Nation-State: Sovereignty and Global Politics

Introduction

• In 1992, Francis Fukuyama's "The End of History and the Last Man" posited that war would diminish due to the rise of liberal democracies
• Argued democracies' interconnectedness would supersede the state, with global governance challenging the nation-state, the EU was cited as a model
• While no timeframe was given, the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), German reunification, Eastern European communist regime collapses, and the Soviet Union's dissolution (1991) were persuasive events
• The 1992 Maastricht Treaty saw EEC leaders commit to common citizenship and currency fostering trust and cooperation, even China was urged to adopt democratic reforms
• The internet has expanded integration and global free trade has vastly increased global wealth
• The internet also allows insularity since outlets like Russia Today nurture Russian nationalism worldwide and Fox News is highly partisan
• In 2020, the UK sought to regain sovereignty from the EU, similarly, nations such as Hungary and Poland have seen increased nationalism, as has the US under Trump, prioritizing national interests

The State, Nation-State, and National Sovereignty

• States have been central to global relations and have supported peace since the 17th century
• Hugo Grotius defined the state as "a complex association of free men, joined together in the enjoyment of rights for their common interest"
• Hobbes and Bodin contended that a sovereign state effectively protects society from mankind's innate anarchy, drawing from experiences with negative human nature during events like the English Civil War and the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

The Westphalian State System

• The Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which ended the Thirty Years' War, affirmed the concept of sovereignty by giving German states authority independent of the Holy Roman Emperor
• Each state would have autonomy over internal affairs, without external intervention, defining sovereign equality, meaning no state has the legal right to intervene in another's sovereign affairs, with independence being the right of all states

The Nation-State in the 20th Century

• The 20th century was dominated by Westphalian principles, Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points (1918), which advocated for national sovereignty based on self-determination and shared heritage, shaped the creation of states like Austria, Hungary, and Poland post-WWI
• The 1933 Montevideo Conference defined sovereign states as those that have a defined territory, permanent population, viable government, and the capacity for diplomatic relations with other states
• The state possesses law-making powers within its borders without external interference

Post-WWII Decolonization

• Saw the dismantling of old colonial empires saw the establishment of new nation-states across the developing world
• From 1989 to 1991, with the collapse of communism throughout Eastern Europe saw the establishment of new nation-states, including 15 parts of the Soviet Union

The UN and State Sovereignty

• The nation-state is a political entity bound by citizenship, nationality and culture; it provides states with common identity and determines structures in international relations
• Article 2 of Chapter 1 of the UN Charter states 'The Organization is based on the principle of sovereign equality of all its Members.'
• Equal rights are distributed, no state has the right to intervene with another, all states can claim equal territorial integrity and determine internal policy
• Realist interpretations emphasize loyalty to the state and leverage economic, political, and military strength to achieve favorable results
• A nation-state's legitimacy comes from the acceptance of other nation-states, the UN does not recognize the claims of nation-statehood from groups like Palestinians, Kurds, and Catalans which are why they remain unrecognized

Process Of Globalization

• Involves widening of interconnectedness and interdependence
• Globalization fosters intricate interconnectedness, challenging state authority over its citizens
• Nation-states are no longer able to insulate themselves from global events

Significance of Economic and Financial Globalization

• Calls for economic liberalism are rooted in the Cold War and has resulted in free-market's dominance
• States must provide global investors with attractive conditions like low corporate tax and light regulation
• Governments can tailor macroeconomic decisions to entice foreign business, for instance, Ireland incentivized foreign companies like Apple by lowering corporate tax to 12.5% which lead Apple to move the operations center to Dublin

Globalization Of Markets

• Facilitated by instant internet communication since global events have economic impacts on a state's economic welfare
• In 2007-2008, the US mortgage crisis brought about by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, a UK bank triggered a global banking crisis and sent stock markets plummeting, causing a global recession
• COVID-19 had a global affect on economies worldwide, resulting in a 9% reduction in global merchandise trade

Influence of Non-State Actors

• Global interconnectedness has risen via non-state actors to solve complex global problems
• States come together in IGOs to address issues that individual states cannot manage
• In 2009, in the G20 which implemented a global strategy of commitment to free trade, it responded to the global crisis
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change facilitates an international forum for action, while the International Atomic Energy Agency aims to ensure states adhere to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons

Influence Of IGOS

• Bretton Woods institutions include The World Bank, the IMF and the WTO
• These impact state sovereignty via global free markets and free trade
• Structural adjustment programmes are founded are on the premise that economic growth is maximized by free trade which governments should encourage FDI via the adoption of conducive economic policies
• As of 2021, the WTO which had 164 state members, including Russia and China, promoting free trade, trade dispute resolution, and tariff reduction

The UN

• The UN was created in 1945 on the premise of international community working together to solve ‘collective dilemmas.' Nation-states do not sacrifice their sovereignty as members to create a more peaceful and prosperous world and this includes the WHO

Additional UN Agencies

• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), they alleviate plight of refugees
• United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) which is the United Nations International Children's Fund
• World Food Programme (WFP) is world's biggest humanitarian relief organization which provides food relief, income support and free school meals as well as supporting small farmers in 88 countries

Additional UN Responsibilities

• The Millennium (2000-15) and Sustainable Development Goals (2015-30) have made considerable progress in reducing poverty with goals including gender equality and pushing for action on climate change
• Climate change conferences are organised by the UNFCCC to provide opportunities for states and non-state actors to limit carbon emissions

Regional Organisations

• These are formed to take advantage of opportunities globalization offers which include the EEC (1957) and ASEAN (1967) as well as Mercosur (1991) and NAFTA (1994)
• Regional IGOs serve as mini free trade areas which encourage trade and specialization, it has influence in international trade and protects them from global competition by establishing region customs unions
• Economic sovereignty is pooled implying states accept government limits for collective benefits

Influence of Non-Governmental Organisations

• NGOs via soft-power can significantly shape international political dialogue by enriching political debate (Amnesty International and Greenpeace and Human Right Watch)
• Influential individuals also have an impact on global policy, Greta Thunberg has encouraged acting on climate change and that is supported by David Attenborough by talking to global leaders, such as Obama in 2015 and by presenting his witness in the documentary A Life on Our Planet

The Internet's Impact

• Has shifted global communications, leading to instant trade of stocks and moving capital to create a global marketplace of business and of ideas
• People in the world can access a supply of data and ideas
• Advances create the potential for a global culture in merchandise such as Microsoft, Google and Apple
• Controlling info has become harder for states (i.e Facebook and Al Jazeera played a role in the 2010-12 Arab Spring).
• Global debate, social movements and platforms also provide platforms

Globalisation Attempts To Resolve Contemporary Issues

• Some political commentators see it as being part of the solution, for others it is part of the problem

Poverty

• Supporters believe globalisation address and resolves global poverty a lot

Convergence between the Global North and South

• The Brandt Reports 1980 and 1983 coined 'the North-South divide", it highlighted social economic divisions between developed and developing world
• Increased global trade causes production to dramatically increase including the volume of those in poverty dropping (due to high paid work and low cost food).
• trade liberalizes developing markets allowing comparative advantage i to improve conditions for workers

Tariffs

• Used to protect producers from foreign competition
• It can encourage increase in price due to protected environment
• Free trade encourages countries in produce cheap, producers can be efficient to lower prices to consumers
• Developing nations opening to foreign markets climbs ladder to China (low cost labor in exporting selling trillions) and Korea (computer specialization and wireless communication)
• Taiwan export markets increase high technology
• Vietnam increase in textile and show industry likely aided by EU agreement 2020
• Africa specializes in sectors like resource management

The Population of Africa

• Is expected to rise to 1.7 billion in 2030 to allow corps to utilise cheaper labor
• China has been to value the benefit of labor and have more operating in the region that outsource

Globalisation For Consumers

• Low costs of Consumer Goods that would provide that chance to own possessions that would allow others

Globalisation and Ideas

• Encourages the spread to introduce to methods for building, job markets, and higher pay that closes economies

Breaking Out Of The Poverty Trap

• Employment opportunity increases for income, potential career, with access to better capital

How Has Economic Globalisation Entrenched Poverty?

• lock developing states developing border status due to trade meaning cheap economy
• End providing markets and workforce

Greater Inequality

• Trade is concentrated in the hands of the elite
• China and have increased inequality
• Amy chou wealth for small population undermining and cohesion that leads to political movements

USA Class

• From 1989-2016 increase In income for 2 decades decrease in anger for people

Gini Coefficient

• Inequality measures of high or low that can lead to an imbalance

Global Capitalism

• Has been violence of cheap labor and global capitalism

Democratic Deficit

• Globalization gives power to IGOs like IMF and World Banks

Destruction of local cultures and the environment

• Inability in Ghana lead to opening competition that breaks the world

Debate Yes and No On Does Economic Globalisation Resolve Issue

Yes

• Developing free trade break system that helps to break outside
• Capital flow rise the job creating class
• Reduces the cost of good

No

• Cost as government reduce the rights
• Harms communities and increased

Case Stuides

• Dell theory focuses on economic and less conflict that relies on supplies
• Human rights liberalism a basis
• Global of standard to have rights

UDHR

• Great persuasive that can lead to more international judgements

International Power

• There are power to have people and country to respect all for a world community

Rise of International law with certain rights

• To set out religion the rights all could should enjoy
• The international community can judge by rights e.g. human rights
• Russia and USA do refused the courts
• There are limited powers to make sure justice prevails

Globalization

• Lead abuses
• There can be a constant check of UN and is very accessible to all
• Rights can’t change the issue

Explore the limitations of liberalism in the context of the nation-state. Analyze the impact of events like Brexit and the Trump administration's policies. Examine challenges to national sovereignty in contemporary global politics.