ne Red Sea, anal ' ization, dent Harry 4 tart dropping he European, 8 variety op erconnecteg LESSON 3 Global Interstate System Some claim that of all modem societies international relations is closest to a social f interactions are predominantly spontaneous an: processes fundamentally determine major relaio claimed that nobody plans what the society willbe tween the organizational structure coercively commands behavior. Relations among members of the world society are said to comprise multiple and overlapping local, regional, and international expectations dependent on the interests, capabilities, and wills of the parties inyolved. : Although there are claims that the international order is sewn together by diverse and cross-cutting balances of social powers, Joie others beg to disagree. Some state that governments seem to 1778): The cenevon be coereively affected by global actors and there are powerful ett. institutions that govern international relations. ower of Europe | orm among ‘SYSTEM? IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Seca? In the contest of the. global interstate system, stem enon ner fundamentally refers to interactions by various politcal ents, owh te so but mostly states. Today, the system is virtually global though it is. lo” sono, admitted that some parts ofthe globe didnot know of other parts, eter cmmere sige cask ee bolonce whichis the During the 18% century, the erm "system" came into common. pecesoy efectos use in the field of international relations. The Genevan philosopher ets Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) stated that the powers of jim ediaom/ Europe form among themselves a kind of system that joins them witi/Fie:Bejna_ together through the same religion, law of nations, customs, letters, "Jo" PS) contemporary field. That is, ms. It is further like as no central atre necessary effect ofall this, the h in international system, commerce, as well as a sort of of a Be, thoughts clarified, among ober t roximity: 143) beyond simple geographic proximity: 39, cod as Ore Henti aking it uP. The Frnch historian Ooo eT pe i eardie ' haracterzed bythe genera talanee of Tal a well 8 With ee solidarities that are cultur seen Snead ternational relationshas been ards their ov er_slobalization ith the ups ns are ft Ie ‘As regards globalization and political sovereignty, with the rise of globalization come increased international human rights norms which have brought serious challenges on traditional meanings of state sovereignty. Since the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, the state model has been the prevailing one in international relations (as ‘explained in @ previous section of this book). With the formation of the League of ‘Nations, and more so later with the establishment of the United Nations in the past ‘century, governments and states have continued to have their respective sovereignty ess in & globgy ‘questioned by human rights activists who demand the state live up to its function a8, actors OM the the defender ofits population With platforms such as the United Nations, international actors can come together and work on international legal treaties forthe reduction of state sovereignty through some agreements, Although states sometimes violate treaties and conventions, but with some enforcement mechanisms today such as the International Criminal Court, the eapacity of governments leaders to guard themselves from international eyes, in terms of media and expectations of international law, is significantly curtailed. International treaties also affect the states’ ability to pass economic policies. AS Stiglitz 2007) stats, considering th comes di nd, 2003), ang) s and capital shts" of globay defensive and and privatigg hey assume Increasingly, a government's ability to control the actions of individuals or companies is also limited by international agreements that impinge on the right of sovereign states to make decisions. A government that wants to ensure that banks lend a certain fraction of their portfolio to underserved areas, otto ensure that accounting frameworks accurately reflect a company’s true status, may find itunable to pass the appropriate laws. Signing on to international trade agreements can prevent governments from regulating the influx and outflow of hot, speculative money, even though capital market liberalization can lead to ‘economic crises (pp. 20-21). . INSTITUTIONS THAT GOVERN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS International relations (also referred to as international affairs) have a broad. purpose in contemporary society, asitseeks to understand the following ("International Relations,” n.d.): 1. the origins of war and the maintenance of peace; 2. the nature and exercise of power within the global system; and 3. the changing character of state and non-state actors who participate in international decision-making. _ Historically, the formation of treaties among nations served as the earliest semenemamenntsons ration, prov een ani dg ss to 1 promotes sec : 1 meee cn al people with opportunities toe”! ye another: ndany particular coun, ith on! ‘cooperate W! beyo! ri ei Tree grbatissues that sOPOY 4, terrorism, and ty {information asa way to fa issues inciode Pande or region. Contemporary global envi eth ‘he practice of international relations 6 HEMI against Hunger, Oxtay I Some examples include sumantarian ogonizations err iment of Stay ‘ Iterations, World Food Programme: Gove tr commerce’: Internation | Department of Homeland Secu. Dep a f corporations Grrl Het Exon Mobi, Tov, Nese, TITY Ft te Ap iuman Rights Watch, Reporters without Borders); Research centers/Think tan thing ta cnr tna! ay Cs Foren Relating Global Public Policy Institute); and intergovernmental organizations (Worl ‘rade Organization, United Nations. NATO) ‘International institutions form an essential part of contemporary internation relations. They govern much interaction at the system level and in effect outlaw ‘some traditional institutions and practices of international relations. World trade organizations, for instance, emerged as a commanding international organization capable of effectually influencing individual, ‘governments to follow international trade rules, policies on subsidies, copyrights, taxes and tariffs. States ean not violate rules ‘without facing economic sanctions or consequences, ges, diplomacy. and polig chars cultural ex eae transnational challenges. These include finay Protectionism, sovereign debt crises, intern; emergencies, flows of refugees, at least three states, having activities together by a formal a ‘agreement. There are 86 f LX (The 142 exceed titel icon sek 1. International. no governmental members are non-profit orga Organization of t and Médecins Sa 2. Intergovernmen organizations sovereign states by intergovernn “international o Nations (UN), (OSCE), Council and Internation intergovernment Rhine, created in In 1899 and: ules to regulate the Hague Conv of war, the righ ‘These different international or and the United N of international interdependenci developed afterProviding and sha, lar count mand the © and poligy f settings, -r, Oxfam of State, rnationat ia outlets >es, Walt Freedom ink tanks elations, 1 Trade national outlaw d trade, ization al trade erules oo aren necutive board meeting of the World Heokh Organlation whose primary role isto arect imerationel heh within the United natin sytem and tod prtnesin lol Weoth esponse 1. International non-governmental organizations (INGOs). These are non: governmental organizations (NGOs) that operate internationally. Their members are associations or individuals. These include international on-profit organizations and worldwide companies such as the World Organization of the Scout Movement, international Committee of the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontiéres. 2, Intergovernmental organizations, also known as international governmental organizations (GOs)"These organizations are chiefly composed of sovereign states (referred to as member states) and have been established by intergovernmental agreements. Most closely associated with the term “International organization,” its remarkable examples include the United Nations (UN), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Council of Europe (COE), International Labour Organization (ILO, and International Police Organization (INTERPOL). The first and oldest intergovernmental organization is the Central Commission for Navigation on the ‘Rhine, created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna. ‘In 1899 and 2907, European and non-European states convened to arrange rules to regulate armaments and the conduct of war. These meetings produced the Hague Conventions, which involved treaties on the peaceful settlement of war, the rights of neutral states, and the treatment of prisoners of war. ‘These different conferences and agreements served as forerunners of the international organizations of the 20" century, such as the League of Nations and the United Nations (UN). Later, the UN became the centrepiece of a network of international organizations as prompted by the political and economic interdependencies and’advanées in transportation and communication that developed after World Warll, a7ee my Denil’ WaT, a cr cra oat anions, 08, te OHM ‘aie rid Health Organiza, sera ni tg i: nization) proving ee : tnd ging foram or baring 8: Oy disputes ( the World Trade OTé cae erave Bear by easing POE erreur realize c¢ 10F ramentscanworkogtet rt Often une Osa Instrument offorign PHY ‘oconaran he behavor othe sa: les of international organ! ait pte teria gende, aig pleat argining eSNG Dla ypean Union) and reso ‘They can help to 4, institutions through ys, objectives. Individual iy, egitimize their actions yy zations include assisting to INTERNATIONALISM VS GLOBALISM Although internationalism and globalism may appear to be alike, there exiy conceptual difference between the two terms. To begin with, internationalism: litical, economic, and cultural cooperation among countries whereas globalism isa ideology anchored on the belie that people, goods, and information ought to be ables ‘ross national borders unrestrained. As we would further see, globalism is much wider term than internationalismisi ‘meaning, scope, and outcome. Internationalism puts stress simply on the cooperatit and solidarity among the states, while acknowledging their sovereign charac: Globalism, on the other hand, puts emphasison the dilution ofthe sovereign express. of the nations and also exhibits the conflicts arising out ofthis dilution. However, tk does not mean that globalism is a negative concept, because surrender of natio! Sovereignty is intended to moderate the obstructions to international exchanges 88 SARE (© White bears costumed acts deme the COP2,the United Nations Co Even the United Nations tha conflicts observes both phenome that dominates the scenarios) At issues (like the expansion of secur the organization intends 1 estab cooperation in the matters of lb Nations Climate Changé Confers their foot down for the sake of a surrendered to some extent, yet Concerning terrorism and lobalism also dominates “in te lobe, while the measures to © threat’ is acknowledged and des para, 6). Among other things, th materials, and information may' flobal phenomena such as terro In the contemporary word several countries go handin han in theory they manifest dif practice they are not exclusive varying degree.© White bears costumed activists demonstrate near th the COP21, the United Nations Climate Change Conference: The conference attempts to bring together industrialized and developing nations in a united fight to stave off the worst effects of global warming. image source: mashable com] Even the United Nations that seeks international. cooperation and fixes various conflicts observes both phenomena (though some claim that itis again the globalism that dominates the scenarios). Although there are varied conflicts over a broad range of issues (like the expansion of Security Council, dominance of the ‘West, and the like), yet, the organization intends to establish consensus among the stake holders and impose cooperation in the matters of global importance. Exemplifying this is the 2015 United Nations Climate Changé Conference in Paris in which various countries agreed to put their foot down for the sake of global welfare. While conflicts exist and sovereignty is surrendered to some extent, yet they get eclipsed by the pursuit of Global interests. Concerning terrorism and fundamentalism in global context, the aspect of globalism also dominates “in terms of the rapid radicalisation of people round the globe, while the measures to counter them entails internationalism wherein ‘this threat’ is acknowledged and dealt via cooperation between nations” (Sharma, 2016, para, 6). Among other things, this aspect proves once again that free flow of people, materials, and information may not necessarily be serviceable as in the case of various global phenomena suchas terrorism, cultural clashes, and spread of nuclear weapons. In the contemporary world, conflicts, cooperation, and interdependence among several countries go hand in hand and so do globalism and internationalism. Although in theory they manifest difference in terms of their conceptual meaning, yet, in practice they are not exclusive of each other and are frequently seen together with varying degree.