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