CHAPTER 2: GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM WHAT WAS THE TREATY OF WESTPHALIA?

What is SYSTEM according to BUZAN 1993?  The thirty years war precipitated and ended
with the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in
 The idea of a system requires the existence of
1648.
units, among which interactions take place.
(Buzan, 1993). THE EMERGENCE OF WESTPHALIAN SYSTEM
WHAT ARE THE UNITS OF A SYSTEM? WHAT  This treaty recognizes the principle of
ARE ITS INTERACTIONS? sovereign statehood; hence, the emergence of
Westphalian interstate system.
 In the interstate system, the units are the
 There are theories that offer competing
states, and their interactions include war,
explanations and interpretations on the
diplomacy, and cooperation.
character of the interstate system and the
The contemporary interstate system is founded on nature of interstate relations.
the principles of:
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
1. Sovereignty
 Realism
2. Territoriality
 Liberalism
3. Non-Interference
 Constructivism
WHAT IS THE TREATY WESTPHALIA? WHY  Marxism
DID IT EXIST?
What is the assumption of theories on war and
 The contemporary interstate system can be peace?
traced back to the Peace of Westphalia which
ended the thirty years war in Europe  Theories on interstate conflicts often assume
that states wage wars in pursuit of their national
DESCRIBE THE UNITS AND THE RULERS interests and theories on peace assume that
BEFORE 1648 AT THE MICRO & MACRO LEVEL rules which aim of minimizing conflicts have an
effect in regulating state behavior.
 The contemporary interstate system can be
traced back to the Peace of Westphalia which
ended the thirty years war in Europe. REALISTS
 These political units include territories ruled by
powerful feudal lords who did not necessarily What is the structure of international system
owe allegiance to monarchs. according to realists? What is the primary concern
of state?
 At the macro level, authority resided in the
Holy Roman Empire. This made the state not
the locus of power.
 The current interstate system is a result of
convergence of economic and political
factors: wealth and coercion.
 These factors enabled monarchs to wield
powers enough to challenge the dominance of
the Holy Roman Empire as well as the feudal
Lords.
 With the money and army, monarchs gained States calculate costs and benefits and they act
exclusive control over the means to wage wars. only when the benefits of a particular course of
 They created huge bureaucracy, collected action outweigh its costs.
taxes particularly from mercantilists and traders
in exchange for security and protection. These
strengthened monarchs’ economic and political
control.
REALISM CONSTRUCTIVISM

 Realists emphasize the role of power. Power  As a social theory, constructivism is

may be in the form of military capabilities,
 strong economy,
 internal stability
 foreign alliances
A bipolar system is more stable than multipolar
system because power calculations are easier
(Mearsheimer, 1990).
The case of conflict-ridden multipolar system during
World War 1 and World War II illustrates this point.
concerned with the relationship between units
and structures
 Constructivism emphasizes the role of ideas.
The world is shaped not just by material factors
but also by ideational forces, that once
generated, shared and internalized, provide
meanings of the material reality.
THEORIES OF INTERSTATE RELATIONS

LIBERALISM

 What unifies liberalist theories is their optimism

for long-term peace. One striking feature of
the contemporary world is the absence of wars
ever since World War II.
 Liberalists emphasize the pacifying role of
international organizations, economic
interdependence and democracy
 Liberalists insist that the security dilemma
created by anarchy can be managed. The
world may lack a central authority, but there are
international regimes in its place

 These regimes are governing arrangements

composed of principles , norms , rules and
decision making procedures.
 They induce international cooperation by
 increasing transparency among actors,
 reducing transaction costs and
STATE , SOVEREIGNTY AND TERRITORY
 providing norms of reciprocity and
enforcement mechanisms.

ACCOUNTABILITY
 Liberalists contend that a democratic system
has inherent mechanisms that keep leaders
accountable in their decisions.
 These mechanisms include the system of
checks and balances where each governmental
branch is held in check by other branches.
 The conduct of periodic elections likewise keep
leaders from pursuing hostile policies.
STATE
 On the construct of state, states during the
17th century were largely absolutist in form.
 Sovereign monarchs possessed and exercised
exclusive powers in making laws, their
execution and adjudication.
 The extraordinary power of these monarchic
states made global empires possible. Empire
states dominated the pattern of interstate
relations before World War I.
 The war produced the collapse of four powerful
European Empires: Russian, German, Austro-
Hungarian and the Ottoman Empire. Europe
lost its preeminent status after the war.
 Those empire states did not represent the NON STATE ACTORS INCLUDE:
nation or the people. The absolutist, empire-
 International Organizations (IO)
states were replaced by liberal, nation-states in
 Multinational corporations ( MNCs)
the 19th and 20th century.
 Citizenship rights such as legal and political IGOS
developed in response to the growing pattern of
states.  The United Nations (UN) and its predecessor,
 There was a rise in welfare-state to fight the League of Nations (LN) are examples of
frequent economic recessions and universal membership and multipurpose
unemployment. The pattern of regionalism took organizations.
place after World War II.
SOVEREIGNTY

 On the construct of sovereignty, sovereignty

before and after French Revolution is different.
Before the revolution, monarchs claimed
absolute authority.
 But the revolution introduced nationalism and
popular sovereignty which espouses that view
that sovereignty resides in the people and
government authority emanates from them.
 It was the legacy of Napoleon to modern
Europe. This was the reason they established
the Concert of Europe.
 Their goal was primarily to prevent any figure
like Napoleon who would incite popular
uprisings and cause Europe instability.
 Sovereignty was tied to effective control over
territorial space. States exercised sovereignty
over their respective territorial jurisdictions.
 On the construct of territory, territories of states
were strictly delineated.
 Unlike the Concert of Europe whose
membership was limited, the great powers of
Europe, both organizations open their
membership even to small states.
 The League was primarily for promoting
collective security, but the United Nations
includes economic, social and cultural
cooperation in its goals, aside from promotion
of international peace and security.
 Today, the United Nations is a complex system
with 5 principal organs and several specialized
agencies and programs.

What were the focus of states in terms of

territory during the first half and second half of
20th century?

 Toward the first half of the 20th century, states

were obsessed with control, possession and
expansion of their territories.
 Territorial control was important, but states also
sought symbolic territorial protection through
missile defense systems.
 The European Union (EU) and the Association
 States in the late 20th and early 21st century
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are also
must grapple with growing patterns of economic
intergovernmental organization but only with
interdependence.
regional membership.
NON STATE ACTORS  Finally, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) is another example of
 The actors of the contemporary world may be intergovernmental organization but its
categorized into state and non-state actors. membership is limited only among Western
 security partners and its purpose is primarily for
security among its members
 What makes non-state actors increasingly
important is the role they perform,
intergovernmental organizations for instance,
help govern a wide range of issue areas from
nuclear proliferation to climate change.
 IN SOME CASES, THEY HELP SET UP
GOVERNMENTS IN STATES AFFECTED BY
WARS AND CONFLICTS.
 The United Nations General Assembly for
instance, during the Korean War issued a
resolution to protect peace and security of the
region. States sent peacekeeping troops in
response to protect South Korea.
 The United Nations has repeatedly issued
multilateral sanctions against North Korea for
continuing its nuclear weapons programs

NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

 Aside from intergovernmental organizations,

there are also non-governmental organizations
(NGOs).
 These organizations have established their
presence in different states, and are very
active in their campaigns. Some of the most
prominent NGOs include Human Rights Watch
and Transparency International.

MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS

 Finally, non-state actors include multinational

corporations which are firms that operate in
many countries. To liberalists, multinational
companies have growing impact in the
international system because they help
transform the global economy.
 They promote interdependence by expanding
trade and foreign direct investment. The net
worth of some multinational firms is bigger than
the economy of some states.
 More people rely on these firms for jobs. In
some authoritarian states, firms are thought to
have influenced government decisions to
liberalize and democratize because of the
economic leverage multinational companies
have.
Leverage is the ability to influence situations
or people so that you can control what
happens.