Westphalian sovereignty

Westphalian sovereignty is the concept of nation-state sovereignty based on two things: territoriality and the absence of a role for external agents in domestic structures.
Scholars of international relations have identified the modern, Western originated, international system of states, multinational corporations, and organizations, as having begun at the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.^[1] Both the basis and the conclusion of this view have been attacked by some revisionist academics and politicians, with revisionists questioning the significance of the Peace, and some commentators and politicians attacking the Westphalian system of sovereign nation-states.

The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October of 1648 in Osnabrück and Münster. These treaties ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) between Spain and the Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognizing the independence of the Dutch Republic.

The Peace of Westphalia treaties involved the Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand III, of the House of Habsburg, the Kingdoms of Spain, France, Sweden, the Dutch Republic, the Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, and sovereigns of the free imperial cities and can be denoted by two major events.

·         The signing of the Peace of Münster^[1] between the Dutch Republic and the Kingdom of Spain on 30 January 1648, officially ratified in Münster on 15 May 1648.

·         The signing of two complementary treaties on 24 October 1648, namely:

o    The Treaty of Münster (Instrumentum Pacis Monasteriensis, IPM),^[2] concerning the Holy Roman Emperor and France and their respective allies.

o    The Treaty of Osnabrück (Instrumentum Pacis Osnabrugensis, IPO),^[3] concerning the Holy Roman Emperor, the Empire and Sweden and their respective allies.

The treaties resulted from the big diplomatic congress,^[4][5] thereby initiating a new system of political order in central Europe, later called Westphalian sovereignty, based upon the concept of a sovereign state governed by a sovereign. In the event, the treaties’ regulations became integral to the constitutional law of the Holy Roman Empire.

The treaties did not restore the peace throughout Europe, however. France and Spain remained at war for the next eleven years, making peace only in the Treaty of the Pyrenees of 1659.

Globalization and Westphalian sovereignty

During the 1980s and early 1990s, the emerging literature on globalization focused primarily on the erosion of interdependence sovereignty and Westphalian sovereignty. Much of this literature was primarily concerned to criticize realist models of international politics in which the Westphalian notion of the state as a unitary agent are taken as axiomatic (Camilleri and Falk 1992).
The European Union concept of shared sovereignty is also somewhat contrary to historical views of Westphalian sovereignty, as it provides for external agents to interfere in nations' internal affairs.
In a 2008 article Phil Williams [1] links the rise of terrorism and other violent non-state actors (VNSA's), which pose a threat to the Westphalian sovereignty of the state, to globalization.

Failed states

A further criticism of Westphalian sovereignty arises in relation to allegedly failed states, of which Afghanistan (before the 2001 US-led invasion) is often considered an example.{^[12]} In this case, it is argued that no sovereignty exists and that international intervention is justified on humanitarian grounds and by the threats posed by failed states to neighboring countries and the world as a whole.
Some of the recent debate over Somalia is also being cast in these same terms.{^[13]

Globalization and International Relations

          

•Treaty of Westphalia 1648

•Westphalian  Sovereignty is  a concept of nation state  sovereignty regarding territoriality and absence of a role for external agents in domestic affairs ;

•The ‘Treaty of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October of 1648 in Osnabruck and Munster;

•These treaties ended the ‘Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) in the Holy Roman Empire and the ‘Eighty Years’  War(1568-1648) between Spain and Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognized the independence of Dutch republic; and

•Territoriality and absence of a role for  external powers in the internal matters of nation sates were strongly established under Westphalian sovereignty.

•Globalization: A Challenge to Westphalian Order

•Due to development of Westphalian Order in the world, both bigger and smaller  states  were territorialized and delimited/bordered/surrounded/enclosed. As a result, nation sates were sovereign and a role for external agents in internal matters was not legitimized;

•Westphalian Order   was  a historical phenomenon which  came to existence to address issue pertaining to a specific period of time.  Since globalization has been influencing all aspects of society, it is on the verge of collapse;

• If the state system in the Seventeenth Century  was moved  in absence of organized despotic power, why the same system is not applicable to days to come? Such speculative question governs us; and

•If it happens, what will be the biggest challenge to Westphalian Order?

•End of Sovereignty

•The end of the sovereignty must be understood in the light of reducing the monopolistic order of state  in terms of regulating and controlling the behaviors of citizens and states;

•The reason is that any of enterprises, human activities and other phenomenon are not taken place only within a territory of a single state.  There is no monopoly of a single state on their controlling and regulation;

•Overseeing as well as regulating on global stock exchange, computer networking and credit card, etc. is not falling on the single controlling and regulating of a single state; and

•The concept of shared sovereignty is being so  flourished that the Westphalian Order is being weakened day by day.

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•Indication of Sub -state Global Governance

•Due to globalization, not only the ruling elites attached to the central layer of the governance, but also the ruling elites  in the province/state have started dealing with cross-border initiatives policy matters;

•Some of the Provincial Governments in Canada and China and almost  all the State Governments in America have started exchanging their diplomatic missions;

•This practice has been common to Europe. Belgium Government is obliged to seek consensus from the provincial governments on the agreements to be signed with European Union.  The provincial governments from Belgium represent the different offices of European Union;

•Cross- border collaboration has been  prevalent between municipalities specially on matters of pollution control, crime control, disarmaments and development partnership;

•World Association of Major Metropolises incepted in 1985 and International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives established in 1990 are insightful evidences; and

•Relations on the telecommunications between developed cities in the world has been deepened   than the cities within their boundary.

Recent Trends in Contemporary International Relations

                                                        

                                                   

                                         

Presentation Layouts

•Globalization: A Concept

•Operational Definitions

•Features of Globalizations

•Aspects of Globalization

Globalization: A Concept

•Jan Art Schulte has  used globalization attached it to five meanings;

•Internationalization:  Rapid development of interactions and interdependences among states beyond their territories and geography;

•Liberalization-To end governmental restrictions on trade between the states. Focus on private sectors;

•Universalization-   A process of disseminating goods and services, and knowledge to East, West, North and South;

•Westernization –Americanization. Cultural colonialism; and

•Deterritorialization- The change of geography by which topographies, geographical distances and geographical boundaries have lost some of the previous irrefutable influences.

•Globalization is the process of integrating/entering  into a world/global economy with medium of trade of goods and services, transferring of capital, human resources, ideas and technology;

•It can be defined as a freedom of firms and individuals  to initiate transaction/business with firms and citizens of other countries in the world;

 

Operational Definitions

•‘Globalization refers to all those processes by which the people of the world are incorporated into a single world society, global society’-Martin Albrow; and

•‘Globalization refers to processes whereby social relations become relatively delinked from territorial geography, so that human lives are increasingly played out in the world as a single place’- Jan Art Scholte.

Features of Globalization

•Door of national economy is open to foreign capital, foreign direct investment and technology;

•The effort of national economy to be entered into global economy;

•Free trade, end of barriers like protection and restriction in trade;

•Pre-dominance of privatization and liberalization/ minimal control of state in production and distribution;

•Multi-national corporations such as WTO, IMF and WB have been expanding their roles;

•Revolution in information and technology which fetched unprecedented changes in transportation and communication;

•Deterritorialization has made the geographical influence irrelevant gradually;

•Development of global social movements. Civic /civil activism has been increased  on human rights, gender issues, environmental protection and the campaigns against HIV/AIDS; and

•Global governance with help of transnational institutions like  United Nations Organizations, other regional organizations, IMF and WTO.

Aspects of Globalization

                     Communication

•Computer networks, Optic Fiver Networking, telephone and Audio-Visuals have contributed to escalation of globalization. Be the individual elsewhere  in the any parts of the glove or elsewhere within the territory of state, he/she may exchange his/her views in the twinkling of an eye without any restriction;

•Social networks like Face book and Twitter  have collapsed all kind of distance among people; and

•There is no prevalence of either  state boundary or a check post.

                               Organization

•The expansion of the networks of  Multi-national Corporations, INGOs, Bi-lateral Agencies, Multi-lateral Agencies, COCACOLA and organizations on protection of intellectual properties is not bound/stopped by the boundary of  states;

•The working area of these organizations is global and global society is being perceived as their clients; and

•Of these organizations,  some of them are using practice of virtual office extensively.

Environment

•Globalization has internationalized a number of issues pertaining to  depletion of Ozone Layer, climate change and bio-diversity;

•Problems deep seated in the environmental sector can not be sorted out and solved by the single efforts of one state; and

• These problems have global impacts and which can be solved by collective efforts of sates and transnational organizations.

Production

•Some of the products in the world are not limited to  the territory of national economy of the states. In the production cycle of these products, efforts of several countries are contained;

•For an insightful  examples,  several productive units of several countries are involved in endeavors/activities  i.e. research and development,  processing,   manufacturing  and installation of  machinery parts, preparation and  quality control;

•Several multi-national  companies  are manufacturing their  spare parts  in the developing countries  through out sourcing; and

•Because of practice of electronic currency and credit card  applicable to use elsewhere in any parts of the glove has globalized consumption, not only the production.

Military

•Military sector is no exception to impact triggered by globalization.  It has impacted military sector specially in the field of manufacturing weapons and their capacities to meet long range and intelligence/spying;

•The use of intercontinental rockets has made possible to target any parts of the glove as a range post not making a difference a step beyond;

•It has been possible to  seek information on military power  against  opposition through medium of  detective sub-planets sent to the space from the earth;

•The entire world is no far from the reality of being a single battlefield; and

•The situation is becoming more terrible that even the networks of terrorists  have begun to take advantages of globalization.

                

International Relations,  Foreign Policy and Diplomacy

Presentation Layouts

•Conceptual Framework

•Foreign Policy

•Diplomacy

•International Relations

Conceptual Framework

Foreign Policy

•‘Foreign policy of every country deals , first with preservation of its  independence and security and second with the protection of economic interests.’- Karl Deutsch

•‘Foreign policy to an extent is a reflection of the fundamental instincts of those who make it’- Gilbraith

•Foreign policy is a substance  of foreign relations.

•Foreign policy is a course of action undertaken by sovereign states in terms of their perceived national interests and goals.

                  Determinants of Foreign Policy

Internal Factors- Geography, History, National Capacity and Public Opinion;

External Factors-International Organizations-UNO, WTO, EU, ASEAN, UN Agencies, IMF, WB, ADB , International Law, Neighboring Countries and New Trends; and

Policy Making Factors- Attitude of Policy Makers.

Diplomacy

•Diplomacy is the management of relations between countries. Abroad.  It is maintained by each country’s  representatives ;

•It is an art of dealing with people and countries;

•Diplomats i.e. ambassador, envoy representative whose job is to representative their country in the receiving country;

•‘Application of tact and intelligence  to the conduct of official relations between the governments of independent states. It is art to negotiate’-Ernest Satow; and

•The foreign policy of the state is the substance of foreign relations  whereas diplomacy is the process by which the policy is carried out.

International Relations

•Foreign policy and diplomacy are two pillars of international relations; 

•The substance of foreign policy is foreign relations. Foreign relations is an integral parts of international relations;

•Motto of foreign policy is carried out by diplomacy;

•Issues of international relations- peace and security, globalization, regionalism, WTO and international trade, environment and human rights; and

•This is clear that there is triangular relationship between.

Current Political Trends in International Relations

Presentation Layouts

•Introduction

•Facets of Current Political Trends

Introduction

•When a period of detente was round the corner between the then ex-USSR and United States of America through arms control and denuclearization, Michael Gorvachov  politically came to power;

•To right track the descending Soviet economy and politics, he proposed a policy of Perestroika( Reconstruction) and Glasnost( Openness);

•It could not stop the descending pace of Soviet Socialism and finally Soviet Union was dismantled;

•Not only this, the communism/socialism  began to fall down in the countries of Eastern Europe i.e. East Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, Rumania and Czechoslovakia;

•Cold war vanished   accidently and power vacuum emerged; and

•The world headed towards unipolarity.

Disintegration of Soviet Union

•In 1991, former Soviet Union was fragmented into 15 independent states i.e. Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia,  Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan,  Armenia, etc;

•These countries are suffered from ethnic conflicts, economic crisis and border issues;

•Disintegration of Soviet Union has created power vacuum in global politics. It has more influenced the mobility of third world countries; and

•It has paved ground for unipolarity.

Fall of Socialism in Eastern Europe

•Before end of Second World War,  some countries in Eastern Europe i.e. East Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, Rumania and Czechoslovakia were transformed into socialism;

•These countries were allied  power for Soviet Union and in favor of Warsaw  Pact;

• Before 1990s, the socialism fell down like the building of cards in the countries aforesaid; and

•These days most of the countries have been member of NATO.

End of Cold War

•In and around 1990, the disintegration of Soviet Union and socialism in Eastern Europe created power vacuum in world politics;

•Warsaw Pact and COMECON were dissolved; and

•The world age of ideological struggle was collapsed.

Militarily Unipolar World

•Along with dissolution of  ex-USSR, not only the ideological conflict was ended, but also the military power of Soviet Union was collapsed;

•Presently Russia which accepts    the legacy of Soviet Union con not tackle with America in all domains;

•A unipolaroty has created power vacuum on the one hand and has increased hegemony of America in international politics and relations; and

•The military attacks under the command of NATO  in Iraq and former Yugoslavia has overshadowed the United Nations Organizations.

Politically Multipolar World

•The present world is becoming multipolar economically and politically.  However, it is still unipolar militarily;

•Germany, France and Japan have been emerged as powers economically;

•China is assumed as emerging super power; and

•The world is moving towards development of multi-centers.

Expansion of Atomic Club

•Prior to 1998, only five permanent members of United Nations Organization( America, Russia, France, UK and China) were recognized as nuclear  powers;

•This monopoly was challenged by India and Pakistan having made nuclear tests in May 1998 one after another. Thus the expansion of atomic club has been increased;

•On the initiation  of United Nations Organizations, the ‘Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty’(CTBT) has been prepared to ban nuclear tests; and

•Most of the atomic powers have signed CTBT but are quite reluctant to ratify pretending either this or that.

Emergence of Regional Organizations

•In the beginning, the regional organizations were inculcated following the theme of military. For instance, Warsaw Pact, NATO, etc. are enough to be conceptualized on emerging trend of regional organizations;

•The regional organizations of social, economic and trade themes   had started emerging  after the European Economic Community established in 1957;

•European Union, Arab League, SAARC, BIMSTEC, ASEAN, etc. ;

• BIMSTEC(Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral  Technical and Economic Cooperation) consists of seven countries from both South Asia and South East Asia. Nepal, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka from South Asia and Thailand and Myanmar from South East Asia; and

•The grand success of European Union  has made those surprised who had dreamed the world government in the field of international organizations.

Establishment of Autonomous Palestine State

•Palestinians were stateless since 1948 and started dwelling in a scattered form in Arab world;

•Since the decades of sixties, they joined organized struggle through ‘Palestine Liberation Organization(PLO);

•To receive the attention of world to their issue of ‘Permanent National Home, they resorted to terrorist activities;

•There has been achievement towards establishment of peace  and Palestinian State in the middle –east  due to efforts by Arab countries and mediation by America;

•At present, Israel and Palestine have recognized their existence one another and autonomous Palestinian  state has been established incorporating Gaza and other territories; and

•This has  crated an enabling environment towards permanent  peace for Israel and fulfilling aspirations of Palestinians for building their Permanent National home.

Reinventing Sovereignty

•In the past, internal affairs of the state were not intervened/interfered by international administration. Having codified such fact, the Charter of United Nations Organization had adhered to the commitment not to interfere internal affairs of the state.  Even the theory of non-interference  was acknowledged for  a long time;

• From 1990 onwards, when the conflicts arisen within states  remained adverse to international peace and order, the compulsion arrived to think of the sovereignty;

•These days, human rights and democracy are such universally accepted values . Efforts to be made by international organizations towards restoration of these commonly liked values  are not considered as intervention;

•In the context of ethnic annihilation  happening in the territorial geography of states,  the United Nations Organization can not stand being treated it as an internal affairs of them;

•Presently the concept of ‘Humanitarian Intervention’ has been developed and assimilated.  The United Nations organization is perceived for protection and promotion of human dignity, but not for the dignity of Nations.  It is evident that the beginning of  the preamble of UNO begins with ‘We the people of the United Nations’; and

•Preamble of UN Charter

We the people of the United Nations determined;

•To save succeeding generation from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind; and

•To reaffirm faith in international human rights, in the dignity and worth of human person, in the equal right of men and women and of the nations large and small; and

• To establish conditions  under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained; and

•To promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.

Expansion of the Role of United Nations

•In the twenty-first century, time has come to shift.  In the early days, the motto of peace was enough to define roles of the UN;

•There are many stages of peace i.e. facilitating for peace, establishment of peace and peace building. All these roles are performed by United Nations Organization;

•The United Nations Organization is subject to address several sectors pertaining to social, economic, cultural, health, humanitarian, etc.; and

•It is has been key actor towards poverty reduction, natural disaster, environmental protection and conflict transformation.

Demand for Restructuring of the United Nations

•As United Nations reflects the power relations in 1945, the demand for restructuring of the very organization is becoming more debatable in global politics;

•The then Secretary General of United Nations Kofi Annan had floated a proposal for restructuring of United Nations. In line with the proposal, Human Rights Council and Peace Building Commission as sub-ordinate organs of General Assembly were established;

•The issue of expansion of Security Council is yet to materialized  due to hidden interests of powerful nations;

                           Main Organs of United Nations

•The General Assembly:  The main deliberative organ of UN.  192 countries are member states.

•The Security Council- Decides certain resolutions for peace and security. P 5-China, USA, UK, France and Russia. 10 temporary members elected by GA for 2 years’  term.

•The Economic and Social Council- assists in promoting internal economic and social cooperation and development. The size of the members is 54 elected by GA for 3 years’ term.  Geographical areas- Asia(11), Africa(14), Latin America and Carrabin(10), East Europe(6) and West Europe(13).

•The Secretariat- provides studies, information, and facilities needed by the UN.

•The International Court of Justice- The primarily judicial organ.  15 judges( proportional basis) 9 yrs renewable term, 5 judges retiring every 5 yrs.