02 Nation States
02 Nation States
02 Nation States
NATION-STATES
John McCollum
States
Nations
What is a State?
Security
Opportunity
What is a Nation?
Language
Customs
Religion
Ancestry
Origin
History
What is a Nation-State?
People who live in the nation-state are citizens whose rights are
protected by the state
People living in these places werent citizens for which the state was
responsible
War during the period 1450-1650 started to become much more expensive
than in the previous centuries
European
Colonization
Bigger Armies
and Navies
More Taxes to
fund the Military
States became more independent from the king (or, very rarely, the queen)
The root cause of war was fighting between Protestants and Catholics for
political control of disputed territories
Two major ideas were made into law by the Treaty of Westphalia:
Sovereignty
Citizenship
Sovereignty
This was intended to limit conflict between states over borders and control
at the edges of states
States promised to recognize each others authority over their own people
and territory
Sovereignty
States might deny or grant recognition for their own political goals
Example:
Citizenship
The Treaty stated that states claimed responsibility for their citizens
behavior
In the original treaty, this meant that they wouldnt let their citizens start
trouble abroad!
This laid the groundwork for the idea that states should also protect the
rights of their own citizens against other states
International law
Treaties
Powerful states use political and economic pressure to change other states
behavior
Taking a long view of history, the Westphalian system has been a major
success!
Defined borders
Citizen welfare
The number of states has risen and fallen with the growth and decline of
large empires
After WWII, when large areas of Latin America, Africa, and Asia became
independent from European control, more states were created
In todays globalized world, there are many new political and economic
arrangements. Four main areas of emphasis:
Multinational Corporations
Intergovernmental Organizations
MNCs are large businesses, registered in one state, that have operations in
more than one state
Globalization!
MNCs move to select locations where they can make the most profit
Often this is at the expense of poorer countries and their most vulnerable
citizens
MNCs relocate from one state to another to find lower labor and
environmental standards
Intergovernmental Organizations
United Nations?
Intergovernmental Organizations
They often give small states a way to advance their interests they would not
otherwise have
Examples:
E.U.
African Union
Arab League
In what ways are regional power blocs different from nation-states?
Intergovernmental Organizations
Large states often use them to obstruct the political and economic goals of
weaker states
The freer movement of money, ideas, and worldviews means new groups
can try to influence the state outside government channels
Terrorist groups
activities
States may be punished by other states for the actions of
groups over which they have no control
50 years?