Globalization of World Politics
An Introduction
Six Theories of International Relations
• The Use of Theories
• To much information to comprehend
• Theory is a simplifying device to understand world
politics
• Realism
– Main Theory (perspective) in International
Relations
– States Sovereignty = Power
– Military Use = Power
– Human Nature = Selfish
– States Maximize National Interests
– Balance of Power
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• Liberalism
– Second Leading Theory/Perspective
– Human Nature = Perfectible
– Strongly Values Democracy
– Question State as the Main Actor
• Values Non-Government Organizations, Transnational
Actors, Multinational Corporations, etc… impact on IR
– Question Military Power as definer of IR
• Values Economic, Environmental, technology, etc…
impact on IR
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• Marxist Theory
– Third Major Theory in IR
– Capitalist Economy is the Main Actor in IR
– All Conflict = Class Conflict
– All Factors in IR are Dominated by CE
• Constructivism
– Modern Theory of IR
– Social Movements define IR
– People set agendas and dictate world events
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• Poststructuralism
– Modern Theory of IR
– Rejects all theories that claim to tell the “truth”
– Power produces knowledge
• Those who control the power dictate how we think.
• Postcolonialism
– Modern Theory of IR
– Focus on race, gender and class struggles in
developing world
• Claims all major theories of IR are Eurocentric, thus
promote western economic and military goals
Globalization
• Globalization
– The process of increasing interconnectedness
between societies
– Political, economic, culture, and social
• Interdependence
– Technology Based
– The world is “Shrinking” and events have a
“ripple” effect
– Your future profession will depend on
globalization, its important you understand the
world to capitalize on the effects of globalization
Myth and Reality of Globalization
• Main Arguments for Globalization
– Economic Transformation = Interdependence
– Communication = Shrinking of the world
– Global Culture = Hollywood
– Homogenous = Diversity Diminishing
– Time and Space = Collapsing
– Global Polity = Rise of Supranational Power
– Cosmopolitan Culture = Thinking Globally
– Global Risk = Solved International
Continued
• Main Arguments against Globalization
– Capitalist in Nature
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Not Unique in History
Transnational Companies are National
No Shift in capital from rich to poor countries
World economy is not global
Three Blocks (US, Euro, Japan) can dictate policy
– Uneven in its effects = small part of worlds population
are actors
– Western Imperialism
– There are Losers (east) and Winners (West)
– Global Trends not always good
– No oversight or regulation
– Promotes western values, and downplays eastern
success
Conceptualizing Globalization
• Hyperglobalist – Globalization is making states
obsolete
• Sceptics – Globalization has no impact on
nations
• Transformationalist – combination of the two
– 1.88 Trillion a day flows through markets
– Requires government control
– Lacks regulation
Continued
• Process of Globalization
– Stretching – beyond traditional borders
• Deterritorialization – McDonalds
– Islam
– Magnitude – greater impact
• Recession
• Swine Flu
– Accelerating Pace – due to technology
• Internet
• Transportation
• Time-Space Compression
– Globalism – meshing of the local and the global
changes consciousness
• Local Markets = Global Markets
• Hollywood and Bollywood
Internationalization and
Regionalization
• Globalization v. Internationalism
– Internationalization
• Intense Interdependence, but countries still remain
discrete national units with clearly established boarders
• Globalization v. Regionalization
– Regionalization
• Intense interdependence among nations that share
boarders or a geographical region
Contemporary Globalization
• Globalization = Multidimensional Process
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Economic
Military
Legal
Ecological
Cultural
Social
– Asymmetrical Globalization
• Uneven in Intensity and Pace
• Difficult to draw general conclusions
• Clear sense of Inclusion (winners) and exclusion
(losers)
Engines of Globalization
• Three Focuses
– Technics – without modern communications
infrastructures, global systems would be
impossible
– Economics – capitalisms need for new markets
and materials requires expansion into new
territories
– Politics (Ideas, Interests, and Power) – critical
actors in promoting and nurturing globalization
Westphalian World View
• Treaty/Constitution of Westphalian
established modern world order
– Made the State the Center of World Politics by
acknowledging the following three aspects
• Territoriality – people are organized into exclusive
territorial communities with fixed boarder
• Sovereignty – within its boarders the sate as an
entitlement to supreme, and exclusive political and
legal authority
• Autonomy – Self-determination constructs as
autonomous spheres within a countries borders
Globalization Challenge to…
• Global Politics changes Westphalia
– The politics of global social relations in which the
pursuit of power, interest, order, and justice
transcends regions and continents
• Territoriality – borders becoming blurred
• Sovereignty – transformed to incorporate global government
and treaties
• Autonomy – interdependence forces countries to engage in
global politics to satisfy domestic needs
– Global Policy Networks – complexes witch bring
together the representatives of governments,
international organizations, NGOs, and the corporate
sector for the formulation and implementation of
global public policy
Continued
– Global Polity – The processes by which interest are
articulated and aggregated, decision are made,
values allocated and policies conducted through
international or transnational political processes
– Global Governance – The evolving system of
international government that incorporates
various states and NGOs, designed to solve
pressing global issues
– Transnational civil society – Citizens and private
interest collaborate across borders to advance
their mutual goals, or to hold governments (local
or global) accountable for their actions
Continued
• Disaggregated State – Various departments of
a state interacting with their foreign
counterpart in dealing with global issues
relating to their department
• Distorted Global Politics – those states and
groups with greater power resources and
access to key sites of global decision making
tend to have the greatest control or influence
over the agenda and outcome of global
politics
Cosmopolitan Democracy
• Double Democratic Deficit – globalization
places limits on domestic democracy, and
global government lacks democratic process
• Cosmopolitan Democracy – world order
requires a reformed and more democratic
system of global governance in order to be
responsive to global citizens needs and wants
– Strong Concern for human rights and social justice
– Requires a radical shift in global governance
• Regional governments that regulate state governments
• Acceptance by state governments of humanitarian,
economic, political, social, etc… reform