Lesson 4:

The Global Interstate System

 Know
 Nation-State
 Globalism vs. Internationalism
 Effects of Globalization on Government

 Do
 Debate on whether or not the nation-state is still relevant in
the age of globalization
 Distinguish among globalization, globalism and
internationalism through a Venn diagram
 Evaluate how nation-states interact within other
international organizations

 Feel
 Appreciate the complexity of the Global Interstate System
 Reflect critically on the effects of globalization on nation-
states
 LESSON 4: THE GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM 1

Lesson 4: The Global Interstate System

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
 Explain the effects of globalization on government
Identify the institutions that govern international relations
Differentiate internationalism from globalism

Assigned Reading Materials

This is an asynchronous task. It is expected that the
students have read the following materials before proceeding with
the rest of the module.
 Chapter 7 of textbook: “Governments and Citizens in a Globally
Interconnected World of States” by Hans Schattle
 Mazower, Mark. 2006. “An International Civilization? Empire,
Internationalism and the Crisis of the Mid Twentieth Century.”
International Affairs 82(3): 553–566.
 Claudio, Lisandro E, Abanales, Patricio N. (2018). The
Contemporary World. C & E Publishing. pp.26-38

Introduction
Last lesson introduced as to the global corporations as main actors
in the global economy and as agents of economic globalization. In this
lesson, you will learn more about the second aspect of globalization:
globalization as a political process. Globalization as a political process
looks into the nation-state and its interactions with other political actors
 LESSON 4: THE GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM 2

in the international community such as other nation-states, international

organizations and non-governmental organizations.

Attributes of the Contemporary Global Interstate System

According to Lisandro and Abanales (2018), today’s global interstate
system has the following key characteristics: (1) “there are countries or
states that are independent and govern themselves”; (2) “these countries
interact with each other through diplomacy”; (3) “there are international
organizations like the United Nations (UN), that facilitate these
interactions; (4) “beyond simply facilitating meetings between states,
international organization also take on lives of their own”1.

Before discussing the development of the global interstate system,

you must first understand the concept of a nation-state. A nation-state is
a country which is both a nation and a state. According to Max Weber
(1997, p. 154) as cited by Schattle (2014) a state is “a compulsory political
organization with continuous operations will be called a ’“state” if and in
so far as its administrative staff successfully upholds a claim to the
monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force in the enforcement of its
order”2. Meanwhile, Hedley Bull (1995, p. 8) defines a state as an
“independent political communities each of which possesses a
government and asserts sovereignty in relation to a particular portion of
the earth’s surface and a particular segment of the human population”3.
From this you can derive the four elements of the state namely: (1)
territory, (2) population or people; (3) government and (4) sovereignty.

1
Claudio, Lisandro E, Abanales, Patricio N. (2018). The Contemporary World. C & E Publishing. P 27
2
Schattle, Hans. (2014). “Governments and Citizens in a Globally Interconnected World of States”. In Steger, Manfred B., Paul Battersby, and
Joseph M. Siracusa, eds. (2014).The SAGE Handbook of Globalization. Two volumes. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
3
As cited by Schattle, Hans. (2014). “Governments and Citizens in a Globally Interconnected World of States”. In Steger, Manfred B., Paul
Battersby, and Joseph M. Siracusa, eds. (2014).The SAGE Handbook of Globalization. Two volumes. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publication
 LESSON 4: THE GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM 3

Without any of the aforesaid elements, an entity shall not be considered

as a state.

While a state is a political or a legal concept, a nation is an ethnic

concept. “The concept of ‘nation’ historically emphasized organic ties that
hold groups of people together and inspire senses of loyalty and
belonging”4. Members of a nation have a strong sense of belongingness
and cohesion. Benedict Anderson (1991) refer to the nation “an imagined
community”5. It is a group of people with a common history, religion,
language beliefs, tradition and culture.

“As globalization became one of the most intensely debated

concepts in the final years of the twentieth century, some analysts
speculated the state was being displaced as the primary vehicle through
which political communities would organize themselves in the century to
come. Cultural anthropologist Arjun Appadurai (1996: 19) argued that
‘the nation-state, as a complex modern political form, is on its last legs’,
while management consultant Kenichi Ohmae (1995) claimed that
economic interdependence and global communication had rendered the
nation-state a ‘nostalgic fiction’”6. “But then “governments now jockey
for competitive advantage alongside international political and economic
institutions, transnational civil society organizations and multinational
corporations. States now hold themselves accountable to a host of
international norms and standards, often with the express purpose of
gaining legitimacy at home and respectability abroad”7.

4
Ibid, p. 3.
5
As cited by Ibid. p. 3
6
Ibid, p. 2
7
Ibid., p. 2
 LESSON 4: THE GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM 4

Figure 1. Key Events in the Origin of the Global Interstate System8

Internationalism vs. Globalism

Internationalism is the desire for greater cooperation and unity

among states and peoples in the international system9. It is divided into
two categories namely, liberal internationalism and socialist
8
Figure derived from Claudio, Lisandro E, Abanales, Patricio N. (2018). The Contemporary World. C & E Publishing. pp.29-30
9
Ibid.
 LESSON 4: THE GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM 5

internationalism. Under liberal internationalism, you will encounter

philosophers and thinkers like Immanuel Kant, Jeremy Bentham,
Giuseppe Mazzini and Woodrow Wilson. For socialist internationalism,
there are Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and Vladimir Lenin.

Globalism on the other hand, refers to “the network of connections

that transcends distances of different countries in the world”10.
“Compared to the term globalism, globalization would be better described
as the “increase or decline in the degree of globalism” (Nye, 2002, p.1 as
cited by Aldama, 2018, p. 68)11. “In other words, the links among
countries and people are better associated with globalism while the speed
in which they become linked with one another is globalization 12”.

Effects of Globalization to Governments

Aldama (2018) enumerated several challenges to the government of nation-

states as effects of globalization, namely, (1) traditional challenges, (2) challenges
from national/identity movements (3) global economics and (4) global social
movements13. These challenges point to the development of threats to the state
sovereignty. External intervention from other nation-states, internal political
challenges and interventions from regional organizations can all undermine state
sovereignty (traditional challenges). Differences in cultural identity and the
movements adhering to such varied cultural identity can also influence the affairs of
the nation-state (challenges from national/identity movements). Furthermore, global
economics “demands the states to conform to the rules of free-market capitalism.”14
Moreover, or social movements which pertains to “movements of people that are
spontaneous or that emerge through enormous grassroots organizations”15, due to
their transnational operation, the states have little to none control over them.
10
Aldama, Prince Kennex. (2018). The contemporary world. Manila: REX Book Store, p. 68.
11
Ibid.
12
Ibid, p. 68.
13
Aldama, Prince Kennex. (2018). The contemporary world. Manila: REX Book Store.
14
Aldama, Prince Kennex. (2018). The contemporary world. Manila: REX Book Store, p. 60
15
Ibid, p. 61
 LESSON 4: THE GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM 6

Activity No. 1 16

This is a synchronous task. “The issue of whether or not the nation-

state is still relevant today in the era of globalization has gained different
reactions. Some scholars would argue that its role in global politics is
diminishing. On the other hand, others would say that it still remains to
be the primary actor in political affairs. In this activity, you should be able
to point out contending views about such issue through a debate.

1. Divide the class into two groups—affirmative side and negative side.

2. The central issue would be: The state remains to be relevant amid the
processes and structures of globalization.

3. Each side would be given 20 minutes to prepare their arguments.

4. The affirmative side will present their main arguments within 10

minutes. The same rule applies for the negative side.

5. After the presentation of arguments, each side will be given 2 minutes

to ask the opposing side.

6. The opposing side will have 2 minutes to construct an answer. Then

they should be able to answer within 3 minutes.

7. Finally, both sides will have 3 minutes each to present their final
statement about the issue.”17

16
The activity is directly lifted from Aldama, Prince Kennex. (2018). The contemporary world. Manila: REX Book Store, p. 64
17
The activity is directly lifted from Aldama, Prince Kennex. (2018). The contemporary world. Manila: REX Book Store, p. 64
 LESSON 4: THE GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM 7

Activity No. 2
This is an asynchronous task. Compare and contrast the following
concepts by accomplishing the following Venn diagram. Make sure to
include the similarities and differences among the concepts.
 LESSON 4: THE GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM 8

Activity No. 3
This is an asynchronous task. In this assignment, you will be
familiarized with the other international organizations that facilitate
globalization as a political process.

1. Choose any of the following international organizations:

 The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
 The International Red Cross and Red Crescent
 The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
 The United Nations (UN)

2. Research about the key information of your chosen international

organization. Complete the chart below.

Name

Origin and
History
 LESSON 4: THE GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM 9

Purpose

Member-
states

Current
Events and
Issues

3. How do you think nation-states interact through your chosen

international organization? Explain your answer.