Nation-states and their continued importance

Impact of 1752 St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre and 1642-1651 English Civil War

• Bodin and Hobbes advocate for a sovereign state

  • To protect society from mankind’s potential for anarchy due to living through these events

1648 event

☮️ of Westphalia

2 impacts of ☮ of Westphalia

1. Ended the 30 Years’ War and therefore the Holy Roman Emperor’s claim to authority over independent German states

2. Therefore gave states sovereignty

☮ of Westphalia’s 2 aspects of definition of theory of sovereign equality of states

1. No state has the legal right to intervene in the sovereign affairs of another state

2. All states, whatever their size, possess the same legal right to independence

1918 event

Wilson’s 14 Points

Essence of Wilson’s 14 Points

• Established that nation-state sovereignty should be founded on the right of self-determination based on a shared ethnic heritage

Impact of Wilson’s 14 Points

• Post-WW1 creation of Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland

Grotius and the state

“the state is a complete association of free men, joined together for the enjoyment of rights and for their common interest”

Weber and the state

“claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force w/in a given territory”

Post-WW2 and nation-states

Established across world as colonial empires were dismantled

1933 event

Montevideo Convention

Montevideo Convention’s 4 features of a sovereign state

Has to have:

1. A defined territory

2. A permanent population

3. A viable govt

4. The capacity to enter into diplomatic relations with other states

Impact of collapse of communism (1989-1991) on nation-states

New nation-states founded, including the 15 parts of the USSR

Nation-states and each other

Not allowed to interfere in other states’ affairs

2 importances of nation-states in global politics

1.  They have a common identity

2. They determined the main structures that international relations are conducted by

Legitimacy of nation-states

Depends on their acceptance by others

3 states not recognised by 🇺🇳

1. 🇵🇸

2. Kurdistan

3. Catalonia

🇺🇳 and nation-states

🇺🇳 Charter based on sovereign equality of all its members

6 ways in which globalisation has challenged NS

1. Economic globalisation

2. Intergovernmentalism

3. Regional organisations

4. The Internet

5. NGOs

6. Challenges from below

Economic globalisation — 2 impacts on states

• States cannot financially insulate selves

• MNCs so important that state policy has to encourage MNC/foreign investment

3 examples of economic globalisation’s impact on NS

• 2008 financial crash impacted globally

• 2003 - 🇧🇷 abandoned socialism to stop MNC’s withdrawal of funds

• 🇮🇪 massively decreased corporate tax to encourage MNC investment

Economic globalisation damaging NS

• MNCs and economic globalisation restrict state freedom as in order to attract investment, they have to change their policies

• MNCs > the population (priority)

2 impacts of intergovernmentalism on NS

• Nation state interests 🪢 IGOs, BWIs

• IGO authority has to be accepted, regardless of impact on national interest

4 examples of IGO impacts on NS

• Member states have to accept WTO judgements

• UN war crime tribunals, ICC - impose universal standards of human rights on member states

• IMF, WB - impose conditions on states that need financial help - cannot say no or else no financial help

• IGOs address collective dilemmas more than nation-states do

Impact of regional orgs on NS

• Act as if they’re states themselves

3 examples of regional org’s impact on NS

• 🇪🇺 - most advanced regional body (currently at lowest point in history)

  • 🇪🇺 decisions are binding on member states

  • 🇪🇺 can negotiate with sovereign states as if a sovereign state itself - TTIP (now obsolete)

  • 🇪🇺 states have to accept the Schengen agreement

  • ECB creates a common interest rate for Eurozone members

• Other regional organisations - Mercosur, NAFTA, ASEAN - imposed free-trade rules on members

• 🇬🇷 financial crisis

2 ways regional orgs damage NS

• Regional organisations impose conditions and agreements on their members that severely hinders their sovereignty

• States have less and less power to say no due to the importance of global cooperation

3 impacts of Internet on NS

• The internet reaches beyond, and can compromise state’s physical borders

• Cyber terrorism and warfare challenge state protection of citizens

• MNCs can restrict the ability of world leaders to communicate

4 examples of Internet’s impact on NS

• Anti-govt and organisation of social media contributed to Arab Spring

• Internet contributes to radicalisation which compromises national identities

• Hackers can get into govt servers, never mind physical borders and passport checks

• Twitter banned Trump

Way in which Internet damages NS

• Compromises state’s internal sovereignty, let alone any external one

  • Prevents state protection and control of citizens

2 influences of NGOs on NS

• NGOs have transnational influence (facilitated by the internet)

• Global NGOs fuel political debate across the world

3 examples of NGOs influence on NS

• Individuals that work with NGOs like Thunberg and Attenborough have shaped the debate about climate change more than nation-state leaders

• Climate Foundation, Gates Foundation - done a lot to fight poverty

• Carter Center - nearly eradicated guinea-worm disease

Way that NGOs are overtaking NS

• Nation-states don’t have the time or resources to fight global issues, but NGOs do and are overtaking this important role of nation-states

Challenges from below impact on NS

• Nationalism can undermine and contradict state allegiances, even if it seems it should support them

4 examples of challenges from below impacting on NS

• 🇽🇰, East Timor - independent due to self-determination

• 🇷🇺 - annexation of Crimea justified on grounds that Crimeans feel more 🇷🇺 than 🇺🇦

• 2014 - 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 independence from 🇬🇧 still challenging policy despite voting against

• Catalonia, Kurdish, 🇵🇸 - want independence, impacted policy across middle east

2 ways challenges from below damage NS

• Disruption to internal affairs of states really important as can’t rely on extra-territorial support

• Challenge to int. sovereignty

7 ways in which NS are still important

1. Limits of liberalism

2. Policy and the state

3. Borders and security

4. HR

5. International law

6. National allegiance

7. State egoism

Limits of liberalism explanation

• States still self-determine the extent of their interactions with NGOs and IGOs, and often choose to ignore them

6 examples of limits of liberalism

• UN based on principle of ‘sovereign equality’ for all members

• UNSC - 5 permanent members have a veto

• 🇪🇺 - member states have a veto on issues that could breach sovereignty

  • Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon allows states to reclaim sovereignty

• PA negotiated and upheld by signees

• G7 members can choose to fulfil (or not) the intentions

• ‘America First’ approach taken by 1st Trump administration - withdrawal from PA, WTO, didn’t join Trans-Pacific Partnership

Way that limits of liberalism support NS

• States have choice on if they interact with the devices of liberalism, and no external body can force cooperation on a state, no matter how powerful

Policy and the state explanation

• States have control over fiscal, tax and pension policy

  • States have a lot of control over defence, immigration and foreign policy with some help from IGOs

4 examples of state control over policy

• State-specific response to COVID-19 shows role of states in citizens lives

• States are able to police the internet

  • 🇨🇳- firewall very effective

• 🇨🇳 calls its regime ‘socalism with 🇨🇳 characteristics,’, i.e. FMC with an authoritarian state

• 🇷🇺 - has banned ‘undesirable’ foreign NGOs if perceived to go against 🇷🇺 national interest

Way that policy proves continued relevance of NS

• States are not just a vessel for capital and goods to pass through, but active actors in their citizens lives

Borders and security explanation

• States super determined to protect borders, especially post terrorist attacks like 9/11

3 examples of borders and security

• 2002 - Department for Homeland Security established to protect 🇺🇸 borders

  • 2020: 3rd biggest federal employer, has 240,000 employees

• Syrian refugee crisis - decrease in border-free travel within Schengen zone

• 2020 - COVID-19 emphasised importance of borders to stop spread of viruses

Way that borders and security encourages NS

• States have given selves powers to limit the acts of their citizens and the world is definitely not borderless

HR explanation

• Post-❄ War - wish for universalisation of HR culture

  • 🇺🇸 commitment to HR gave them soft power over the USSR

• Religious/political/cultural views have more of an impact on HR than just 🇺🇸>🇷🇺

7 examples of HR on a state level

• 1993 - Bangkok Declaration provided statement of ‘Asian Values’

  • Focus on social and communal values > individual

• ☪ countries - Qur’an informs HR

• 🇷🇺 - Orthodox Church informs HR

• UDHR seen as Western cultural imperialism

• 🇺🇸 - death penalty legal

• 🇪🇺 - death penalty not legal

• 🏳‍🌈 - illegal in ⅓ of countries, yet accepted in the West

Way in which HR enforces NS

• States are main arbitrators of HR

• There are many discrepancies across countries and this is mainly due to difference in religious belief

International law explanation

• Nation-states still determine the extent of their abiding by international law

• International law is soft law and can criticise but take no action

4 examples of NS primacy over international law

• 🇨🇳, 🇺🇸 - refused to join ICC (🇺🇸 encouraged others not to too)

• ICJ requires state acceptance to enforce rulings

  • 🇮🇱 ignored ICJ judgement re. illegality of 🇮🇱/🇵🇸 wall (and now illegal occupation)

  • 2019 - 🇬🇧 refused to give the Chagos Archipelago to 🇲🇺 despite ICJ judgment that its control is illegal

• 🇮🇳,🇵🇰 - criticised re. breaking TNPNW by making nuclear weapons but no action taken

• 2014 - OSCE declared Crimean referendum re. 🇷🇺 or 🇺🇦 illegal but still went ahead and result declared binding

Way in which IL shows continued importance of NS

• Like with NGOs and IGOs, states determine their own cooperation and interaction, international bodies cannot enforce anything on states

National allegiance and NS

• State loyalty still potent despite globalisation also being prevalent

4 examples of national allegiance

• Putin increased state loyalty in 🇷🇺

• Populist parties in Europe (Rassemblement Nationale, AfD) challenging pro-Europe parties

• 🇵🇱,🇭🇺 - nationalist parties appealed to ethnic and religious traditions

• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, 🇵🇸, Basque - nationalist movements show importance of nationhood to those without it

National allegiance supporting NS

• Rise in nationalism that supports nation state and doesn’t undermine it

State egoism explanation

• States act out of self-interest, not according to liberal values

5 examples of state egoism

• 2003 - UN did not mandate 🇺🇸 invasion of 🇮🇶, and all calls for restraint were ignored

• 2014 -  🇷🇺 annexed Crimea despite international view that this infringed 🇺🇦 sovereignty

• 🇨🇳, 🇺🇸,  🇷🇺 all increasing defence spending

• 🇨🇳 - actions in South China Sea

• Syrian civil war played by 3 countries who won’t settle for similar political agreements

Way in which state egoism shows continued relevance of NS

• States are primarily power-maximisers and self-interest determines state relations