Summary Class 6 - Transnationalist Approaches PDF

Class 6. Understanding international relations beyond States: transnational approaches Key figures: - James Rosenau - Joseph Nye - Robert Keohane - John Burton Concepts: - Non-governmental organisation - Cobweb model - Governmental, non-state and sub-national actors - Inter-governmental, trans-gov...

Class 6. Understanding international relations beyond States: transnational approaches Key figures: - James Rosenau - Joseph Nye - Robert Keohane - John Burton Concepts: - Non-governmental organisation - Cobweb model - Governmental, non-state and sub-national actors - Inter-governmental, trans-governmental and transnational relations - Epistemic communities Activity: short videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlXthucUGuQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsDqlz0WCI8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoHrTzIQHKM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY2mrfkC7Do I. The transnational vision of international relations a. Non-governmental organisations b. Conceptualising transnational relations II. Two different applications of transnationalism a. James Rosenau and the chaos of international relations b. Peter Haas and the epistemic community concept I. a. The transnational approach takes into account the importance of non-state actors on the international scene. Neo-Marxism can already be considered as a transnational approach as it studies social classes, not States. There are also some similarities between transnational and liberal approaches. Liberals recognise the key role played by civil society. This explains why transnationalism is not always considered as a distinct approach of international relations. Here we argue that transnationalism goes beyond all former approaches in its consideration of non-state actors. Transnationalism developed in parallel to the multiplication of non-state actors on the international scene. We have already seen figures for TNCs. But other non-state actors include NGOs (see below); actors engaged in migrations flows (economic migrations, environmental ones, networks of people smugglers, networks for prostitution, etc.); transnational organised crime organisations (Sicilian Mafia, Chinese Triad, South- American drug coalitions, etc.); international terrorist groups (Al Qaida); religious movements or even trade unions. With transnationalism, the definition of the international actor becomes really broad.  Definition of NGOs. It is a broad definition. For instance, industrial associations are considered as NGOs by the ECOSOC. See the number of NGOs (national and international) that have a consultative status at ECOSOC. More than 2500 in 2005. NGOs intervene mostly on environmental, Human Rights, and development issues. But on other topics as well. For instance, on security issues, the International Crisis Group participates to conflicts resolution and Handicap International engages against landmines. While they have long been considered as just observers, NGOs have a role per se in international relations. b. John Burton, World Society (1972). What he calls world society is the world made of the interactions between individuals. He proposes the « cobweb model ». The world is seen as a cobweb made of the numerous commercial, touristic, financial or migratory flows (and many others) that cover the entire planet. When one actor touches one angle of the cobweb, it is the whole cobweb that moves. The cobweb model serves to illustrate, among others, the fact that there is no distinction anymore between internal and external (foreign) politics; there is a multiplication of the actors that are relevant to study in international politics. Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye, “Transnational Relations and World Politics”, International Organization (1971), and also Power and Interdependence. 1977. They distinguish three categories of international actors (governmental, sub-national and nonstate) who develop three kinds of relationship (inter-state, trans-governmental (domestic) and transnational). Moreover, there is no hierarchy anymore between low and high politics. There exist several cobwebs, with each cobweb dealing with one precise domain of international politics. Actors are placed differently, and have different power, on each of these cobwebs. II. a. One major research question of transnationalism is to understand to which extend the multiplication of international actors will stabilise or destabilise the whole world. James Rosenau, Turbulences in World Politics. A Theory of Change and Continuity (1990). Indeed, several actors are destabilising international relations. This is particularly the case of terrorist groups. b. Transnationalist scholars signal that international players often act through networks. Epistemic communities are one type of network that can have a great impact on the international scene. Peter Haas defines an epistemic community as a community of experts that develops and shares common knowledge on a given international issue (see for instance Peter Haas, “Banning chlorofluorocarbons: epistemic community efforts to protect stratospheric ozone”, International Organisation, 1992, p.3). An epistemic community gathers experts from different academic disciplines, from different professional backgrounds, and often from different countries. When the Vienna Convention on the ozone layer was adopted in March 1985, the importance, the causes, and the consequences of the disappearance of the ozone layer were still unknown. As a consequence, the Convention is rather vague and does not propose any precise solutions to the environmental problem. Yet, as soon as September 1987, the Montreal Protocol on the ozone layer was adopted and proposed some precise targets and solutions to mitigate the disappearance of the ozone layer. Today international cooperation on the ozone issue is seen as a big success in environmental politics. A few weeks after the adoption of the Vienna Convention, a geo-physicist coming from the UK, Joseph Farman, found a way to observe the ozone hole. By networking with other colleagues, he created an epistemic community that produced scientific data on the causes and consequences of the ozone layer disappearance, as well as on the consequences for Humanity (skin cancers, problems of immune systems, etc.) In addition to influencing governments, the research done by the epistemic community inspired the American transnational corporation Dupont that found a substitute to CFCs, that could replace their use in sprays, refrigerators, and industrial applications. Glossary Transnational relations Relations between or beyond national boundaries (i.e., transboundary relations) that include non-state actors or interactions between non-state actors and states/governments. Thus, in transnational relations non-state actors play a significant role. Non-state actors All those actors in international relations that are not states but have an influence on states’ behavior. Actors (groups, organizations) that are involved in political relationships across state boundaries and pursue their goals largely independently from governments/states. Examples include Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Trans-national Corporations (TNCs), epistemic communities, transnational terrorist groups, religious movements. Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) A non-profit organization that operates independently of any government, typically one whose purpose is to address a social or political issue. Transnational terrorism In general, terrorism is understood as the use or threat of violence by non-state actors to influence citizens or governments in the pursuit of political or social change. Transnational terrorism indicates terrorism that does not occur domestically in a country, but threatens entire regions or multiple countries. Transformation of domestic terrorism to transnational terrorism has been accelerated by factors such as globalization, religious extremism, and advanced communication tools. Transnational terrorism is distinguished from domestic terrorism by its more complex organizational structure, the involvement of several states and non-state actors, and its use of high technology. Transnational Climate Governance Transnational governance is a complex, multi-dimensional phenomenon. It indicates that the global politics of climate change depends more and more on both national climate policies and the actions of non-state actors, such as cities, businesses, NGOs, as well as the transnational governance networks that link them. Thus, transnational governance involves a variety of nonstate and state actors, contributing different capacities and sources of authority.