What are the major actors of
the global political system?
• 1. States – these are the actors with
organized militaries and members of
military alliances such as NATO. They
control the territory of the world and much
of its resources including human beings.
• 2. International Institutions – Really
another way to say states as these are the
members of the international institutions.
They include: the UN, European Union,
World Bank, IMF, WTO, ILO etc…
• 3. International Non-Governmental
Institutions – Human Rights Watch,
Amnesty International, Greenpeace,
Oxfam, Red Cross/Red Crescent,
Mafia/Drug Cartels, Al Qaida and other
transnational terrorists.
• 4. Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) –
economically focused but can get involved
directly in politics. Especially poor
countries compete for foreign direct
investment (FDI) and capital provided by
these corporations.
• Human Beings/transnational classes –
All six billion of us and/or major individuals
who assert their power for good or ill
(Nelson Mandela, Osama bin Laden).
Emphasis on classes is a Marxist
tendency.