The State and Globalisation
Treaty of Westphalia (1648)
The Treaty of Westphalia was signed at the conclusion of the Thirty Years War, and was seen as the beginning of international politics. It established three key principles:
Sovereignty of states
Legal equality between states
Non-intervention between states
A Nation
A nation is a community of people who share characteristics and values. It may not be recognised by other nations or states. The Kurdish nation is not recognised by the international community, as its territory spans over Turkey, Syria and Iraq. However, there is a strong feeling of nationalism among the Kurds, and they hope to establish their own state in the future.
A State
A state only becomes a state when it satisfies the following criteria:
It has a permanent population (Antarctica is not a state because it has no permanent population).
It has clearly defined territory (Kurdistan has territory that spans over other states).
It has an effective government (Syria is not an effective state having lost control to ISIS).
It is recognised by other states (Kosovo, Palestine and South Ossetia have limited recognition worldwide).
Nation-state
A nation-state brings together the political idea of the state and the cultural idea of the nation. They have the right to independent political rule. After World War One, many new nation-states were established due to independence on the basis of cultural factors, such as Poland and Czechoslovakia.
Many more nation-states were established as the conclusion of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union. Latvia, Georgia and Ukraine became independent states as a result.
Sovereignty
The idea of sovereignty is the absolute power over a state’s citizens. It has unlimited power in its own territory (internal sovereignty) and on the international stage (external sovereignty).
Globalisation - a complex web of interconnections between states + takes on many forms, including cultural, political and economic, meaning that international cultures, economies and political organisations are becoming increasingly prevalent and important.
Factors driving globalisation
Technology: the rise of the internet and global communications means that the entire world is connected to each other and can communicate quickly and easily.
Transport: cheap air travel and developments in shipping by boat (containerisation) mean that products can travel from different sides of the world to markets across the planet.
Culture: the world is becoming more multicultural, and global brands such as McDonalds and Coca Cola have demonstrated how far cultural globalisation can be stretched.
Politics: the establishment of the United Nations and other global political institutions means that liberal democracy is an almost universal concept.
Economics: the Bretton Woods system, introduced in the late 1940s, encouraged trade between states after the Second World War. This led to an exponential increase in international trade.
Institutions: the United Nations, the World Bank, the G20; all of these institutions instigate global co-operation on economics, human rights and politics.
Which type of globalisation has had the biggest impact?
Political globalisation
Political globalisation refers to the growing importance of global institutions that make political decisions that affect all states. This means that the state becomes a less important actor in the international community. Evidence of this is clear through the rise of regional organisations, like the EU. The EU is a member of the G20, and many political decisions are made on members’ behalves by the European Parliament.
Intergovernmentalism means that governments from multiple states come together to make decisions. An example of this is the United Nations.
Supranationalism means that institutions have power to make decisions over the state. These institutions aim to reduce the likelihood of conflict and tackle contemporary issues like climate change and human rights abuses. An example of this is the European Union.
Under liberal theory, political globalisation will occur as the state becomes a less important actor in global politics. However, realists believe that the state will continue to be the primary actor in global politics, but the rise of international organisations will not overtake them as the dominant actor.
Economic globalisation
Describes how the economies of nation-states are being more connected into a global marketplace for products, services and goods. Furthermore, global governance of economics has developed with the establishment of IGOs including the World Trade Organisation and World Bank. However, with this increased homogenisation of global economics, economic sovereignty of nation-states is being eroded.
Cultural globalisation
The process of merging many cultures into a single global culture. This means that no matter where you travel to or live in the world, you are likely to see many of the same customs, values and brands everywhere.
McDonald’s sell American-style food across the world
Doctor Who is a British television show watched by people in many different continents
Indian restaurants are found across the West
Coca Cola is the second most well-known term across the world, only beaten by “OK”.
Technology has had an undoubtable impact on cultural globalisation. The rise of the internet as a means of transporting information means that we can understand customs and traditions from anywhere. This has led to the rise of ‘Americanisation’ as American brands like Facebook, Apple and McDonald’s are huge transnational corporations.
Debates surrounding globalisation
Impact on the state system
Globalisation has had huge impacts on the state system:
Interconnection and interdependence: states now rely on each other for information exchange, the trade of necessary goods (food, raw materials), and political support and unity.
Challenges to state control over citizens: international organisations, such as the UN, provide a challenge to state control, as they can implement international law that states must abide by. Furthermore, there are more actors in the international community than just states: transnational corporations control much of the world economy, the UN controls much of world politics, non-governmental organisations and terrorist organisations have a huge impact on international decision-making.
Humanitarian intervention: where a state is acting unlawfully, other states may intervene to help protect citizens. However, the Treaty of Westphalia established the principle of non-intervention between states, so is humanitarian intervention justified?
Perspectives on globalisation
Hyperglobalisers (liberals) – globalisation has had a positive impact on the world. It has decreased conflict and increased co-operation between states, including increased free trade. As globalisation develops, the world will become borderless.
Sceptics (realists) – globalisation isn’t new, and its impact has been exaggerated. There has always been international trade, through imperialism and colonialism. The nation-state remains the most important actor in global politics.
Transformationalists (in the middle) – globalisation as a concept may not be new, but international co-operation on this scale has never been seen before. However, power in the international system remains at the state level.
Globalisation and contemporary global issues
What impact has globalisation on the whole had on these contemporary political issues?
