GS w2.1

GS150LectureNationStateweek2Lecture2.pptx

Internal and External Challenges to the Nation-State

1. Internal Challenges

We can imagine that a people living in a country are comprised of multiple ethnic, tribal, religious or linguistic groups. Unless a single, unifying nationalism succeeds in cultivating a sense of identification with and loyalty to the state, multiple loyalties, or ethno-nationalisms, can undermine the integrity and territorial sovereignty of a nation-state. This was one fear regarding the invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of its dictator, Saddam Hussein.

Iraq has a diverse population of Arabs, Kurds, Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims. What were the risks that with the overthrow of the Iraqi government, the country would split into different, smaller states along ethnic and religious lines?

Similarly, often the same group may actually find itself divided between different countries. The nationalist impulse may compel people to secede from these countries and form a new country.

The text argues that migration is another challenge. (p. 38-39) People may leave their countries of birth for a variety of reasons, including religions and political persecution. Once in their new country, they experience a variety of obstacles to their “fitting in,” including racial and religious discrimination.

2. External Challenges

International Governmental Organizations (IGOs). (p. 40) These are not nation-states, but nation-states are members. The United Nations and the European Union are prominent examples. We will be discussing IGOs in greater detail later in the quarter. Suffice it to say that countries join IGOs because they think they will get something beneficial out of membership. In joining, countries voluntarily surrender a degree of their sovereignty. In some cases, a country may decide that it risks surrendering too much of its sovereignty and therefore may decide not to join an IGO. A case in point is the United States’ decision not to ratify membership in the International Criminal Court.

Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs). (p. 41) We will also be exploring this topic later in the quarter. The number of NGOs has increased at a much faster rate than the number of nation-states and IGOs since 1945. Governments are not members of NGOs. As the text points out, NGOs often step in to fill gaps in governmental services in areas such as health care, environmental needs, legal services, human rights, etc. In the process, they also generate considerable global attention to particular issues. Governments may try to deny entry to specific NGOs, but since they are located outside the country they are very difficult to control. Examples include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Doctors Without Borders.

Covert operations and invasions. These are often the “stuff” of international relations.

Globalization- Think again about our discussion of globalization last week. Globalization encourages greater interconnections between people and regions of the world. As a result, it is very difficult for specific countries to control globalization since its sources are often outside their country. Think about Multinational Corporations in this context.

Transnationalism- We also discussed this idea last week. It is often associated with globalization. It suggests that people can be loyal to and identify with ideals other than their own nation-state. As such, it is an alternative to nationalism. Transnational ideas need not be violent, though they can be. Religious and cultural extremism often encourage such violence across international borders.