Re-Thinking Sovereignty
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Realism,
Liberalism and Constructivism give primacy to states
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International
politics as politics among states
Acronym Soup: NGOs, TNCs, IGOs
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IOs: international organizations, also referred to as IGOs,
for international governmental organizations
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NGOs:
non-governmental organizations (usually excludes firms)
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TNCs: trans-national corporations, or firms that have components distributed
across countries. Formerly, called multinational corporations (MNCs).
Puzzle of Paradoxical Trends
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increased
role for ‘sub-state’ and ‘supra-state’ actors
Supra-state
cooperation
Actors ‘above the level of the state’
§
European
Union pursues integrates 25 states economically and, to a lesser extent,
politically
§
International
Criminal Court (2002) created to deter and punish war crimes and crimes against
humanity
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World
Trade Organization as site for debate over states’ trade policies
Sub-state activism
Actors ‘below the level of the state’
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Antipersonnel
Mine Ban Convention (1999) generated by International Campaign to Ban Landmines
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activist
campaigns against effects of trade liberalization
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WTO,
WB, and IMF meetings as forums to challenge international economic policies
Solving the Puzzle
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Emergence
of trans-national mode of politics
v. inter-state mode of politics
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Global
or transnational civil society as set of actors distinct from the state and
international organizations.
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Emerging
institutions of global civil society: European Parliament, trans-national advocacy
groups (TNAGs)
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TNAGs can have effects on practices of firms and citizens independent of
state action
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Creation
of ‘dolphin-safe tuna’ labeling (Wapner)
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State
regulation and international (inter-state) cooperation followed after firms
altered practices in response to civic and consumer activism
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‘Cosmopolitan
model of democracy’ (Held)
§
need
to democratize international politics by creating more ‘local’ and democratic
forms of global governance
Is Sovereignty Intact?
Sovereignty as an institution has always been under
challenge
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prior
to late 20th century, main challengers to sovereignty were:
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lack
of state ‘capacity’: bureaucratic organizations lacking or incapable of
controlling activity
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other sovereign states: war or economic
coercion
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aspirant
to sovereignty (nationalist independence movements): revolutions, de-colonization
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mercenaries,
pirates, filibusters and privateers eliminated or reduced by late 19th
century (Thomson)
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emergence
of increased economic and political interdependence by 1970s
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liberal
‘complex interdependence’ as theoretical alternative to realism (Nye & Keohane)
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states
are not primary actors; transnational actors matter
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declining
utility of the use of force
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host
of non-security issues dominate global agenda
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New
challenges are trans-national actors that are beyond effective, regular control
of states and affect state conduct and relations
§
TNCs that are more organizationally capable and financially powerful than
many states
Increased
International Cooperation
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formal
IOs take on increasing role in managing inter-state
relations
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sovereign
powers ceded to them, in principle (trade rules, economic management)
Theoretical Responses
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Realist
response: powerful states can break these relations at will
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Liberal
response: IOs are tools of state’s interest; states
join voluntary
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Intergovernmentalism v. supra-nationalism
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Constructivists:
sovereignty as an institution is undergoing a re-definition as practices change
§
Identity
of ‘sovereign state’ is changing