Globalization &Transnationalism:
The Alternative Orientation

• Denotes the increasing integration of economics, communications and culture across national boundaries
• Largely product of changing technology

• First modern ship mid-1800s
• Transportation can carry people and things across national boundaries and volumes and speed once unimaginable
• International Travel now routine

• No way to overstate impact of this on foreign relations
• In only past 100 years or so have development of telegraph, photography, fax, cell phones, internet and on and on.

• By 2002, over 5.9 billion phone calls made internationally.
• Media spread

Democratic internationalism:
• Outcome of technology
• Transnationalism communication has provided citizens from different countries with the ability to interact, exchange views, organize politically, undertake political action.

• Economic Interchange across borders
• See chart p. 97
• Growth of NGOs and IGOs
• Familiarity with products transnationally
• Growth in trade

• Unique languages, practices, etc were originally a result of isolation—now isolation decreasing exponentially
• Fast food, Basketball, Music, E-mail, Pop culture
• Supplement or supplant? Cultural
Amalgamation

• Extension beyond the borders of a single country: applies to a political movement, issue, organization or other phenomena.

• Exists because
1. Globalization
2. Economic interdependence, mass communications, rapid travel, etc.

• More political term that globalization
• Deals with identity as person and political identity (ideology)
• An alternative to nationalism
• Transnationalism more a topic and growing since mid-20 th century

• Three major approaches
1. Postmodernism
2. Constructivism
3. Feminism
**See Table 5.1 on page 103 for comparison

• Reality is created by the ways we think and by our writing, talking about the world.
• Try to understand world & our place in it
• Deconstruct world politics
• Methodological critiques instead of research

• Positioned between liberalism and postmodernism
• Explains the course of international relations in terms of “agents” (individuals, groups and social structure, including states) and
“structure” (treaties, laws, IGOs, NGOs)
• Realities are socially constructed (same as postmodernists here)
• Pursue research

• Another alternative to realism and liberalism
• Theory of, and struggle for, equality of women
• Variances in men and women
• Political identification as women

• NGOs have grown from 69 to over 10,000 in past decade.
• Growing awareness that many issues are transnational (example: human rights, ozone depletion)

• Advances in technology have allowed this growth
• May signify disenfranchisement with organization of world stage as now is

• Most world religions have strong transnationalism element.
• Religion plays strong role in world politics.
• Religion has been a factor in many bloody wars, conflicts, and other forms of political violence.

• Can cause and grow conflict
• Can cause and grow peace
• Positive values can be projected onto
IGOs and NGOs

• Fundamentalism: Religious traditionalism and values incorporated into secular political activities
• Some fundamentalists cite religion and not nation or state as primary political identifier.
• Rise in fundamentalism a trend?

• Strongest in poor countries
• A sense of siege = increased awareness of religious identity and solidarity with those who share religion

• Monotheistic religion founded by
Muhammed
• Islam means submission to God (Allah)
• Muslim means one who submits
• Muslims believe that Muhammed was a prophet who received Allah’s teaching in a vision. These divine instructions constitute the Koran (Qur’an).

• Ummah=idea of a Muslim community that is unified spiritually, culturally and politically
• Mohammed first leader of Ummah.
• Muslims distinguish between Muslimheld lands, dar al-Islam, and non-Muslim lands, dar al-harb.

• One tenet of Islam is the Jihad, struggle, carried on in the name of Allah by mejadein.
• Jihad can mean spreading of Islam and/or defending the faith peacefully— does not necessarily mean armed struggle.
• Islam important b/c 1 billion follow faith throughout the world

1. Constitute 70% of world’s poor
2. 64% of world’s illiterate
3. Less than 40% of world’s professionals
• Though economic, social and political deprivations exist—McWorld providing change.