Question 5
Transnational actors have increasingly gained power in international politics. They have become strength that cross the traditional boundaries which set up by nation states and gradually shifted the focus in international politics from old school thoughts of state actors to a much more discursive range of concerns about considerable number of potential actors. This kind of transnational actor is including transnational corporations (TNCs), individuals, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), and international governmental organizations. The emergence of transnational actors is not new and played a role for centuries, but came into power recently after Second World War. The reason can be attributed to the diminishing concern of traditional military security conflicts and threats among states, instead of growing new types of threat. Besides, the complexity of domestic interests also makes different actors seeking for their own power in international negotiation.
In brief, the shared trait of all the transnational actors is that interactions among different actors are much free. It is no longer relied on the traditional way between governments which state government becomes the headquarters dealing with all international affairs. Instead, actors from society of one country can directly interact and communicate with both government and society of another country. And sometimes it is not necessarily to go through the procedure of its own government.
Transnational Corporations
Specifically to see, for the TNCs, it is an expansion of domestic company to an international level by having subsidiaries in other countries in the desire of exploring cheap labor force, natural resources, or new market and so on. The ...
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Conclusion
I think all of these transnational actors should have more influence than before. Because they are unlikely to the governments sometimes cannot deal with problem if it is not fit for their interests. And in the globalization era, single government will not have enough resources and power to solve some problems that have external factors. Therefore, it is necessarily to have these transnational actors. However, there is also negative effect such as in the coffee crisis that giant coffee roaster companies in terms of TNCs using their advantage to take arbitrage from developing countries via lower cost of purchasing coffee beans. It results in the poverty of coffee farmers and threatening their basic living standard. Hence, in my opinion, it is undoubtedly that transnational actors also need certain levels of limitation and regulation.
International organizations such as NATO and the UN are essential not only for global peace, but also as a place where middle powers can exert their influence. It is understandable that since the inception of such organizations that many crises have been averted, resolved, or dealt with in some way thro...
Wendt, Alexander. Social theory of international politics. 9. printing. ed. Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006. Print.
Source one is an excerpt from the book called “Transnational Corporations: Knitting the world together”. This book was published in 2004 and the author is Keith Suter, a futurist. He believes that transnational corporations are now the main global economic force as they eroded the national market. He deems that due to transnational companies the world is now involved in one global market. He views transnational companies as a definite source of economic globalization. Transnational companies did not only bring jobs to less developed country but it also stimulated the economy of that country giving them motivation. Transnational companies had given less developed country a better quality of life and well-being. There are some critics about transnational companies but transnational company had given us a way to make our world more globally connected as what Keith Suter would agree upon.
Willetts, P. (2011), ‘Transnational actors and International Organisations in Global Politics’ in Baylis, J., Smith, S. and Owens, P. (eds) The Globalization of World Politics. An Introduction to International Relations. 5th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Dicken believes that most TNCs are capitalist enterprises driven by profit. He argues that they are the primary movers and shapers of the global economy with the power to easily control or coordinate production networks across the world. In chapter four Dicken challenges a view that with time TNCs are going to abandon their country of origin, and take over the smaller weaker firms.
People’s ideas and assumptions about world politics shape and construct the theories that help explain world conflicts and events. These assumptions can be classified into various known theoretical perspectives; the most dominant is political realism. Political realism is the most common theoretical approach when it is in means of foreign policy and international issues. It is known as “realpolitik” and emphasis that the most important actor in global politics is the state, which pursues self-interests, security, and growing power (Ray and Kaarbo 3). Realists generally suggest that interstate cooperation is severely limited by each state’s need to guarantee its own security in a global condition of anarchy. Political realist view international politics as a struggle for power dominated by organized violence, “All history shows that nations active in international politics are continuously preparing for, actively involved in, or recovering from organized violence in the form of war” (Kegley 94). The downside of the political realist perspective is that their emphasis on power and self-interest is their skepticism regarding the relevance of ethical norms to relations among states.
This essay will describe the characteristics of the modern nation-state, explain how the United States fits the criteria of and functions as a modern nation-state, discuss the European Union as a transnational entity, analyze how nation-states and transnational entities engage on foreign policy to achieve their interests, and the consequences of this interaction for international politics.
The international system is an anarchical system which means that, unlike the states, there is no over ruling, governing body that enforces laws and regulations that all states must abide by. The International System in today’s society has become highly influential from a number of significant factors. Some of these factors that will be discussed are Power held by the state, major Wars that have been fought out in recent history and international organisations such as the U.N, NATO and the W.T.O. Each of these factors, have a great influence over the international system and as a result, the states abilities to “freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social, and cultural development”.
THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT: The critical concern Political environment has a very important impact on every business operation no matter what its size, its area of operation. Whether the company is domestic, national, international, large or small political factors of the country it is located in will have an impact on it. And the most crucial & unavoidable realities of international business are that both host and home governments are integral partners. Reflected in its policies and attitudes toward business are a governments idea of how best to promote the national interest, considering its own resources and political philosophy. A government control's and restricts a company's activities by encouraging and offering support or by discouraging and banning or restricting its activities depending on the government. Here steps in international law. International law recognizes the right of nations to grant or withhold permission to do business within its political boundaries and control its citizens when it comes to conducting business. Thus, political environment of countries is a critical concern for the international marketer and he should examine the salient features of political features of global markets they plan to enter. THE SOVEREIGNITY OF NATIONS From the international laws point of view a sovereign state is independent and free from external control; enjoys full legal equality; governs its own territory; selects its own political, social, economic systems; and has the power to enter into agreements with other nations. It is extension of national laws beyond a country's borders that much of the conflict in international business arises. Nations can and do abridge s...
The study of international relations takes a wide range of theoretical approaches. Some emerge from within the discipline itself others have been imported, in whole or in part, from disciplines such as economics or sociology. Indeed, few social scientific theories have not been applied to the study of relations amongst nations. Many theories of international relations are internally and externally contested, and few scholars believe only in one or another. In spite of this diversity, several major schools of thought are discernable, differentiated principally by the variables they emphasize on military power, material interests, or ideological beliefs. International Relations thinking have evolved in stages that are marked by specific debates between groups of scholars. The first major debate is between utopian liberalism and realism, the second debate is on method, between traditional approaches and behavioralism. The third debate is between neorealism/neoliberalism and neo-Marxism, and an emerging fourth debate is between established traditions and post-positivist alternatives (Jackson, 2007).
In the realm of international relations, there are many theories that propose a framework for analysis of the happenings of international relations. One of the predominant theories is the realist theory. The state centric Realist theory, rooted in ancient western philosophy is one of those theories that have been proven effective after centuries of use. The early 20th century however, marked the beginning of a time that would require advocates of realism to reevaluate its approach to international relations. Some events do not fit in the realist framework; as such some have questioned its validity in the current state of affairs. Predominantly, one of the forces at play is that of international non-governmental organizations or NGOs. The coalition to ban landmines, for example, was a joint effort on behalf of many actors and NGOs that eventually led to the policy changes of numerous countries worldwide. Through the use of NGOs women’s rights movements have also been successful at influencing governments in recent years with direct and indirect pressures on government. Consequently, through the effort of NGOs awareness has been brought to problems otherwise overlooked. Increased awareness on issues could lead to a widespread change in party preferences, if the government fails to act. Conformity may be the government’s only choice when faced with these pressures. Though the state centric realist approach to international relations has been widely accepted, this paper will illustrate how the realist framework falls short in explaining some of the dynamics of global politics today. This will be done through the analysis NGOs, the Ottawa Convention, and the Wom...
IOs and states play a critical role in maintaining world peace and security. The United Nations (UN), in particular, is the centerpiece of global governance with respect to the maintenance of world peace. The UN provides general guidelines for all the states on how to solve potential conflicts and maintain international o...
The progression and evolution of international business has played an integral role in the overall development and progress of the world economy, culture, and politics. The multinational corporation was an essential part of this process and has roots as far back as the 15th and 16th centuries in Western Europe, specifically in the nations of England and Holland, during a period known as mercantilism. This was a time of unprecedented global exploration, colonization, and other imperialist ventures. Organizations such as the British East India Trading Company, promoted both global trade and the acquisition of natural resources, primarily for their home countries in areas including Africa, East Asia, and the Americas. Global trade was the primary factor in the growth of the world economy during this time. However the modern MNC, as it is known today, did not appear until the 19th century. These new entities provided a new level of inter-firm connectedness, a wider division of labor, and a higher level of product integration across countries in which MNCs are growing. Studies have shown that modern MNCs are characterized by a high degree of complexity, and have not followed a linear pattern in their development. In addition, it is crucial to understand the geographical context in which these MNCs were founded. This paper will analyze the development of the multinational corporation (MNC) from the 1870s to the modern day and examine it what ways, and to what degree it has changed over time.
The United Nations can give aid to groups or people inside of another country, and thus shows their power in overriding the state as the major actor. Another international body that can claim to be a major actor is the European Union. Many trade agreements are negotiated with the EU and not just the independent countries that make it up. The EU holds an enormous amount of economic power and sets economic regulations for all countries that make it up. Lastly, one can look to military alliances as a major actor. The most first and maybe most important alliance that comes to mind is NATO or North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. This is an alliance that is headed mainly by the United States of America and has great influence in the world. It has great influence in eastern Europe in regards to Russia and its advancements. Lastly, one can look to OPEC, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. This is an interesting example, due to the fact, that they control a resource, oil, which is extremely important to most Western states. OPEC holds sway in international relations, due to the fact that all nations want reasonable oil prices. Many arguments can be made
There is an undeniable fact that there has been a rise in globalization. It has become a hot topic amongst the field of international politics. With the rise of globalization, the sovereignty of the state is now being undermined. It has become an undisputed fact that the world has evolved to a new level of globalization, the transferring goods, information, ideas and services around the globe has changed at an unimaginable rate. With all that is going on, one would question how globalization has changed the system that is typically a collection of sovereign states. Do states still have the main source of power? What gives a state the right to rule a geographically defined region? It is believed by many that due to the introduction of international systems and increasing rate of globalization, the sovereignty of the state has been slowly eroded over time. My paper has two parts: First, it aims to take a close look at how globalization has changed the way the economy worked, specifically how it opened doors for multinational corporations to rise in power. Second, to answer the question, is it possible for it to exist today? And even so, should it?