Regionalism in International

Affairs and Globalization

INR 202- International Relations II

 Region: a clear part of some larger geographical area

2- Particular areas of the

1- Territories within a state world => cover a number of
different sovereign states
 Region
• The primary common features of regions are:
physical contiguity
societal homogeneity
• proximity seems to be an imp. prerequisite for
creating and maintaining a sense of unity
• proximity seems to be a necessary but not a
sufficient condition for a region
• cultural, economic, linguistic, or political ties
are vital
A region due to geographical
proximity?
 Region
‘invented’ character of regions
regions are politically and socially
constructed. => all spaces socially
constructed
‘Europe’, ‘Africa’, ‘Asia’, and ‘Latin
America’ are political constructs,
regions are neither natural nor neutral
 Regional integration
• regional integration: is a process in which neighboring
states enter into an agreement in order to upgrade
cooperation through common institutions and rules
• A process by which states go beyond the removal of
obstacles to interaction btw their countries
 create a regional space => may lead to a new level of
governance that is above the nation-states
 Regional integration has been organized either via
supranational institutional structures or through
intergovernmental decision-making, or a combination
of both.
 Why states pursue regional integration?

• The decision to form or enter a regional community is

based on many factors:
1. expected economic benefits: perceived as a way to
increase their bargaining power in a globalized world
2. expected political benefits: Neighbouring states aim
to protect shared values, enhancing their image and
reputation
3. security reasons: regional agreements can be used as
a security tool to ensure security of the state and
stability in the region
4. identity concerns
 Regional Integration
• integration process is directed by the
government of the specific states
• can take different forms, depending on the
objectives of the states that are involved
• integration is a progressive, dynamic process
• achieving more integration requires a
country’s willingness to share or unify into a
larger whole => determines the level of
integration.
 Regional Integration
• In order to achieve regional integration, a
state must give a part of its sovereignty
willingly
• countries are eager to create or join regional
blocs but not willing to give up their
sovereignty.
• The fear of loss of sovereignty => obstacle to
regional integration
EU Integration as an Example
 The process of European integration

• At the beginning, the European institutions were

responsible to regulate specific sectors of the
economy: coal, steel, agriculture
• At the beginning of the 21st century => transport,
energy, environmental policy, consumer and health
affairs, the protection of human rights, economic and
monetary policy, coordination in foreign policy and
military security
• From very limited beginnings (membership & scope) to
an important political institution=> has a significant
impact, both internationally and domestically
 What is the EU?
• regional integration has been
taken furthest in Europe
• The EU is sui generis
• the EU is a very difficult
political organization to
categorize
 Is it a state? Is it an
international organization?
Globalization
 International Politics
• International Politics=> inter-state politics
• The legal basis of modern statehood was
established by the Peace Treaty of Westphalia
• States have to recognize each other’s rights to
rule their own territories without any
intervention
• there is no legal or political authority beyond
the state
 International Politics
• In the state-centric approach;
 there is a clear distiction btw domestic and
international politics => borders matter
 patterns of conflict & cooperation within the
int. system are largely determined by the
distribution of power among states
• the state-centric approach to world politics
has become difficult to sustain. Why?
 The Transformation of the World:
From International to Global Politics
Global politics :
1) it has become more difficult to maintain the division
between the domestic and the international => decreasing
the importance of state borders

2) relations among states have come to be characterized by

growing interdependence
=> also impossible for any state to deal with the current issues
 Global Politics
3. A dramatic increase in global
interactions => more social, political
and economic activities across
political frontiers
 State border are not enough to
prevent that

4. the world is shifting from a world

of separate national states to the
world as a shared social space
 Globalization
• Globalization: the
intensification of worldwide
social (economic, political,
cultural..) relations which link
distant localities in such a
way that local happenings
are shaped by events
occuring many miles away
and vice versa
 Causes of Globalization
 Advances in transportation and tele-
communications infrastructure: major factors
in globalization
 Improved Transport: The development of
refrigerated and container transport and
improved air transport has allowed the easy
mass movement of goods throughout the
world.
 Causes of Globalization
• Free Trade Agreements: MNCs and rich capitalist
states have always promoted global free trade as a way
of increasing their own wealth and influence
• The Growth of MNCs: The rapid growth of big MNCs is
a cause as well as a consequence of globalization
 The investment of MNCs across the world is a major
part of globalization
 Globalization allows MNCs to produce goods and
services and to sell products on a massive scale
throughout the world
 Effects of Globalization
• Changed Food Supply: Food supply is no
longer tied to the seasons
• Division of Labour: MNCs search for the
cheapest locations to manufacture
• Less Job Security: In the global economy jobs
are becoming more temporary and insecure
 Effects of Globalization
• Damage to the Environment: More trade
means more transport which uses more fossil
fuels and causes pollution.
• Cultural Impact: As the world becomes more
unified, diverse cultures are being ignored
MNCs can also create a monoculture as they
remove local competition and force local firms
to close
Ex: Starbucks rather than a local coffee shop
 Types of Globalization
• Economic globalization:
the process through
which national
economies have, to a
greater or lesser extent,
been absorbed into a
single global economy
 No national economy is
an island , they
influence each other
 Types of Globalization
• Cultural globalization: the process
whereby information, commodities &
images that have been produced in
one part of the world enter into a
global flow
• flow of culture is mainly from the
centre to the periphery
• Political globalization: the process
through which policymaking
responsibilities have been passed from
national governments to int. org.
 Critics of globalization
1) Globalization is very
uneven in its effects
 influences people and
societies at different
levels
 critics argue that
globalization applies only
to the developed world
and the extent and the
depth of globalization
should not be
exaggerated.
 Critics of globalization
2) Globalization may be the
latest stage of Western
imperialism
 the forces that are being
globalized are from the
Western world. So what
about non-Western
values?
 non-Western norms &
values do not fit in and
the Western values are
dominant in the
globalization process.
 Critics of globalization
3) There are winners and
losers in the globalization
process
 Globalization allows the
exploitation of less
developed nations in the
name of openness
4) Globalization is not always a
good thing and all
globalized forces are not
necessarily good ones
 globalization makes it easier
for drug cartels and
terrorists to operate