Introduction to Stakeholders and Actors PDF

Introduction to Stakeholders and Actors States Our understanding of what constitutes a state in the modern world is based on two different treaties – the Peace of Westphalia (1648) and the Montevideo Convention (1933). Essentially, a State is a State because it fulfils certain criteria (we will lo...

Introduction to Stakeholders and Actors States Our understanding of what constitutes a state in the modern world is based on two different treaties – the Peace of Westphalia (1648) and the Montevideo Convention (1933). Essentially, a State is a State because it fulfils certain criteria (we will look at this in more depth later) It’s easy to fall into the trap of assuming that all states look the same and are governed in the same way. Needless to say, this is not true and there are many different political systems found around the world in different states. However, (and this is going to be a recurring theme in the course) there is no simple way of categorising political systems. The diagram below shows one possible way of classifying political systems on a spectrum from left to right. This diagram is simplified and, as I’ve stated, our world is messy. Nonetheless, in Global Politics we will use many theories and models - these are tools to help us represent the real world, they are often not how things actually are. (TOK moment: consider the difference between a map and the territory it is depicting. The map is not the territory) Sunbnational and local governments The organisation of governments in almost every state is more complex than might first appear and there are often many levels of subnational and / or local government. IGOs So far we have really focused on the state – or what we might consider domestic politics – but now we’re going to consider one way in which states interact beyond their own borders. Intergovernmental organisations – usually referred to as IGOs – are formal organisations that are made up of two or more states who agree to cooperate on areas of common interest. There are numerous examples of IGOs – the United Nations (UN) is perhaps the most well known – that focus on a wide range of political issues. NATO, for example, focuses on collective defence while the European Union (EU) is an IGO focused on greater political integration between its member states. Organised Civil Society, including NGOs Civil society: this refers to any institutions in society that are neither part of the state nor the market. A simplified definition would be to understand civil society as organisations or groups of people that are not linked to the government. Examples include professional associations and trade unions; churches and religious organisations; and charities. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs): these are closely related to the idea of civil society and can be defined as organisations that are independent of government and seek to influence policy or achieve an aim through a combination of lobbying and direct action. Examples of NGOs include Amnesty International and the International Rescue Committee. NGOs operate on a variety of scales at for different purposes: Private Actors and Companies We can define private actors as ‘those who are not directly involved with the government but who have the ability to create change and influence others’. We can also consider the role of private companies. These can be very influential in political decision making processes - particularly TNCs and MNCs when we speak in terms of Global Politics. Transnational corporations (TNCs) and multinational companies (MNCs) operate across national boundaries. Social Movements A social movement is a group of people who share common concern about an aspect of how society is functioning. These can be hard to define and can, to an extent, include NGOs. Here is one attempt to classify Social movements, by David Aberle, which is based on asking two questions: What is the movement attempting to change? How much change is being advocated? The following model is also useful in charting the progression of Social Movements: Resistance Movements It’s actually rather difficult to distinguish clearly between social movements and resistance movements. The key element we need to focus on is that of resistance. By doing so, we can understand resistance movements as groups of people who want change – similar to social movements – but whose focus is on resisting and rejecting specific policies, laws and / or leaders. We can see then that the idea of resistance movements and social movements are closely related and they have much in common. However, the nature of resistance means that resistance movements are often seen as a challenge and, indeed, may be a threat to those in power. This can make being part of a resistance movement a risky business, particularly in those states where the freedom to participate in the political process is limited. Some resistance movements, such as the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement of 2019-20, use largely non-violent tactics while others, such as the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria that began in 2009 and is still ongoing, is based around a willingness to use violence. Other resistance movements, such as the Arab Spring use a combination of largely non-violent protests with some violent episodes. Interest and Pressure Groups While there are numerous interest groups out there in the world of global politics, we can start with a fairly simple definition of them as a formally organised group of people that aims to influence public policy in an area in which they have a particular interest. Interest groups, then, include those representing the interests of certain industries such as the tobacco or oil industries; those focused on particular issues such as abortion or gun control; and religious groups. Pressure groups are similar to both interest groups and social movements. They are usually located within broader interest groups and have the aim of working openly and directly towards influencing those in power. They may use a variety of tactics such as marches, protests, social media campaigns and publicity stunts in order to achieve their aims. An example of a pressure group in the UK is Just Stop Oil. The Media The media is an interesting actor – or group of actors – to consider in terms of their role in and impact on global politics. It is worth distinguishing between what we might consider more traditional print and television media and the more modern phenomenon of social media. Different media organisations may sometimes claim to be unbiased (though many do not even make the claim) but it is important to recognise that almost all media comes with biases. For example, the Guardian is a left-leaning liberal paper in the UK while the Daily Mail is much more on the right. Equally, Fox News in the US is one the right of the political spectrum when compared to channels such as CNN and NBC. This has implications when using media sources to inform our understanding of the world around us and it is essential that, as students of global politics, you consider the reliability and trustworthiness of the sources you use.