State, sovereignty and imperialism

Tilly (1975)

‘war made the state and the state made war’

what as the Peace of Westphalia, why did it happen and what does it mark the start of?

Catholic v Protestant conflicts in Europe in 16th century, eg. Eighty Years’ War between Spain and Netherlands

Culminated in Peace of Westphalia (1648)

• Often viewed as starting point of modern international system

What does Jackson et al. (2019) say about the Peace of Westphalia?

From 1648, the state was the only legitimate form of government in Europe, possessing territories, independent governments, etc

European states recognised legitimacy and independence, international law expected to be observed, balance of power expected to be upheld

How does Teschke (2003) criticise the 1648 thesis?

Marxist critique of the claim Peace of Westphalia was significant

Points to importance of ‘social relations of sovereignty’

Encourages to look at early modern England and the rise of capitalism, endogenous development of capitalism unique to England, shift from dynastic to parliamentary sovereignty, policy changes

Krasner (2004) - why does he criticise conventional sovereignty?

Criticises conventional sovereignty for assuming states are autonomous - in reality, many are weak, even abusive eg. state-sponsored genocide

Krasner (2004) - what are the 3 elements of conventional sovereignty?

There are 3 elements of conventional sovereignty 

• International legal sovereignty - recognises states as sovereign and independent, typically fails

• Westphalian sovereignty - difficult in the face of globalisation due to rise of international actors

• Domestic sovereignty

Krasner (2004) - why do sovereignty failures/failed states need to be taken seriously and what existing provisions fail to help?

As sovereignty failures can have global repercussions, eg. terrorism, failed states need to be taken seriously and helped adequately, which current provisions do not do (governance assistance and transitional administration)

Krasner (2004) - what does he alternatively propose?

• De facto trusteeships

• Shared sovereignty

Bhambra (2018) - what is the main argument?

Criticises the view that the modern nation-state emerged from the 1648 Peace of Westphalia

Bhambra (2018) - what are the 2 routes to European statehood?

• Evolution of nation-states

• Establishing a nation, then a state

Bhambra (2018) - what’s wrong with the Weberian definition of the state?

Weberian definition of the state ignores and thus enables colonial violence

Bhambra (2018) - how does history present European states?

History presents European states as nationalist instead of imperialist, thus are never held accountable

Bhambra (2018) - citizenship

Citizenship is construed through legislative changes, eg. British Nationality Act  ->  Commonwealth Immigration Acts changed them from citizens to migrants

Habermas (1996) - the modern nation-state is the…

“tandem of bureaucracy and capitalism”

Habermas (1996) - why are there tensions with the fusion of nation-states

Tensions with nation-states as states depend on secular legitimacy whereas nations depend on social integration via shared culture, language or history

Habermas (1996) - what effects does this have?

Has implications on sovereignty, nationalism and ethnocentric ideologies used to justify imperialism and exclusion

Habermas (1996) - why has globalisation limited sovereignty?

rise of international actors

Habermas (1996) - where did Westphalian principles emerge from then?

events like the French Revolution

Kayoglu (2010) - criticism of Westphalia thesis

Eurocentric and reliant on selective historical narratives

Kayaoglu (2010) - so when did Westphalian principles emerge?

18th/19th century

Kayaoglu (2010) - what does Westphalian eurocentrism sustain and lead to?

Westphalian eurocentrism sustains the idea Europe solved anarchy, enabling and justifying imperialism