort of world government?? CRITIQUE - are national governments now impotent and incapable of determining economic and other policies? - governments still play a large role in attracting inward investment and improving education. - they have also pooled their sovereignty to work together to temper the effects of globalisation and related problems, like international crime and terrorism.

1.2.1 political globalization

as a result of political globalization, the centrality of the state in decision-making has been complemented or sometimes challenged by the increased influence of non-state factors like NGOs and TNCs. - intergovernmental organizations such as the UN, the WTO, the IMF, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the G7 and G20 all provide opportunities for nation-states to collectively resolve shared dilemmas. - non-governmental organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, Save the Children and Friends of the Earth, also provide an important contribution to a global dialogue/debate - global media organizations, such as Fox Broadcasting, are highly influential in determining how international events are reported (synoptic link to influence of the media in comp1) - international figures can advance political debate through the establishment of global agencies such as the Clinton Foundation. global celebrities, such as Emma Watson, have contributed to a global debate about gender equality. - nation-states across the world having joined together in regional organizations further challenges the nation-state as the key actor in global politics. these organizations include advanced forms of regionalism such as the European Union, which is based on a common citizenship and has a common external tariff. political globalization creates a cobweb model of decision-making based on overlapping and mutually supporting bodies. it is polycentric because so many states and non-state actors are involved in the process.

1.2.1 cultural globalization

because of the free flow of information, a more culturally homogenised global culture has been created. the advancement of cultural globalisation has meant that those things that makes cultures unique become less significant than those things that encourage uniformity. e.g. 50% of internet traffic is English, Americanized world culture has increasingly focused on materialistic fulfillment and global brand recognition. Benjamin Barber has referred to this as a "McWorld", referring to the way in which cultural differences are flattened out, creating a more culturally uniform global society. a growing number of companies possess global recognition like Coca Cola, Apple and Disney, demonstrating the way in which the consumer choices people make all influenced by the same brand --> monoculture, in which the homogenisation of once-diverse cultures and identities creates a striking uniformity of cultural experiences anywhere in the world. cultural globalisation has created an unfulfillinf obsession with materialism and has flattened out our valuable differences into a dull homogeneity based upon material fulfillment

1.2.1 economic globalization

economic globalization refers to the ongoing process through which the global economy is increasingly interconnected through the increase in cross-border transfers of capital, labour, commodities, technologies and knowledge. referred to as the Washington Consensus, economic liberalism has led to the dominance of free-market principles in global trade. this means that: - states are required to establish sorts of conditions that global investors find attractive (low corp tax, light regulation) - any state that seeks to act in defiance of economic globalization will risk loss of FDI/capital flight the Bretton Woods Institutions (world bank, IMF, WTO) drive forward economic globalization by encouraging nation-states to reduce tariffs and embrace global trade. this has been advanced by the growth of global financial markets, facilitated by the internet as capital can be instantaneously invested anywhere, which also means that nation-states can't insulate themselves from the movement of capital

1.2.1 the process of globalisation

globalisation refers to the emergence of a complex web of interdependence that challenges the primacy of the nation-states as the main actor of decision-making. it is the ongoing process through which nation-states have become increasingly interconnected and integrated economically, politically and culturally

1.2.2 globalisation sceptics

globalisation sceptics believe that the impact of globalisation has been greatly exaggerated and argue that globalisation is not new: there have already been other periods in history when world trade has greatly expanded as it did during the late 19th century, while Europe and MENA shared a much closer identity during the Roman period than they do today. modern-day globalisation has also failed to really challenge state egoism as the main force influencing governments. examples of nations prioritising their own self-interest that illustrate the resurgence of the nation states as the political unit which holds the most importance: - failing of the Doha Round of WTO negotiations and the lack of authority of both the International Court of Justice and the ICC - the decision of the Trump administration to withdraw from the Trans-pacific partnership (TPP) and Paris Climate Change Agreement in 2017 - Brexit - the full impact of the Covid-19 pandemic will not be understood for some time BUT in which the way it led to the closing of borders, massive disruption of flights between countries and renewed focus on economic self-sufficiency as global supply chains were significantly disrupted

1.2.2 liberal perspective on globalisation

liberals are optimistic about globalisation as they focus on international cooperation and see globalisation as a vehicle to further the interconnectedness between people and nationstates so breaking down barriers and encouraging global responses to collective dilemmas. according to the Dell theory of conflict resolution, by dramatically increasing global trade, economic globalization reduces the chance of conflict. this is because if all nation states are incorporated in the same international supply chain, war would inevitably lead to mutually assured economic destruction and so it would not be in the interests of a government to provoke conflict. political globalisation further encourages dialogue between states and non-state actors over shared dilemmas like global terrorism and climate change

1.2.3 impact of globalization (pros and cons)

liberals argue that: - globalisation is bringing the world closer through trade and bringing about greater uderstanding of political dilemmas - economic globalization has generated more wealth than ever before and brought prosperity upon many nations and has broken down barriers between nation states, encouraging peace on the principle that 'if goods do not cross borders armies will' - the free exchange of ideas through the internet creates a global debate on issues such as climate change, empowering any individual to define their lives in ways that would have been unthinkable before way too optimistic of a view. globalisation has often been highly destructive: - according to world systems theory and dependency theory, economic globalisation continues to enable the colonial exploitation of resources and countries in the Global South (Northsouth divide) - although economic globalization has massively increased wealth, too often this wealth is unequenly distributed and generated at the expense of exploited workers in low-wage, global south economies - the massive expansion of global trade has massively increased carbon emissions through large-scale industrialization and transportation, endagering the sustainability of the planet - cultural globalisation has created an unfulfillinf obsession with materialism and has flattened out our valuable differences into a dull homogeneity based upon material fulfillment - the rapid global spread of covid 19 demonstrates how closer connectivity between people across the world massively facilitates the spread of infectious diseases

1.2.2 widening and deepening interconnectedness and interdependence

nation states cannot escape being closely connected economically, politically and culturally with each other. more specifically: - transportation costs are no longer prohibitive when it comes to moving goods around the world. this makes global-supply changes possible, it makes the production of goods in other parts of the world possible and it means fresh produce can be shipped from a field in one continent to a supermarket in another in a matter of days. - collective dilemmas like covid 19, climate change or terrorism cannot be resolved by nation states individually and so this further encourages greater interdependence and interconnectedness. - people all over the world can instantaneously communicate with each other, have the access to the same information, entertainment and news 24/7

1.1.1 characteristics of a nation state and of national sovereignty

nation-state: political community bound together by citizenship and nationality the fundamental characteristic of a nation state is sovereignty. this implies that: - states enjoy ultimate authority within their territory - states have supreme decision making and enforcement power - states enjoy legal equality with other nation states - states do not recognise the authority of any supreme international body - recognition and respect of state sovereignty impacts on most global issues e.g. attempts to deal with conflict, poverty, human rights, environment - sovereign states are considered to be the building blocks of global politics (realists) - states tend to be the major decision makers in global politics - states' primacy is recognized in international law with most law being established by and signed by representatives of states HOWEVER, there have recently been numerous emerging threats to the traditional concept of absolute state sovereignty - increased connections between states seems to have broken the billiard ball model and replaced it with a cobweb model where connections are numours and brought about by developments such as globalisation in all forms - non-state actors like TNCs and NGOs appear to have a growing role in global politics and institutions have emerged, which appears to have undermined sovereignty - growing concern for human rights + willingness to carry out HI or establish regional links through regional bodies (e.g. African Union) may have also weakened the traditional concept of state sovereignty

1.2.2 humanitarian and forcible intervention

one of the key tensions in the international system is between the principle of non-intervention in the affairs of other states and the moral case for intervention when a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in another nation. forcible humanitarian intervention assumes there are universal more absolutes that unite the world, but are these instead Western inventions and so a hegemonic manifestation of cultural imperialism? it is probable that western powers use intervention on humanitarian grounds as an excuse to increase their power and further their own national interest, or as a pretext for the annexation of another state. human intervention does not guarantee to make the situation better on the ground: the use of force to prevent humanitarian catastrophes may lead to the loss of more lives as war escalates (e.g. Afghanistan). forcible humanitarian intervention goes against the principles of state sovereignty by interfering in the internal affairs of another state --> if human intervention is becoming increasingly permitted by the international community, than this is a clear challenge to national sovereignty doctrine that is said to rationalize human intervention: Responsibility to Protect: this focuses on the idea that state sovereignty comes with responsibilities to protect its own citizens, and that if a state fails to uphold this responsibility than it becomes the international community's duty, allowing human intervention by force another challenge to sovereignty is the role of the ICC. although it doesnt include some of the worlds most significant global actors (USA, Russia, China) ICC is the first permanent court in the world. this has advanced the concept of higher international law. the fact that a large number of states have agreed definitions of war crime, genocide and crimes against humanity, and have accepted that these crimes can be tried at the international level. suggests that there is a little less anarchy in the internatioanl system and that states are not so sovereign as they once were

1.2.2 realist perspective of globalisation

realists are globalisation sceptics since they believe that the state is and should remain the main influence in international relations. since nation states act according to the best interest of their nations, liberal attempts to advance globalisation lacks legitimacy and are potentially destabilising. realists are generally less ideologically committed to global gree trade than liberals are as they believe that the state should be more focussed on developing national economic strategies as they doubt that all countries benefit to the same extent. realists are also sceptical regarding the extent to which liberal cooperation works in an anarchic world system. according to realism, Westphalian principles of state sovereignty provide the foundations for global stability. therefore liberal support for the UN, human rights law and regional integration will not be effective and will at worst encourage instability

1.2.2 impact of globalisation on the development of international law

some argue that there can be no such thing as international law. the international system is one in which there is no greater, more powerful or authoritative body than the sovereign state. there is no compulsion in the international system and so no international law can be enforceable internationally although international law cannot be enforced the way national law can, there are reasons why states would adhere to international law: - its in their interest to do so: obeying the rules makes life more predictable and ordered for everybody - International law can carry a certin legitimacy and obeying it gives a country soft power ('kudos') in the world - not obeying int law can lead to a state being isolated or, in some circumstances, punished.

1.2.2 challenge to state control over citizens in areas such as law

the emphasis on states as the key actors in the international system has been harder to sustain. --> there is a host of actors in the international system: terrorist organisations, transnational corporations, global pressure groups, religious leaders, NGOs and global movements. these groups have an increasing influence in global politics --> states are less likely to be able to exercise their sovereignty in the face of global challenges.

1.2.2 transformationalists

transformationalists do not dispute that globalisation has had a profound impact on state sovereignty but they disagree with hyper-globalisers over the future of the nation state: instead of being rendered ultimately redundant by globalisation, states are adapting to the new realities it creates e.g. when states join regional organizations like the EU or African Union they do so in order to better advance their national interests rather than as a way of abandoning their sovereignty although accelerating economic and financial integration has increased the importance of TNCs, states still determine their economic strategies within the global economy. they are not depots through which international goods and capital flow