Building Blocks of International System

There is no question that states used to be the building blocks of the international system in the past because they had the sovereignty in the political, security, and social areas. However, with globalization, states are subjected to external influences and it is becoming questionable if states are still the fundamental actors of the international system. Cooperation is becoming a key motivation in the international system nowadays. ()This implies that states may have to sacrifice their policies to maintain universal standards of living or the international peace. Although states are still the ultimate power source, it is important to accept the fact that the idea of sovereignty is changing with globalism.

- However, for more than the majority of the weaker states, they are under the influence of these strong states

- domestic policies are very important to consider in order to see the big picture

In the 16th and 17th century, the idea of a sovereign state focused on establishing legitimacy of a single domestic authority (O’Neil and Rogowski 68). The government was expected to have a total control over its domestic affairs. Therefore, it was expected that no state had the “right to intervene in the internal affairs of another” (O’Neil and Rogowski 69). The original establishment of the idea of state and sovereignty developed over the concept of a government having an overarching political power over its territory.

Security is one of the major missions that every state strives to achieve. Creveld specifically claims that the primary mission of the state is to fight and defend because those that fails are “doomed to disappear.” This is because nothing would matter if it did not exist. The Unite States’ spending in military sho...

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...t is just under the assumption that states should cooperate in order to keep international peace. ()

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