Global Interstate System Outline PDF

GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM China has cast Taiwan out into the diplomatic wilderness. Taiwan is not recognized as an The concept of ‘fragmentation’ is understood in...

GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM China has cast Taiwan out into the diplomatic wilderness. Taiwan is not recognized as an The concept of ‘fragmentation’ is understood in independent country by much of the world nor even global governance as the extent to which the world the United Nations. It undergoes extraordinary consists of distinct clusters of intergovernmental naming contortions just to participate in events and organization-based cooperation. institutions like the Olympic Games and the World Trade Organization. It means that cooperation in the international community should not be limited to two countries At the heart of the divide is that the Chinese only or to a specific region, but of different clusters government sees Taiwan as a breakaway province of intergovernmental organizations. that will eventually be part of the country again. State Taiwan’s government claims it is an independent country officially called the “Republic of China”. A state is a community of persons more or less Taiwan’s leaders say it is clearly much more than a numerous, permanently occupying a definite province, arguing that it is a sovereign state. It has portion of territory, having a government of their its own constitution, democratically-elected leaders, own to which the great body of inhabitants render and about 300,000 active troops in its armed obedience, and enjoying freedom from external forces. control. Many Taiwanese people feel they in effect have a Elements of State: separate nation - whether or not independence is People - inhabitants living within the state ever officially declared. Territory - fixed portion of jurisdiction of the state Government - agency through which the will of Explainer: China and Hong Kong state is formulated, expressed and carried out Sovereignty - supreme power of the state to Most people know Hong Kong as an international command and enforce obedience to its will from financial hub, business center, shopping paradise, people within its jurisdiction and tourist destination. However, the Hong Kong’s identity crisis and resistance to Beijing’s Nation interference are at the heart of the civil unrest in the former British colony. A nation is a group of people bound together by certain characteristics such as common ethnicity, After more than a century and a half of colonial language, religion customs, and traditions, and who rule, the British government returned Hong Kong in they believe that they are one and distinct from 1997. China pledged to preserve much of what others. makes Hong Kong unique when the former British colony was handed over more than two decades The state is a political concept while nation is an ago. Beijing said it would give Hong Kong fifty ethnic concept. years to keep its capitalist system and enjoy many freedoms not found in mainland Chinese cities. But A single state may consist of one or more nations it seems that these promises are fading. or peoples, and conversely, a single nation may be made up of several states. Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong would like the region to remain different from other Chinese Explainer: China and Taiwan cities. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China that has been One China Policy - the diplomatic largely free to manage its own affairs based on acknowledgement of China’s position that there is “one country, two systems,”. The concept was only one Chinese government. Hence, “one intended to help integrate Taiwan, Hong Kong, and country, two systems”. GCWORLD | THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD | LESSON 5 | GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM © D. DONATO 2022 Macau with sovereign China while preserving their unique political and economic systems. Examples are Mexico and New Zealand. Under import substitution, Mexico had failed to create a Although Hong Kong has certain freedoms, it is not viable car industry, but now it took by storm the a full democracy by international standards. China global market for auto parts. Farmers in Argentina is reluctant to allow Hong Kong to hold free and fair and New Zealand made fortunes selling winter elections. The “ultimate aim” is to have Hong fruits and vegetables to Northern Hemisphere Kong’s leader elected by a popular vote. But the consumers, an opportunity possible only with a Hong Kong government proposed national security global market for raspberries. legislation that would have prohibited treason, secession, sedition, and subversion against the Meanwhile, companies in Thailand and Turkey, Chinese government. Protesters organized previously constrained by the difficulty of borrowing massive rallies, known as the Umbrella Movement, at home, now had access to cheap and plentiful to call for true democracy. foreign finance. Five major topics that illustrate ongoing changes in In contrast, the international community hailed the roles of states and the relationships between South Korea’s strong position in the world states and citizens: economy. The government systematically boosts economic interdependence, exports by often selling abroad at prices below their economic and political integration, own domestic prices. Like the Japanese, they have international law and universal norms, rejected American ideas and advice. transnational advocacy networks, and new communication platforms. ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL INTEGRATION ECONOMIC INTERDEPENDENCE Divisions between countries created by geography, poor infrastructure and inefficient policies are an Globalization is commonly equated with the rising impediment to economic growth. Which is why momentum of global free-market capitalism. The regional integration allows countries to overcome emphasis on deregulation, privatization and free these costly divisions integrating goods, services trade in globalization have imposed a forced choice and factors’ markets, thus facilitating the flow of upon states: either conform to free-market trade, capital, energy, people and ideas. principles or run the risk of being left behind. Regional integration allows countries to: Global market examples: Improve market efficiency; Share the costs of public goods or large National leaders such as former US President infrastructure projects; Ronald Reagan and former UK Prime Minister Decide policy cooperatively and have an anchor Margaret Thatcher pursued the laissez-faire to reform; economics. Laissez-faire economics is a theory that Have a building block for global integration; and says the government should not intervene in the Reap other non-economic benefits, such as economy except to protect individuals’ inalienable peace and security. rights. In other words, let the market do its own thing. This created the conditions for deregulation, Cooperation in these areas has taken different privatization and free trade to spread around the institutional forms, with different levels of policy world. commitments and shared sovereignty, and has had different priorities in different world regions. Globalization also prompted the world’s poorer states to orient their production to hundreds of Examples of Regional Organizations: millions of prosperous consumers and attract the world’s wealthiest banks, corporations, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) investors. European Union (EU) GCWORLD | THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD | LESSON 5 | GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM © D. DONATO 2022 Organization of American States (OAS) Europe has been Britain’s most important export League of Arab States (LAS) market and its biggest source of foreign investment, African Union (AU) and E.U. membership helped London cement its Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) position as a global financial center. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) While the UK was in the EU, companies could buy and sell goods across EU borders without paying Explainer: European Union taxes and there were no limits on the amount of things which could be traded. The European Union (EU) has 27 member states, a single currency and monetary system (among 17 British companies could move goods to and from member states), and a supranational European the European Union without taxes or tariffs. People Parliament with growing legislative powers could move freely, too. EU has expanded into foreign and security policy UK will change its relationship with the bloc on and instituted a common citizenship that affords trade, security and migration. There will be new citizens of the member states the rights to live, rules for how the UK and EU will live, work and work, vote and even run for office in European trade together. parliamentary elections outside one’s native member state. INTERNATIONAL LAW AND UNIVERSAL NORMS The EU is regarded by some leading scholars as having strengthened the state because it empowers International law is a system of treaties and the member states to project their interests into the agreements between nations that governs how international arena, enables national governments nations interact with other nations, citizens of other to build resources directed toward international nations, and businesses of other nations. negotiations, and bolsters national regulatory mechanisms to fulfil the resulting international Sources of International Law that the International commitments. Court of Justice uses to resolve disputes: international conventions; The EU provides an excellent illustration of how international custom; international collaboration has been creating new the general principles of law recognized by roles and obligations for states, as well as how civilized nations; and states now delegate specific elements of judicial decisions and the teachings of the most sovereignty to international organizations without highly qualified publicists of the various nations. giving up sovereignty in absolute terms. This work is carried out in many ways - by courts, Growing public disenchantment with the EU, fuelled tribunals, multilateral treaties - and by the Security by perceptions that the member states have Council, which can approve peacekeeping irrevocably lost ground in their capacities to missions, impose sanctions, or authorize the use of advance the economic and social welfare interests force when there is a threat to international peace of their citizens. and security, if it deems this necessary. These powers are given to it by the UN Charter, which is Explainer: Brexit considered an international treaty. As such, it is an instrument of international law, and UN Member The UK voted to leave the EU in 2016 and on States are bound by it. January 31, 2020, it officially left the trading bloc - its nearest and biggest trading partner. While many states choose to hold themselves accountable to international law, the adherence to Brexit’s supporters say their aim is a ‘Global international law ultimately remains a matter of Britain.’ GCWORLD | THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD | LESSON 5 | GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM © D. DONATO 2022 choice, and states can often evade international A report from the Unietd Nations found thousands law without consequence. of people killed in the campaign. According to Philippine government data on June 2021, at least Explainer: Rwanda Genocide 6,117 suspected drug dealers had been killed in police encounters. However, human rights groups In just 100 days in 1994, about 800,000 people and activists said the number could be as high as were slaughtered in Rwanda by ethnic Hutu 30,000. extremists. They were targeting members of the minority Tutsi community, as well as their political Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the ICC in opponents, irrespective of their ethnic origin. 2018 after the cases were filed and has repeatedly said that his government will not cooperate with any Lists of government opponents were handed out to investigation. But the Court has jurisdiction to militias who went and killed them, along with all of investigate crimes committed while the country was their families. Neighbours killed neighbours and a member up until 2019. some husbands even killed their Tutsi wives, saying they would be killed if they refused. Explainer: West Philippine Sea Thousands of Tutsi women were taken away and kept as sex slaves. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that the Philippines has exclusive sovereign rights over the The International Criminal Court was set up in West Philippine Sea (in the South China Sea) and 2002, long after the Rwandan genocide so could that China’s “nine-dash line” is invalid. not put on trial those responsible. China has violated Philippine sovereign rights by: Instead, the UN Security Council established the interfering with Philippine fishing and petroleum International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. A total exploration; of 93 people were indicted and after lengthy and constructing artificial islands; and expensive trials, dozens of senior officials in the failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from former regime were convicted of genocide - all of fishing in the zone. them Hutus. China insists it has “historic rights” using the Within Rwanda, community courts, known as “nine-dash line” claim. Philippines used its rights gacaca, were created to speed up the prosecution over its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone of hundreds of thousands of genocide suspects (EEZ) under the United Nations Convention on the awaiting trial. Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Explainer: International Criminal Court Years after winning against China in an international court, the Philippines is achieving the The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates exact opposite of its legal victory over the South and, where warranted, tries individuals charged China Sea. President Rodrigo Duterte said in 2019 with the gravest crimes of concern to the that he allowed China to fish in the West Philippine international community: genocide, war crimes, Sea, part of the South China Sea that is exclusive crimes against humanity and the crime of to the Philippines. aggression. The Permanent Court of Arbitration, established by As a court of last resort, it seeks to complement, treaty in 1899, is an intergovernmental organization not replace, national Courts. providing a variety of dispute resolution services to the international community. On September 2021, the Court had given the green light for an official probe to the investigation of alleged rights abuses during the Philippine’s ‘war on drugs’ under President Rodrigo Duterte. GCWORLD | THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD | LESSON 5 | GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM © D. DONATO 2022 TRANSNATIONAL ADVOCACY NETWORKS phase and energized civil society organizations at all levels. The United Nations and its many interlocking institutions work with countries around the world to Explainer: Black Lives Matter Movement advance human rights and humanitarian values. Transgovernmental networks improve the Black Lives Matter (BLM) is an international social competence and regulatory effectiveness of movement dedicated to fighting racism and anti- governments and also bring governments around Black violence, especially in the form of police the world. brutality. The name Black Lives Matter signals condemnation of the unjust killings of Black people There is a rise of transnational activism. Activism is by police. It also demands that society must value the action of using campaigns or advocacies to the lives and humanity of Black people as much as bring about a political or social change. it values the lives and humanity of white people. Transnational networks of activists play an BLM was founded in 2013 as an online movement increasingly important role in international and (using the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social regional politics, and have contributed to changing media). policies of multilateral organizations and states. In May 2020 George Floyd, an unarmed Black These are particularly visible in such contentious man, was pronounced dead after Derek Chauvin, a areas such as human rights, the environment and white Minneapolis police officer, knelt on Floyd’s women’s rights. neck for more than nine minutes, despite Floyd’s repeated protests that he could not breathe. Wide Transnational activism has deep roots that go back circulation of a bystander’s video of Floyd’s last to nineteenth-century campaigns against slavery minutes triggered massive demonstrations in cities and for women’s voting rights. Now, there have throughout the United States and across the globe. been new movements rooted in these campaigns, such as Black Lives Matter and Me Too Explainer: Me Too Movement movements. #MeToo is a movement of survivors and their Others call for alternatives to neoliberal economic supporters, powered by courage, determined to globalization through anti-corporate campaigns. end sexual violence and harassment. The Me Too Most groups with an international focus are campaign started more than 10 years ago, with the primarily interested in “big change”, such as goal to spread a message for survivors: You’re stopping climate change or ending hunger heard, you’re understood. worldwide. One of the biggest effects of the #MeToo From the perspective of contentious politics, movement has been to show Americans and domestic political and social activists come to see people around the world how widespread sexual their local grievances in terms that connect them to harassment, assault, and other misconduct really globalization. are. As more and more survivors spoke out, they learned they were not alone. And people who had Despite their global approach, these groups need never had cause to think about sexual harassment local issues. Local struggles can illuminate broader before suddenly saw how much it had affected their problems. They can become symbols. And they coworkers, children, parents, and friends. All this show that the group is taking action. International has helped to change how many Americans think groups, therefore, have a strong interest in taking not just about sexual misconduct but also about on local issues and campaigning in support of gender and power. them. The social media revolution has lifted advocacy groups and social movements into an exciting new GCWORLD | THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD | LESSON 5 | GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM © D. DONATO 2022 NEW COMMUNICATION PLATFORMS CONCLUSION States now expend vast resources in Today, we see more states than ever and more communicating their respective points of view and constitutional democracies that profess trying to get global public opinion. commitments to human rights and the rule of law. Across all levels of government, interactive We also see more citizens, civil society ‘egovernment’ sites have spread worldwide. organizations and corporations than ever seeking Citizens can communicate back and forth with to transcend the boundaries of states and place government officials online not only to gain their enterprises, endeavours and daily lives information about government policies and beyond any particular territory or political initiatives but to articulate their concerns. community. There are many key benefits that social media in Globalization shapes states, and in turn, states government can achieve—including social’s role in shape globalization. awareness building and during times of crisis. Quality journalism is a public good. In this new REFERENCES world of state-run broadcasting, the lines between journalism and propaganda are often blurred. 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International Law. https://www.rappler.com/nation/elections/tech- https://www.un.org/en/our-work/uphold- social-media-platforms-policies-abuse- international-law disinformation-polls-philippines-2022/ World Bank. (n.d.). Regional Integration. Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2022, February 22). Black Lives https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/regional- Matter. Retrieved from integration/overview#1 https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Lives- Matter/Subsequent-protests-George-Floyd-Ahmaud- Arbery-and-Breonna-Taylor Esmaquel, P. (2019, July 13). Philippines loses to China 3 years after Hague ruling. Retrieved from Rappler: https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in- depth/235263- philippines-loses-china-3-years- hague-ruling/ Henley, J., Rankin, J., & O'Carroll, L. (2020, January 27). Brexit explained: how it happened and what comes next. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/jan/27/br exit-explained-how-it-happened-and-what-comes- next International Criminal Court. 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