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Major Actors inInternational Relations: States
Introduction to International Relations
International relations◦Relations among nations?
Who is the primary actor of international relations?
Nation vs. State
International relations
a group of people who feel themselves belonging to a certain community
Nation is an “intangible phenomenon”
The elements of the nation cannot be touched◦Sense of connection◦Condition of mind
Nation
1. Regionalism◦ Living and interacting in the same area◦ Induces sense of connection
2. Common language◦ Can make you communicate one another◦ Reinstating national language – important aspect for
nationhood
Elements that create a nation
3. Common ethnicity◦ Can make you trace your rooted connections
4. Common religion◦ Can be a rallying point for nationalism◦ Take the case of Israel, Timor Leste, Moro
secessionists in Mindanao
5. Common history◦ Sharing historical experiences◦ Collective destiny, common past, and the vision of a
common future
6. Nationalism◦ The most important element◦ Feeling of community◦ Perception
According to Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism
◦“Nation is an imagined community. Members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in minds of each lives the image of their communion…”
A legal concept
Conventional definition of a state◦Community of persons◦Occupying a territory◦Having a government◦And sovereignty◦Recognized by other states
State
Difficulty of state-building
In some states, statehood precedes nationhood
Examples?
Thoughts on Nation and States
State-centered international system is relatively new!
States were not the main actors before the Westphalian Treaty in 1648
Europe before the W Treaty consisted of feudal entities… State was not the locus of power
Development of State
At the macro level, authority existed in the form of Roman Catholic Church
At the micro level, authority centered on political units small than the states….
Westphalian Treaty of 1648 recognized the sovereign rights of the state Westphalian International System
Current state system is the result of a convergence of many factors
◦political as well as economic factors
What are those?
That is, wealth (resources) and means to launch wars
◦Enabled the monarchs to wield powers against Church and feudal lords
Capital and Coercion
Capital and Coercion
Money in Economy
Capitalist Class Money
security money
Monarchs Bureaucracy
Tax collection; Army
“The state makes wars, and war makes the state.”
- Charles Tilly
With the money and armies, monarchs gained exclusive control over means to wage wars…
Conquered feudal entities..and challenge Church
To wage wars, monarchs had to collect more taxes and conscript more soldiers… Strengthened state’s control
Non-State ActorsIntroduction to International Relations
1. State actors
2. Non-state actors
◦ International Organizations (LN, UN, WTO, etc.)◦Regional Organizations (EU, ASEAN, SCO, etc.)◦Non-Governmental Organizations (Amnesty Int’l., IOM, Green
Peace, etc.)
Actors in Contemporary System
1. Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)a. Universal Political Organizationsb. Functional or Limited-Purpose Organizations
2. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
3. Multinational or Transnational Companies (MNCs or TNCs)
Contemporary International System
Membership universal and purpose general
E.g. League of Nations and United Nations
Other general-purpose IGOs?◦EU, NATO, OAS, OAU
a. Universal Political Organizations
Membership and scope of purpose limited
E.g. ASEAN, WTO, IMF…
b. Functional Organizations
Membership?
◦E.g. Red Cross
2. NGOs
Increasingly important…
Do non-state actors have any “independent” impact on international relations?
◦Numbers increasing◦ Impact getting bigger
3. MNCs or TNCs
International History(1900-Present)
Introduction to International Relations
European states dominated the global pattern of IR before WWI
◦ 1 in 4 of the world’s population lived in Europe
◦Europe’s great powers had a concentration of military power and dominated world trade
◦Colonialism and Imperialism
◦Global K economy was flourishing
◦Pax Britannica
WWI◦Europe was losing its preeminent status in IR
Interregnum Period◦Collective security and the League of Nations◦Great Depression◦Rise of extreme political ideas
WWII
Cold War
“The End of History” (Francis Fukuyama) vs. “Why We Will Soon Miss the Cold War” (John Mearsheimer)◦Clash of Civilizations (Samuel Huntington)◦ The age of terror
Globalization andState Sovereignty
Introduction to International Relations
Process whereby many social relations become relatively delinked from territorial geography, so that human lives are increasingly played out in the world as single place...
Globalization in the economic realm◦ International trade◦ FDI
What is globalization?
States losing sovereignty due to globalization?
What does globalization mean to the Westphalian international system?
Issues with globalization