Wither The State?

Globalizing Politics

Summary Submitted to
Dr S. M Younus Jafri

By
Asma Afzal
Student ID: 28894
 Wither The State? Globalizing Politics
Societies are now increasingly more interconnected and interdependent than previously.
The interdependency is more evident in management, capital, finance, labor and
commodity exchanges. Globalization process has made it possible for economic and
cultural exchanges at individual or organizational level and states are accepting some
level of limitation to their sovereign decision-making. The states are becoming further
subordinate to the globalization as more and more decisions are made on the basis on
cross sectional societal issues. Governments cannot stop the flow of ideas, economic and
cultural exchanges therefore reducing the effectiveness of nation states.
a) The emergence of transnational corporations has further decrease the power of
states.
b) Many economic and social decisions are made after international talks,
coordination as intergovernmental relations have become more significant and
interconnected.
c) The emergence of International organizations, declarations, treaties and regional
organizations signifies the limitations on the sovereignty of government powers.
d) Global governance system is emerging with its own development policies and
system further curtailing the powers of nation states.
e) There is a need for a supranational state that has dominant coercive and legislative
powers.
The world has been moving towards globalization since the 15th century and five stages
of globalization have been mapped: The Germinal Phase (1400-1750), The Incipient
Phase (1759-1875), The Take off Phase (1875 -1925), The Struggle for Hegemon Phase
(1926 – 1969), The Uncertainty Phase (1969-1992)
Globalization is an idea which has its own logic and which is evolving with time. The
cultural and economic needs of people forces them to look beyond the territorial
boundaries. These cultural and economic exchanges leads to either cooperation or
conflict. The nation-states have emerged through different phases – from feudal to
democratic states. This transition itself points towards globalization, as realists point out
that emergence of nation states itself is a product of globalization process therefore it is
not necessary that nations-states cease to exist because of globalization.
 Internal Crisis
The internal crisis arises when states are not able to fulfill their promise of welfare to its
citizens. The corporate welfare states where security nets are strong faced multiple crises.
a) Political process of the states faced limitations due to increase in demand and
claims for compensation. Also as the adult populations in these countries is
well educated and regularly participate in the political process they could
uphold the state responsible.
b) As claims increased the politicians focused more on getting support for their
elections and bureaucrats and technicians were exercising the power.
c) As more and more people claimed for social security the culture of
dependence on state increased resulting in increasing welfare budget.
d) State interventions destabilized the markets and adversely affected the
economic system. As a result the industries failed with many becoming
unemployed.
e) New interest groups emerged and commitments could not be kept. World was
divided into hostile camps and states creating more danger than security.
The idea that existence of state is at risk due to globalization is dual in the sense that in
some sectors the globalization effect is more prominent than in others. Any breakdown in
state system leads to globalization of politics. The other aspect is that politicians and
statesmen focus on international events as a reason for their own failures internally. This
puts the limelight on global events rather that taking responsibility internally.
External Sovereignty
Principle of sovereignty is the main focus in international relations when discussing
nation-states. The principle rationalizes that all nation-states have absolute power to make
decisions according to their political situations. Any kind of external action is considered
is considered is regarded as an interference in the internal affairs of the state and against
its sovereignty. There are various issues that have now become international and
globalized which results in breaching the above given principle. This means a
nationalization of global issues and the expectation is that states will take action and
make national policies that must address the common problem. All issues that transcend
the boundaries of nation states are considered common problems and need to be dealt
accordingly.
Human Rights have emerged as a growing concern and in recent past under the umbrella
of United Nations, USA has taken decisions of intervention in other states. The Universal
Declaration of Human Rights was presented in 1948 and since than all states have tried to
maintain a certain level of human rights. The absolute states the rights of the population
were vested with the monarch and he decided what to bestow and how. The constitutional
state limited the power of the monarch through a constitution and gave rights to the
citizens.
After the WWII the world saw changes in the relationship between states and other states
and between states and its citizens. There was competition between liberal democracies
and communities regimes. The victorious states after WWII established rules and
principles for upholding the civil rights of the people and as a result agreed to give up
apart of their sovereignty in favor of universal human rights. Human rights also gave
USA a foot in the door for interfering in the internal affairs of other states. Human rights
became the basis to get legitimization from UN for military intervention in other states.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and treaties afterwards proved to be the
constitutional reference point for states and for social movements in pursuance of
individual rights. Any national policy can be challenged internationally if it collides with
the international HR regime.
The Planetary Environment is another reason for states to limit their sovereignty and
take decisions as we all share the same space, ecosystem and environment. The
environmental issues connect the individual and their lifestyle with the physical
environment of the planet. The environmental issues affect the sovereignty of states in
two ways; firstly, environmental affects on domestic territory and population can
originate in other geographical territories where the government has no control.
Secondly, the issue of “global common”, resources that no one country owns but
everyone needs. These can be either dealt by private ownership or an agreement by the
states to streamline the usage of the common resources. In any case the governments
agree to a degree of their sovereignty in favor of environmental protection.
There are certain risks or side effects of globalization that people have come to expect
and accept as necessary evil. These ill effects are universal and are equally distributed.
First, Industrialization is necessary and the current climatic changes are due to
industrialization. Second, we have become used to certain damages to the environment
and we do not even acknowledge e.g. toxins in water or radioactivity in the environment.
Third, the environmental damage will multiply as production and industrialization
increases. Fourth, people do realize the damages due to industrialization but are not able
to deal with rapid globalization of industry. Fifth, any environmental accidents have no
boundary in time and space. Last, there is no sure way of calculating the risks due to
industrialization.
New Global Actors:
As globalization moves ahead there is no linger bipolar or multipolar world. Now the
world is moving towards a singular world where the economic and cultural ties are basis
for international relations and not military hardware. As Soviet Union disintegrated and
USA somewhat loosing its military dominance in Europe due to economic decision,
power centers emerging in Japan and EU and third world state experiencing rapid
economic growth so that some of them emerging as NICs (Newly Industrialized
Countries, are all changes that have changed the dynamic of the International Relations
dramatically. The globalization of state system has contributed in making international
relations more complicated and complex. More states and fewer hegemons bring
uncertainty and insecurity. Political elites have responded by becoming part of
international governance regimes and regional organization. There was rapid growth of
International Governmental organization (UNO, ILO, IMF) in the last quarter of the 20 th
century. Globalization has also resulted in remarkable growth of International Non
Governmental organizations and NGOs. These include many environmental groups
(Greenpeace, WWF), Professional and Academic Associations, Religious Forums, Sports
Organizations and Welfare Organizations. These organizations constitute a set of
complex relationships going beyond state boarders. The non-governmental organizations
emphasize on human rights, environmental issues, international inequality, gender issues
and have a very strong voice that can bring governments to change policies and decisions
therefore forcing states to give up some degree of their sovereignty.
A New Political Structure:
All Societies that have common political culture and values tend to cooperate and work
together. Governments who share same ideological interests are better prepared to pool
their sovereignty (EU) for achieving improved economic, cultural and trade exchanges by
reducing or removing barriers between the states. The degree of common government
system is an indication of globalization. The world state system has become
predominantly liberal democratic resulting in a shift of value system from state
interventionist welfare system and equality of income to more autonomous individuals
with minimalist governments. These shifts have brought about changes in governance
and the focus is on issues representing all inhabitants of the planet (human rights,
environmental).
Conclusion:
Political globalization has advanced in the areas of international relations and political
culture but the state remains highly sovereign. Politics is a highly territorial activity and a
nation-state is the most effective mean of ascertaining sovereignty over a territory. The
state is a key indicator of globalization as it is the final resistance against globalization.
The state will keep surrendering its sovereignty and world may mover towards a more
global system. States will become more homogeneous with focus on natural ethnicities.
There will be globalization with less powerful states but states will remain in one form or
other.