LESSON 4
Interstate System
Desired Learning Outcomes: Differentiate state and nation.
Explain the global interstate system.
Outline the functions of institutions that governs
international relations.
Topic: Interstate System
Time Frame: 6 hours (2 weeks)
I. Introduction:
The state is viewed as “the institution that creates warfare and sets economic
policies for a country.” It is a political unit that has the authority over its own affairs. Its
borders are recognized by other countries and that whoever is in charge of those
borders have the right to determine exactly what is going to happen in their country. The
Treaty of Wesphalia of 1648 established notion of the nation-state and the idea of state
sovereignty. Today, globalization of politics created an atmosphere where the ideas of
the nation-state, state sovereignty, government control, and state policies are
challenged from all sides.
In this topic, we will look at regional alliances and worldwide organizations of
states. This manifests the efforts of countries and governments in the world to
cooperate and collaborate together. Next, international and regional economic bond
bodies, such as IMF and the World Bank, must also be considered as they often push
for neoliberal reforms in the world. The third kind of replacement to the traditional
nation-state and the idea of national autonomy come from the non-state actors. One of
these is the private capital groups, including banks and groups of people, with money
that can determine the well-being of people in a particular area. Multinational
corporations and non-governmental organizations, such as the Amnesty International,
are significant organizations that put onto question the strength of national autonomy
and global politics. The emergence of non-state organizations, like Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and
terrorist organizations, which seek power try to depose a government and replace the
system with their own ideological belief.
II. Inside Content:
Challenges from National/Identity Movement
A nation has cultural identity that people attached to, while a state is a definite
entity due to its specific boundaries. However, different people with different identities
can live in different states. For example, the Kurds reside in several different countries
including Iraq, Iran and Turkey. The Catalans live primarily in Spain but we can also find
some of them in France. Scottish nationalism is another example that challenges the
traditional notions of state sovereignty. In 2014, Great Britain had a vote in Scotland to
decide whether Scotland was going to become its own autonomous state apart from
Great Britain. They voted against it but Scotland has a significant degree of autonomy
now as compared to more than two decades years ago.
Global movements, such as the Al-Qaeda and ISIS, are another example of
national or identity movements. In this case, they are structured around the
fundamentalist version of Islam.
The Relevance of the State amid Globalization
The state is a distinctive political community with its own set of rules and
practices and that is more or less separate from other communities. It has four
elements: people, territory, government and sovereignty. The first element of a state is a
permanent population. This population does not refer to a nomadic people that move
from one place to another in an indefinite time. This permanent presence in one location
is strengthened by the second element of a state, territory, which has clear boundaries.
A territory is effectively controlled by the third element, government, which regulates
relations among its own people and with other states. This means that the state is
formally constituted sovereign political structure encompassing people, territory, and its
institutions and maintaining its autonomy from other states.
It is important to differentiate the idea of nation from state. Nation refers to a
people rather than any kind of formal territorial boundaries or institutions. It is a
collective identity grounded on a notion of shared history and culture. Speaking of the
Philippines as a state, it refers to the Philippine government, its territory, and its internal
and external sovereignty. Philippines, as nation, refer to the shared collective notion of
democracy, history and collective identity. In other words, the state is a political concept,
while nation is a cultural concept. States, through its formalized institutions, more or less
reflect nations. This would allow states to have certain people with their own collective
identity. In turn, they should be allowed to form their own political state. This is the
principle of self-determination.
This brings us to the concept of the nation-state. It is territorially bounded
sovereign institution that governs individuals sharing a collective history, identity, and
culture. In reality, it is difficult to think of any nation as having any shared national
identity. The Philippines, although, formally a state, have a variety of ethnic traditions.
Buchanan (2012) asserted that globalization strengthened interstate relationships
and dependence on one another. For instance, Britain, along with other many countries,
relies in the US as a guiding force to lean on. For Navartham (2014), globalization
affected nation-states sovereignty in three ways:
First, the rise of international trade and capital markets has interfered with the
ability of nation-states to control their domestic economies.
Second, nation-states have been responded by delegating authority to
international organizations.
Third, a “new” international law, generated by these organizations, has placed
limitations on the independent conduct of domestic policies.
Khan (2015), on the other hand, stated that globalization has both positive and
negative effects on the states. It contributes positively on the overall development of
already developed economies but on the other hand paves the way to exploit the
underdeveloped by thee developed ones. Bloom (2022) cited that in an era of
globalization, nation-states find it difficult to protect their borders from external threats
posed by non-state actors such as international terrorists. They also find themselves
powerless against the dynamics of a global financial system.
Institutions that Govern International Relations
Several institutions that countries around the world participate are UN, the
International Court of Justice, NAFTA and NATO. There are also non-governmental
organizations promoting social and economic growth. Let us look at them one by one.
Peace Treaties and Military Alliances: The UN and NATO
Global politics entails relationship of countries and different governments and
non-governments organizations. The United Nations (UN) is one of the leading political
organizations in the world where nation-states meet and deliberate. However, it remains
as independent actor in global politics. The premise for its establishment was the
restructuring of the world devastated after the Second World War. The term “United
Nations” was coined by former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942 (United
Nations, 2011). Its operations began on October 24, 1945. It started with 50
representatives from different countries. Generally, it functions in four areas: military
issues, economic issues, environmental issues, and human protection. It is made up of
close to 200 countries from around the world, 193 member states to be exact, with the
Republic of South Sudan as its latest member. The UN, with its headquarters in New
York City, was designed to be a place where countries could come to discuss their
issues without resorting to violence and war which had plagued our planet for several
years in the past. Maintaining peace and building friendships is the number one goal of
the UN, as well as providing a forum where countries could gather to discuss global
issues. The General Assembly is the gathering of all of these countries. It is held in an
auditorium where speeches are given. Representatives from different member states
can vote on issues.
Maintaining international peace and security became the central mission of the
UN after the war. Up to this day, the UN is the major force in governing interstate
relations (Ritzer, 2015). The UN also has what is known as the Security Council. This
group of countries decides what to do when two or more countries are waging war or
are on the verge of fighting. There are five members of the UN Security Council – the
United States, Britain, Russia, China and France. In addition, to the five members, 10
additional countries join the permanent members for two-year terms, making a total of
15 countries. The Security Council tries to be the arbiter in ceasefires between two
sides. They can pass sanctions like block trade with another country as a punishment.
They can also send troops or observers and, if worst comes to worst, they can use
military force. The “big five” permanent members have a veto power, which means that
one member can stop the entire council from taking action against a country
The main deliberative body, the General Assembly, provides a forum for member
states to express their views and reach a consensus. The UN is not all about fights. It
has a program called UNICEF or the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund. Its
primary goal is to help children around the world. They collect funds to distribute
emergency relief from famine, poverty and disease. It also provides education programs
in areas where there are no schools. While UNICEF is part of the United Nations, they
operate semi-independently and rely on fundraising.
In terms of economic issues, the main focus of the UN is the reduction of global
inequality. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cover a range of concerns for
the improvement of all aspects of life. According to the UN (2017), sustainable
development encompasses economic prosperity, social well-being, and environmental
protection. Since the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) did not end poverty for all
people, the UN’s post-2015 sustainable development agenda showcases the vision of
the organization when it comes to broader issues such as climate change, disaster risk
reduction, and gender equality.
Environmental issues, such as pollution and hazardous waste, are addressed
through United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The increasing rate of
greenhouse gas emissions, rising sea level, and occurrence of extreme weather
patterns are the effects of climate change. As a response, the UN’s Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) took efforts that can mitigate climate change like
assessment of climate science, facilitation of climate agreements, and giving assistance
to countries to reduce emissions (UN, 2011).
The UN also has the International Court of Justice (ICJ), usually referred to as
the World Court. It is located in Hague, Netherlands. This is where countries can settle
disputes in a court of law, as well as a place where war criminals and rulers who have
done terrible things to their people can be put to trial for their crimes. Aside from this,
there are also a variety of international courts and tribunals created by the UN such as
the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Tribunal for the Law of the
Sea (ITLOS). The problem is, sometimes, getting the violators all the way to Europe to
face trial because there is no actual police force to go out and get them. As more and
more countries interact with one another, people are looking for the ICJ to play a bigger
role in the future of our global world.
Finally, the UN promotes and protects human rights through different
organizations and mechanisms. Since 1948, human rights have been brought into the
realm of international law. This is reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. A variety of UN-sponsored human rights treatise and agreements have been
done for human protection. The UN also believes in democracy and that it is
interdependent with the development and respect for all human rights.
The UN is criticized as being weak and is unable to stop wars. Because of this,
the next institution, the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) played a big role in
foreign conflicts. NATO is a defensive treaty or a military alliance with 32 member
countries (2024). It is based on the idea of collective security. The member countries
basically agreed to combine their militaries and announced to the world that if a country
messes with one of its members, the other countries will come to their defense. NATO
was created after the WWII, mostly during the beginning of the Cold War. With the
collapsed of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, former Soviet States, like Poland and
Crotia, had joined NATO, making Russia feel more threatened. NATO has sent troops
and undertaken military operations in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq, and Africa. The United
States with the most advanced military in the world makes up the bulk of NATO forces
and operations. Many of these wars or conflicts are considered to be strictly US wars.
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
Another international organization categorized as non-governmental organization
(NGO) that was developed out of war is the Red Cross (Red Crescent in Muslim
countries). NGOs are not tied to any country. This allows them to operate freely
throughout the world. They provide emergency relief such as food, water, and medical
supplies for those whose homes or towns have been destroyed by disaster or war. They
also monitor the treatment of prisoner of wars and go to conflicts to make sure that no
war crimes are taking place. In fact, the Red Cross began as an organization to help
those who were wounded during wars. The big Red Cross worn by NGOs is the
identification that they are not soldiers. Part of why it is important for the Red Cross to
be an NGO is that they remain neutral and would help the wounded from both sides of
war. Since they are neutral, governments are more likely to let them come into their
countries to help. While the headquarters of the International Red Cross is in Geneva,
Switzerland, they have branches all around the world.
In addition to the Red Cross, there are many NGOs dedicated to helping people
around the world. Doctors Without Borders provide free emergency healthcare in
disaster areas; Oxfam fights famine and disease; Amnesty International speaks out for
human rights and political prisoners; and Save the Children help kids to get health care
and education.
Global Economic Association: The WTO and NAFTA
World Trade Organization (WTO) is made up of 162 countries around the world
and was created with the goal of increasing free trade. Countries, therefore, can buy
and sell goods from one another without placing taxes on imports or tariffs. In addition,
tariffs are used to protect businesses and companies inside their country. Though good
in nature, WTO was also criticized. For instance, a protest in Seattle at a 1999 WTO
Conference led to major riot as some said that WTO was more about helping large
companies and corporations than it was about helping people.
Another famous economic organization is NAFTA, an economic treaty between
the United States, Canada and Mexico in which the three countries trade freely without
taxing each other. However, it was also criticized. Some American autoworkers
protested against NAFTA as several car companies moved their factories to Mexico in
search for cheaper labor. NAFTA, like WTO, represents the challenge in America of
keeping manufacturing factories.