The Global Interstate System

Lesson Outline
0. Introduction
1. Global Governance in the 21st Century
2. Effects of Globalization to Governments
3. Relevance of the State amid Globalization
4. Institutions that Govern International
Relations
5. Globalization, Globalism,
Informationalism
The state is viewed as the institution that creates
warfare and sets economic policies for a country.
It is also a political unit that has authority over
its own affairs creating a border which is duly
recognized by other countries. Whoever is in
charge of those borders has the right to
determine exactly what is going to happen in
their respective countries.
Today, the globalization of politics created an
atmosphere where the ideas of nation-state, state
sovereignty, government control and state
policies are challenged from all sides. With
globalization, some scholars suggest a decrease
in the power of the state and that other actors are
actually becoming powerful. These actors
include multinational corporations and global
civil society organizations.
1. Global Governance in the 21st
Century
The global governance in the 21 st century is
based on the different levels of analysis on the
international relations (refer to succeeding
discussions, lesson 4).
Global Governance
 The sum of laws, norms, policies, and institutions that define,
constitute, and mediate trans-border relations between states,
cultures, citizens, intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations, and the market.
 The way in which global affairs are managed. As there is no
global government, global governance typically involves a range
of actors including states, as well as regional and international
organizations.
 The dynamics of governance do not play out solely within the
boundaries of nation-states. Countries today face an
interconnected, globalized world characterized by a high velocity
and magnitude of flows of capital, trade, ideas, technology, and
people.
 The nation-state concept
State: distinctive political community with its
own set of rules and practices and that is more or
less separate from other communities: four
elements; people, territory, government and
sovereignty.
Nation: refers to people rather than any kind of
formal territorial boundaries or institutions: it is a
collective identity grounded on a notion of shared
history and culture
If we talk about Philippine as a state, we may
refer to Philippine government, the Philippine
territory, and its internal and external
sovereignty. While Philippine as a nation, we
refer to our shared collective notion of
democracy, our history, and our collective
identity. In other words, the state is a political
concept while a nation is a cultural concept.
 The nation-state concept
Hence, the concept of the nation-state is a
territorially bounded sovereign institution that
governs individuals sharing a collective history,
identity and culture. In reality, it is difficult to
think any nation as having any shared national
identity. The Philippines, although formally a
state, has a variety of ethnic traditions.
 Reasons for emergence of the Global
Governance
1. Declining power of the nation-states
2. The vast flows of all sort of things that run into and often
right through the borders of the nation-states (e.g. the flow
of digital information of all sorts through the Internet)
3. Mass migration of people, often illegally, into the various
nation-states
4. Horrendous events with nation-states that the states
themselves either foment and carry out, or are unable to
control (e.g. war)
5. Global problems that single nation-state cannot hope to
tackle on their own (e.g. global financial crises and panic)
The reasons presented in the previous slide
shows the importance of global governance.
That it is needed for such reasons, to govern,
manage and settle dispute or conflicts in between
nation-states.
2. Effects of Globalization to
Governments
1. Traditional Challenges (Sovereignty)
2. Global Economics: Pros and Cons – Osland
(2003)
3. Global Social Movements
4. Challenges from National/Identity
Movements
2.1. Traditional Challenges
(Sovereignty)
• With the rise of globalization, some argue that
governments are far less able to control their
own politics with concern for the outside world.
• It becomes difficult to be economically isolated.
• Government matters less and less in a global
economy. Nation-states are simply other actors
on the global stage rather than its directors.
2.2. Global Economics (Pros)
• Increased economic development benefits
some governments
• Increased jobs and expanded infrastructure
benefits some countries
• Transfer of modern management techniques
into business sectors
• Greater interdependence among trading and
investment partners may deter war
2.2. Global Economics (Cons)
• Power of transnational corporations and enterprises
increased at the expense of government power, sovereignty
and ability to regulate business
• Some transnational corporations and enterprises influence
local government policy and threaten to leave if their
demands are not met
• They pay fewer taxes to governments and incorporate
where the tax rate is lowest, depriving their own country of
revenue
• Governments are pressured to reduce tax rates and decrease
social benefits that may affect stability
2.3. Global Social Movements
This is the movement of people that are
spontaneous or that emerge through enormous
grassroots organization. These movements are
transnational movements which means they
occur across countries and across borders.
Therefore, states have less control over them.
For example, human rights movements create a public
sentiment, value and agenda. The idea is there are certain
rights that states cannot neglect or generally, what we
call human rights. If a country decides that they are
going to have a particular policy and if that policy
violates the international standard of human rights, there
is a challenge to the ability of states to fully implement
it. An example is the United States’ position on the death
penalty. There is an international consensus, with a few
dissenting countries like China, South Africa and Russia,
against death penalty. This means that if somebody is
sentenced by death penalty and somehow he is in a
country around the world, there are rules against the state
extraditing into the US.
In simple manner, we can understand the previous
slide by looking into this example. For instance, an
OFW in Abu Dabhi has a crime, was tried and
subjected for death penalty. The problem is that the
OFW is a Filipino (therefore, PH has a sovereignty
over him) but the law that has governed him is the law
of Abu Dabhi. Simply, which shall prevail the law of
the nationality of the person or the law of the land
where the action (crime) is executed? Hence, a
challenge to globalization.
2.4. Challenges from national/Identity
Movements
Finally in connection to the previous challenge,
this challenge is part of a national identity or
movement. It is important to know that a nation
has cultural identity that people attached to,
while a state is a definite entity due to its specific
boundaries. However, different people with
different identities can live in different states
(e.g. migration, colonialism, imperialism).
3. Relevance of the State amid
Globalization
1. The creation of new infrastructure and other
facilities to attract foreign investment.
2. The ability of governments to prevent or reduce
financial crises also has a great impact on the
growth of capital flow. (Strengthening banking
supervision, requiring more transparency in
international financial transactions, reducing the
risk of moral hazard, and ensuring adequate
supervision and regulation of financial markets.)
3. Relevance of the State amid
Globalization
3. Working with developing country
governments in particular to help establish more
stringent labor and environmental standards to
prevent either one from being exploited.
4. Protecting domestic infant- industries until
they become competitive internationally.
4. Institutions that Govern
International Relations
International Relations is the study of how the
different actors of the international
community interact with one another on a
daily basis. While international relations
traditionally has examined inter-state relations,
the field covers a broad spectrum of political
action among the different entities at different
level of analysis.
Levels of Analysis
1. International or Systemic Level – argues that all
foreign policy can be understood without even looking
at the internal characteristics of nations or individual.
Rather, characteristics of international lead nations to
behave in a particular ways based upon how much
power they hold.
2. State or Unit-level – argues that the international
system level tells only part of the story of international
relations, but looking at the backgrounds can offer a
more complete examination.
Levels of Analysis
3. Individual or Sub-unit Level – emphasizes
the “great man in history” concept. In this view,
the very personalities of leaders shape foreign
policy. Leaders are not simply mechanically
responding to international or state systems, but
taking an active role in determining international
relations.
4. Institutions that Govern International
Relations
A. GENERAL INTER-STATE ORGANIZATIONS
1. United Nations (UN)
2. Organization of Islamic Union (OIC)
3. European Union (EU)
4. Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
B. ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS (refer to previous
discussions)
5. World Bank
6. World Trade Organization
7. International Monetary Fund
4. A1. United Nations
An intergovernmental organization that was
tasked to maintain international peace and
security, develop friendly relations among
nations, achieve international cooperation and be
a center for harmonizing the actions of nations
Roles of the united nations
1. UN General Assembly – main forum for
international discussions, deliberations, declarations
and recommendations.
2. UN Security Council – responsible for the
maintenance of international peace and security. Has
the power to intervene in the most serious Human
Rights abuses by states.
3. Economic And Social Council – multiple
committees which act as a forum to discuss
international issues.
Roles of the united nations
4. Secretariat – provides information, studies,
tasks and facilities needed by the UN. Main
administrative body of the UN.
5. International Court of Justice –principal
judicial organ; has jurisdiction to deal with
international conflicts brought to them by
member states and to advise on issues in
international law.
4. A2. Organization Of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC)
international organization that attempts to be the
collective voice of the Muslim world and to
safeguard the interests and ensure the progress
and well-being of Muslims.

4. A3. European Union

a political and economic union that are located
primarily in Europe
4. A4. Association of South-East Asian Nations
(ASEAN)
an intergovernmental organization comprising
10 countries in southeast Asia, which promotes
intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates
economic, political, security, military,
educational and sociocultural integration among
its members and other countries in Asia.
5.1. Globalization and Globalism
We have discussed globalization as links,
connections and interrelatedness of things,
people and counties. However, when compared
to the term “globalism”, globalization would be
better described as the increase or decrease in
the degree of globalism.
5.1. Globalization and Globalism
Globalism refers to the network of connections
that transcend distances of different countries in
the world. Hence, the links among countries and
people are better associated with globalism while
the speed which they become linked with one
another is globalization.
Before we move further, we can understand globalism
and globalization as regionalism and regionalization,
respectively.
For instance: the renaissance period; “renaissance” itself
is globalism, it’s just the principle of having arts and
literature that will make a big impact or change in
education, the spread of such principle or the introduction
of arts and literature to the world is globalization.
Always remember that “ism” should be understood as
noun and the “ion” as its action (verb form). – AG 2020
5.1. Globalization and Globalism
Understanding and differentiating these terms
can be manifested in the following:
a. Connectedness
b. Dimensions
5.1a. Connectedness
We start with saying globalization means
connectedness while globalism is not. This may
only confuse us in the way we understand that
the “present” is the only time people got
connected disregarding or saying it did not
happen in the “past”. For instance, the conquests
of different empires such as those Romans, many
parts of the world became under one rule.
…connectedness
Today, however, the contemporary world is
characterized by being connected through the
internet, modern transportation and advancement
in communication technologies. Therefore, the
societies in the world have always been
connected; what makes the contemporary world
different from the past is the type and speed of
connection that people and societies experience.
“what makes the contemporary world different from the past
is the type and speed of connection that people and societies
experience”
Please refer to our first formal discussion of our lesson; the above
statement may also be inferred to our discussions on renaissance,
reformation, enlightenment to the global age. These have made the world
connected in their own ways, these were the recognized contemporary
worlds. But it does not mean that one age is surpassed by the other, it just
preceded such. One did not overrule the other, but only enhanced.
Whatever this ages (changes) has introduced, it is still present until today.
Moreover, globalization has already been felt even in the period of
renaissance, reformation and enlightenment. The way these ages go
around the world, link different nations, establishing relationship between
and among countries and spread its theories and/or principles constitutes
connectedness (to which we understand globalization today). – AG 2020
5.1b. Dimensions
Although globalism and globalization are often
understood in terms of the economy, Nye (2002)
gave four distinct dimensions of globalism:
economic (e.g. interdependence, trading),
military (e.g. enormous speed of potential
conflict and threat of nuclear war),
environmental (e.g. global warming) and social
and cultural (e.g. religious ideas and teachings).
 Globalization and Globalism
1. Structures of Globalization: Economic, Market,
Governance
- This is where the idea of globalism is visibly put
into action, practiced, accessed and spread
constituting globalization
2. Dimensions of Globalism: Economic, Military,
Environmental and Social
- These are where the ideas have originated,
formulated and drafted.
5. 2. Informationalism
The advent of modern mass communication,
computers and social networking sites have
established the connections made through the
exchange of information that creates a new
kind of network in this contemporary world.
Hence, the introduction of the concept of
informationalism.
Q: What is the type of connection that exist and begins to
increase in the contemporary world?

The answer lies on the growth of information as

the binding force among people, things, and
places around the globe. Such technological
paradigm, associated with computer science and
modern telecommunication, that replaces
industrialism is called informationalism .
These are technology, the media and the
Internet.
…replaces industrialism
The introduction of informationalism does not mean
we do not need to produce material goods such as
factories, clothes and food; rather, exchanging
information and knowledge, which is clearly
immaterial goods (intangible), becomes central in the
contemporary world. In other words, industrialism is
now overpowered with informationalism, the new
trend in the contemporary world. Both still exists but
one is greater than the other (as being recognized by
the globe).
Technology
The creation of the world’s first container ship in
1956 and the expansion of airfreight greatly
hastened the transport of goods all around the
world (industrialism). On the other hand, as an
example of the technological advancement is the
founding of Federal Express (FedEx) in the
1970s. It makes use of computer technology in
its deliveries (infromationalism).
Moreover, computer technology may also be
used to check our health through the invention of
magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), ultrasound,
and CT or CAT scans. Space-based technologies
were also made possible through the use of
computers. The launching of satellites for
military surveillance, the use of global
positioning systems (GPS), and the operation of
global navigation systems (GNS).
Media
In the new Media Age, the importance lies in the
medium, the way in which the message
(information) is transmitted, not necessarily in
the content presented through the medium. This
means that televisions, radios and newspapers
have been shaping “individual subjectivity and
culture, not only locally but globally”.
Internet
The internet is a mark of the contemporary world.
Having a computer today in our homes, our schools,
our workplaces and accessing the internet through our
personal cellphones, laptop or personal computers
allow us to be connected with the rest of the world.
We gain information by accessing or browsing
different websites such as google, facebook, twitter,
instagram, youtube and other countless websites. In
the same manner, information about ourselves that we
share is also exposed.
While globalization allowed the expansion of
information, access to technologies is not a
universal matter that is available to every person
around the world. The internet and other
technologies are limited by certain barriers
which include lack of electricity, illiteracy, weak
financial system and government regulations.