POL380H1S Special Topics in International Relations
Terrorists, Technocrats, and Transnational Advocacy Networks:
Non-State Actors in the International System
Instructors:
Marion Laurence
(marion.laurence@utoronto.ca)
Hamish van der Ven
(hamish.vanderven@utoronto.ca)
Meeting time: Monday and Wednesday from 10am to 12pm
Meeting place: Sidney Smith Hall, room 1085
Office hours: Wednesday, 1-2pm, SS3118
Introduction:
Is the state still the dominant actor in the international system? If not the state, then who? Since
the Treaty of Westphalia (or arguably sooner), humans systems of rule have been characterized
by territorially-defined, fixed and mutually-exclusive enclaves of legitimate dominion. In other
words: states. However, the modern state system is increasingly confronted by an array of woes
that transcend territorial boundaries, from climate change to terrorism to global recession. This
begs the question: who has the political authority to deal with these problems?
This course addresses this question by surveying the growing ranks of non-state actors who play
a role in global governance. In doing so, it seeks to critically reflect on the continued importance
of the state to global governance and to assess the prospects and perils of shifting political
authority outside the state system. Core questions include: when and how do non-state actors
matter? When and how do states still matter? Which avenues of influence can non-state actors
use to achieve their goals? And how should international relations theory respond to the growing
role of non-state actors in global politics?
Learning Outcomes:
Students will develop a broad knowledge of the various non-state actors that exert influence in
international affairs and be able to assess their importance across a range of issue areas. Students
will be equipped to think critically about the predominant theories of international relations and
the extent to which they are capable of adapting to increasingly deterritorialized problems and
new forms of governance. Students will also gain experience developing a research project
investigating the role of non-state actors in a given issue-area.
Course Materials:
Course readings will be available through Blackboard and on reserve in Robarts library.
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Class Format:
The first hour of class will consist of a lecture focusing on a particular class of non-state actors in
the international system. We will engage with key debates about the role of this actor in global
governance. The second hour of class will analyze these debates in the context of individual
presentations about empirical case studies.
Evaluation:
Participation and discussion: 10%
Paper proposal: 10% (due in class July 16th)
Presentation: 15%
Research paper: 30% (due in class August 6th)
Final exam: 35% (to be scheduled during final examination period)
Participation
Your thoughtful participation in class discussion is critical for the success of this course.
Students will be evaluated on the basis of the quality of feedback they offer to their peers and
their ability to integrate knowledge from course readings and lectures into that feedback. Please
come prepared to discuss readings and lecture material. Students are expected to complete all
required readings and attend all classes.
Individual Presentations
The second hour of every class will be reserved for individual presentations. Students will have a
maximum of 5 minutes to present the topic for their paper proposal. In a concise manner,
students should describe the non-state actor or class of non-state actors that will be the focus of
their research, and identify an event or turning point where either (a) that non-state actor
influenced the outcome in a significant or surprising way, OR (b) where we would have expected
that non-state actor to exert considerable influence, but where a state (or states) ended up being
the decisive actor(s). Students should also make a brief argument about whether the event in
question supports state-centric theories of international relations, or whether it calls state-centric
assumptions into question. Students will then be asked to respond to questions and feedback for a
further 5 minutes. Marks will be awarded based on clarity, conciseness, originality and
presentation style. No Powerpoint slides are allowed!
Paper Proposal
Students must submit a 2-page paper proposal three weeks before the research paper is due. The
proposal should be two pages long, and should include a working bibliography of sources to be
used.
Research Paper
Students will write a 12-page research paper focusing on a specific non-state actor (eg.
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Greenpeace, Anonymous, the Catholic Church) or about a particular type of non-state actor (eg.
private military companies, multinational corporations, transnational human rights
organizations). The paper should address the following questions: under what conditions do
<insert name of non-state actor> matter? What implications do its/their activities have for
political authority within the international community? Style, clarity and grammar count. Papers
must be printed double spaced in 12-point font and submitted in hard copy and through
Turnitin.com.
Final Exam
Students will be responsible for all material covered in lectures, readings, and discussion. The
exam will be scheduled by the Office of the Faculty Registrar and will take place during the final
examination period in August. Students who miss the final exam must petition the Faculty
through their College Registrar’s Office for an opportunity to write a deferred exam.
Administrative Matters:
Contact:
Blackboard will be used to manage and coordinate the course. All students are required to have
an active University of Toronto email for this purpose. Reading materials and important course
announcements concerning dates and requirements will be posted electronically on Blackboard.
The instructors are available to meet with students during office hours (Wednesday afternoons
from 1-2pm) or by appointment. We will endeavor to respond promptly to emails, however
students are encouraged to make an appointment for complex issues.
Writing Resources
The University of Toronto provides a wide range of resources to assist students with writing. All
undergraduate students taking summer courses in the Faculty of Arts and Science are eligible to
use any of the five college writing centres that remain open in the summer. These include: Innis
College, New College, University College, Victoria College and Woodsworth College Writing
Centres. Students can find information about making writing centre appointments during the
summer session at http://writing.utoronto.ca/news. Students can also find advice files on all
aspects of academic writing at: http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice. Information about the
English Language Learning program (ELL) is available at
http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/advising/ell.
Lateness
All assignments must be handed in on time. The penalty for late assignments is 2 percent per
weekday late. Extensions will only be granted for valid and documented medical and/or family
reasons.
Plagiarism:
Cheating and plagiarism are serious academic offences and will be dealt with accordingly.
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Students should familiarize themselves with the university’s plagiarism policy. We encourage all
students to consult the following link: http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/using-sources/hownot-to-plagiarize.
Normally students will be required to submit their course essays to Turnitin.com for a review of
textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so, students will allow their
essays to be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database, where they
will be used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to the
University’s use of the Turnitin.com service are described on the Turnitin.com website.
Accessibility:
The University of Toronto is committed to accessibility. If you require accommodation for a
disability, or have any accessibility concerns about the course, the classroom, or course
materials, please contact Accessibility Services as soon as possible:
disability.services@utoronto.ca or http://studentlife.utoronto.ca/accessibility.
Schedule:
Session 1 – Introduction (July 2nd - Marion)
Session 2 – Beyond State-Centric IR Theory (July 7th - Marion, Hamish)
Required Readings:
 Waltz, Kenneth Neal. 2001. Man, the state and war: a theoretical analysis. New York:
Columbia University Press. (Introduction)
 Krasner, Stephen D. 2009. Power, the state, and sovereignty: essays on international
relations. London; New York: Routledge. (Introduction)
 Josselin, Daphne and William Wallace. 2001. “Non-state Actors in World Politics: a
Framework.” In Non-State Actors in World Politics. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave.
 Ruggie, John G. 2004. “Reconstituting the global public domain—issues, actors, and
practices.” European journal of international relations 10(4): 499-531.
 Walker, R. B. J. 1993. Inside/Outside: International Relations as Political Theory.
Cambridge University Press. (Chapter 6).
Recommended Readings:
 Hall, Rodney Bruce, and Thomas J. Biersteker. 2002. The emergence of private authority
in global governance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Chapter 1)
 Slaughter, Anne-Marie. 2004. "Introduction." In A New World Order. Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 1-35.
 Avant, Deborah, Martha Finnemore, and Susan Sell. 2010. “Who Governs the Globe?” In
Who Governs the Globe? Deborah Avant, Martha Finnemore, and Susan Sell eds.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Session 3 – International and Regional Organizations (July 9th - Marion)
Required Readings:
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Mearsheimer, John J. 1994. "The False Promise of International Institutions."
International Security 19(3): 5-49.
Cronin, Bruce. 2002. “The Two Faces of the United Nations: The Tension Between
Intergovernmentalism and Transnationalism.” Global Governance 8(1): 53-71.
Barnett, Michael N. and Martha Finnemore. 1999. “The Politics, Power, and Pathologies
of International Organizations.” International Organization 53(4): 699–732.
Murithi, Tim. 2012. “The African Union at Ten: an Appraisal.” African Affairs 51(2):
415-425.
Recommended Readings:
 Gutner, Tamar. 2005. “Explaining the Gaps Between Mandate and Performance: Agency
Theory and World Bank Environmental Reform.” Global Environmental Politics 5(2):
10–37.
 Newell, Peter, 2008. “The Political Economy of Global Environmental Governance.”
Review of International Studies 34(3): 507-529.
 Abbott, Kenneth W., and Duncan Snidal. 2010. “International Regulation Without
International Government: Improving IO Performance Through Orchestration.” The
Review of International Organizations 5(3): 315–44.
 Cameron, David. 1995. “Transnational relations and the development of European
economic and monetary union.” In Bringing Transnational Relations Back In: Non-State
Actors, Domestic Structures, and International Institutions, Thomas Risse-Kappen ed.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
 Checkel, Jeffrey T. 2005. "International Institutions and Socialization in Europe:
Introduction and Framework." International Organization 59(4): 801-826.
Session 4 - Multinational Corporations and Transnational Capital (July 14th - Hamish)
Required Readings:
 Strange, Susan. 1992. “Big Business and the State.” Millennium: Journal of International
Studies 20(2): 245-250.
 Dauvergne, Peter and Jane Lister. 2010. “The Power of Big Box Retail in Global
Environmental Governance: Bringing Commodity Chains Back into IR.” Millennium Journal of International Studies 39(1):145-160.
 Fuchs, Doris, and Agni Kalfagianni. 2010. “The Causes and Consequences of Private
Food Governance.” Business and Politics 12(3): 1-36.
Recommended Readings:
 Eden, Lorraine. 1991. “Bringing the Firm Back In: Multinationals in International
Political Economy.” Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 20(2): 197-224.
 Börzel, Tanja A., Jana Hönke, and Christian R. Thauer. 2012. "Does it Really Take the
State?" Business and Politics 14(3): 1-34.
Session 5 – Nations and Secessionist Groups (July 16th - Marion)
Required Readings:
 Østergaard-Nielsen, Eva. 2001. “Diasporas in World Politics.” In Non-State Actors in
World Politics, Josselin and Wallace eds. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave.
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Weiss, Meredith. 2006. “Globalization and Ethnonationalist Movements: Evidence from
Spain and India.” In Globalization and Self-determination: Is the Nation-State Under
Seige? David Cameron, Gustav Ranis, and Annalisa Zinn eds. New York: Routledge.
Gottlieb, Gidon. 1994. “Nations Without States.” Foreign Affairs 73(3): 100-112.
Mankoff, Jeffrey. 2014. “Russia’s Latest Land Grab: How Putin Won Crimea and Lost
Ukraine.” Foreign Affairs 93(3): 60-68.
Recommended Readings:
 Bishai, Linda. 1998. “Sovereignty and Minority Rights: Interrelations and
Implications.” Global Governance 4(2): 157-182.
 Sambanis, Nicholas. 2006. “Globalization, Decentralization and Secession: A Review
of the Literature and Some Conjectures.” In Globalization and Self-determination: Is
the Nation-State Under Seige? David Cameron, Gustav Ranis, and Annalisa Zinn eds.
New York: Routledge.
 Rosencrance, Richard and Arthur Stein eds. 2006. No More States? Globalization,
National Self-determination, and Terrorism. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.
 Barkin, Samuel and Bruce Cronin. 1994. “The State and the Nation: Changing Norms
and the Rules of Sovereignty in International Relations.” International Organization,
48(1): 107-130.
Session 6 – Transnational Social Movements (July 21st - Hamish)
Required Readings:
 Tarrow, Sidney. 2001. “Transnational Politics: Contention and Institutions in
International Politics.” Annual Review of Political Science 4: 1-20.
 Anderson, Lisa. 2011. "Demystifying the Arab Spring." Foreign Affairs. 3 Apr. 2011.
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67693/lisa-anderson/demystifying-the-arabspring.
 Hardt, Michael and Antonio Negri. 2011. "The Fight for 'Real Democracy' at the Heart of
Occupy Wall Street." Foreign Affairs. 11 Oct. 2011.
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/136399/michael-hardt-and-antonio-negri/thefight-for-real-democracy-at-the-heart-of-occupy-wall-street
Recommended Readings:
 Offe, Claus. 1987. “Challenging the Boundaries of Institutional Politics: Social
Movements since the 1960s.” In Changing Boundaries of the Political: Essays on the
Evolving Balance between the State and Society, Public and Private in Europe, C. Maier
ed. Cambridge University Press, 63-105.
 Batliwala, Srilatha. 2002. “Grassroots Movements as Transnational Actors: Implications
for Global Civil Society.” Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit
Organizations 13(4): 393–409.
Session 7 – Global Civil Society, NGOs and Transnational Advocacy Networks (July 23rd Hamish)
Required Readings:
 Lipschutz, Ronnie. 1992. “Reconstructing World Politics: The Emergence of Global
Civil Society.” Millennium – Journal of International Studies 21(3): 389-420.
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Keck, Margaret E, and Kathryn Sikkink. 1998. Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy
Networks in International Politics. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univ. Press. (Ch.1).
Gereffi, Gary, Ronie Garcia-Johnson and Erika Sasser. 2001. “The NGO-Industrial
Complex.” Foreign Policy (July/August): 56-65.
Recommended Readings:
 Haas, Peter M. 1992. “Introduction: Epistemic Communities and International Policy
Coordination.” International Organization 46(1): 1-35.
 Haas, Peter. 2004. “When Does Power Listen to Truth? A Constructivist Approach to the
Policy Process.” Journal of European public policy 11(4): 569–92
 Seckinelgin, Hakan. 2005.“A Global Disease and its Governance: HIV/AIDS in SubSaharan Africa and the Agency of NGOs.” Global Governance 11(3): 351-368.
Session 8 – Violent Non-state Actors (July 28th - Marion)
Required Readings:
 Salehyan, Idean. 2009. “Introduction: the Global Context of Civil War.” In Rebels
Without Borders: Transnational Insurgencies in World Politics. Ithaca: Cornell
University Press.
 Shearer, David. 1998. “Outsourcing War.” Foreign Policy 112(Autumn): 68-81.
 Gardner, Kathryn. 2007. “Fighting Terrorism the FATF Way.” Global Governance 13(3):
325-345.
 Williams, Phil. 2004. “Transnational Organized Crime and the State.” In The Emergence
of Private Authority in Global Governance, Rodney Bruce Hall and Thomas Biersteker
eds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 161-182.
Recommended Readings:
 Boot, Max. 2009. “Pirates, Then and Now: How Piracy was Defeated in the Past and
Can be Again.” Foreign Affairs 88(4): 94-107.
 Galeotti, Mark. 2001. “Underworld and Upperworld: Transnational Organized
Crime.” In Non-State Actors in World Politics. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
 Muthien, Bernedette and Ian Taylor. 2004. “The return of the dogs of war? The
privatization of security in Africa.” In The Emergence of Private Authority in Global
Governance, Rodney Bruce Hall and Thomas Biersteker eds. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
 Clunan, Anne and Harold Trinkunas eds. 2010. Ungoverned Spaces: Alternatives to
State Authority in an Era of Softened Sovereignty. Stanford: Stanford University
Press.
 Sanders, Thomas M. 2004. “Transnational Terror and Organized Crime: Blurring the
Lines.” SAIS Review 24(1): 49-61.
Session 9 – Non-state Responses to Violence and Insecurity (July 30th - Marion)
Required Readings:
 Rubin, Barnett R. and Bruce D. Jones. 2007. “Prevention of Violent Conflict: Tasks and
Challenges for the United Nations.” Global Governance 13(3): 391-408.
 Hehir, Aidan. 2013. “The Permanence of Inconsistency: Libya, the Security Council, and
the Responsibility to Protect.” International Security 38(1): 137-159.
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David Kaye. 2011. “Who’s Afraid of the International Criminal Court?” Foreign Affairs
90(3): 118-129.
Vogel, Christoph. 2013. “DRC: Who are the Raïa Mutomboki?” Think Africa Press, 17
July 2013. http://thinkafricapress.com/drc/drc-who-are-raia-mutomboki-south-kivu
Ernest Harsch. 2008. “Building a State for the Congolese People.” United Nations Africa
Renewal. http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/january-2008/building-statecongolese-people
Recommended Readings:
 Morris, Madeline. 2001. “High Crimes and Misconceptions: the ICC and Non-State
Parties.” Law and Contemporary Problems 64(1): 13-66.
 Roach, Steven. 2008. “Courting the Rule of Law? The International Criminal Court and
Global Terrorism.” Global Governance 14(1): 13-19.
 Arthur, Peter. 2010. “ECOWAS and Regional Peacekeeping Integration in West Africa:
Lessons for the Future.” Africa Today 57(2):2-24.
 Stewart, Patrick. 2006. “Weak states and global threats: Fact or fiction?” The Washington
Quarterly 29(2): 27-53.
 Haufler, Virginia. 2010. “Corporations in Zones of Conflict: Issues, Actors, and
Institutions.” In Who Governs the Globe? Deborah Avant, Martha Finnemore, and Susan
Sell eds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
 Natsios, Andrew S. 1995. “NGOs and the UN System in Humanitarian Emergencies:
Conflict or Cooperation?” Third World Quarterly 16(3): 405-420.
 Abramowitz, Morton and Thomas Pickering. 2008. “Making Intervention Work:
Improving the UN’s Ability to Act.” Foreign Affairs 87(5):100-109.
*** Session 10 – NO CLASS (August 4th – University Closed) ***
Session 11 – Transnational Standard Setters (August 6th - Hamish) ***Research Paper
Due***
Required Readings:
 Buthe, Tim, and Walter Mattli. 2013. The New Global Rulers: The Privatization of
Regulation in the World Economy. Princeton: Princeton University Press (Ch. 1).
 Bartley, Tim. 2007. “Institutional Emergence in an Era of Globalization: The Rise of
Transnational Private Regulation of Labor and Environmental Conditions.” American
Journal of Sociology 113(2): 297-351.
 Clapp, Jennifer. 1998. “The Privatization of Global Environmental Governance: ISO
14000 and the Developing World.” Global Governance 4(3): 295-316.
Recommended Readings:
 Eberlein, Burkard, et al. 2014. "Transnational Business Governance Interactions:
Conceptualization and Framework for Analysis." Regulation & Governance 8(1): 1-22.
 Potoski, Matthew and Aseem Prakash. 2005. "Green Clubs and Voluntary Governance:
ISO 14001 and Firms' Regulatory Compliance." American Journal of Political Science
49(2): 235-248.
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Bernstein, Steven and Benjamin Cashore. 2007. “Can Non-State Global Governance be
Legitimate? An Analytical Framework.” Regulation and Governance 1(4): 347-371.
Session 12 - Towards a Post-Sovereign International System? (August 11th - Marion,
Hamish)
Required Readings:
 Held, David. 1999. “Introduction.” In Global Transformations, David Held, Anthony
McGrew, David Goldblatt, and Jonathan Perraton eds. Stanford: Stanford University
Press, 1-21.
 Evans, Peter. 1997. “The eclipse of the state?” World Politics 50(1): 62-87.
 Ruggie, John G. 1993. “Territoriality and Beyond: Problematizing Modernity in
International Relations.” International Organization 46(1): 139–74.
Recommended Readings:
 Bernstein, Steven. 2011. “Legitimacy in Intergovernmental and Non-state Global
Governance.” Review of International Political Economy 18(1): 17-51.
 Büthe, Tim. 2010. “Global Private Politics: A Research Agenda.” Business and Politics
12(3): 1-24
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