AOS 1 Global Actors Flashcards
difference between a state and a nation
A nation lacks a clear territory defined by recognised borders, dissimilar to a state. Additionally, nations often do not exercise sovereignty. Nations are groups of people connected through culture, history or language, including the Palestinians. However, states are recognised territories with governments that exercise sovereignty.
sovereignty
Sovereignty is a state’s ability to exercise effective control within its borders, while recognised by the United Nations and not controlled by an external authority. A state’s sovereignty is characterised by independence, recognition and authority.
how sovereignty can undermine attempts at international cooperation
Sovereignty allows states to prioritise their national interests and disregard their obligations to the international community, which is detrimental to global cooperation. This includes Australia’s failure to adhere to the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees, which is justified by the state’s national interest of border security.
Additionally, sovereignty can prevent action against human rights abuses in states with authoritarian or one party governments. It is difficult for organisations such as the UN to intervene when populations are being treated inhumanely due to the characteristics of sovereignty.
roles of the state
security, economic prosperity, justice and order, representation
national interests and how shape the aims of states
National interests are particular areas of focus that states are endeavouring towards at certain times. This includes Australia favouring the interest of border security through denying asylum seekers arriving by boat to Australia since 2013. The national interest of border security in Australia prompted the state to develop new border protection and asylum seeker policies.
power
Power refers to the capacity of one global actor to influence the actions of another global actor, and levels of power vary greatly between states. Factors that indicate a state’s power level include military forces, economy, diplomatic influence, political stability, and natural resources. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an example of a state using their power, which has been determined vastly by their extensive military forces.
how the european union challenges sovereignty
The European Union imposes trade regulations on member states and alters border restrictions, therefore challenging the sovereignty of the member states. States relinquish control over goods and people travelling in and out of their borders and must uphold a standard of human rights common to all European Union States.
why states give up elements of sovereignty to the eu
States sacrifice elements of their sovereignty in exchange for stimulation to their GDP growth and significant developments in trade, as well as access to goods and services provided by other EU states.
how eu member states retain sovereignty
Ultimately, member states of the European Union have voluntarily chosen to enter the regional grouping and have autonomy in deciding whether to leave. This proves that states do retain significant sovereignty. Additionally, member states have input in the decisions and policies of the EU.
regional groupings - brexit and how it challenged sovereignty
Brexit refers the exit of Britain from the European Union, which was decided in a referendum in 2016 where 52% of the population voted to leave the EU and 48% opted to stay. Brexit demonstrates that, although member states of the EU must relinquish parts of their sovereignty, they are ultimately autonomous in their actions and do retain their sovereignty. However, leaving the EU was a long and complicated process for Britain. It was delayed initially because the British parliament refused to concede on the terms given by the EU for the state’s exit. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was then elected with a large majority of conservatives, enabling the Brexit deal to eventuate. Britain formally left on 31st January 2020, yet had to abide by EU rules until 31st December. Evidently, Britain’s exit from the EU was an assertion of sovereignty, however the EU still had to agree to the terms of Brexit.
regional groupings - asean and how it challenged sovereignty
ASEAN challenges sovereignty comparably less than the EU, because a fundamental value of ASEAN is to maintain sovereignty and independence. The threat to sovereignty within ASEAN is almost non-existent, however the incident with the exclusion of Myanmar was an exception. Myanmar was banned by ASEAN in october 2021 from the annual conference as a display of contempt for the military regime’s violent retaliation against protestors. the regime had overturned the result of a democractic election in 2020.
reasons for turkey’s invasion of syria
Turkey’s invasion of Syria in 2019 can be attributed to multiple aspects of its own national interests. This includes removing the Kurdish militia group SDF from northern Syria. Turkey is concerned that the SDF are working in conjunction with the PKK (Kurdistan workers party) terrorist group in Turkey that are seeking secession. Additionally, Turkey aims to establish a safe zone that will allow the millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey to return.
In November 2022, Istanbul was allegedly bombed by Kurdish separatists that crossed the border from Syria. 6 people were killed in the attack, prompting the Turkish government to announce the possibility of a 2nd invasion in Syria, and to commence aerial bombing in retaliation.
contested and changing borders - turkey’s invasion of syria
Turkey has breached Syria’s borders, brazenly defying Syria’s sovereignty by invading the state. Turkey’s goal of creating a 30km safe zone in Syria can be considered an annexation of the state in order to further Turkey’s national interests. By invading the state, Turkey has disrupted Syria’s sovereignty over its territory.
contested and changing borders - south china sea
The territory claimed by China in the South China Sea is contentious because the area is within 200 miles of multiple states, including Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law Of the Sea, any area of sea within 200 miles of a state’s coastline is the sovereign territory of the state. China has asserted that it does not recognise the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and argues that the Spratly and Paracel islands are part of their historical ‘cows tongue’ territory. This assertion interferes with nearby states that have entitlement to the South China Sea.
multilateral resolutions - nk sanctions
The United Nations Security Council put trade sanctions, including Resolution 2375, on North Korea to deter the state from continuing to test nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. North Korea had tested non-nuclear weapons in waters outside its territory, alarming Japan and other nearby states. The actions of the UNSC are an example of a multilateral resolution due to the cooperative nature of the council, being comprised of 15 states. These sanctions impede on the sovereignty of North Korea because they restricted trade with other states, aiming to influence NK’s actions.
multilateral resolutions - coordinated airstrike
The coordinated airstrike assault of the US, Britain and France in Syria against the terrorist group ‘Islamic State’ was a multilateral resolution to combat the terrorist threat. Despite being beneficial to the state, the airstrikes were conducted without the approval of the Assad government in Syria. The US, Britain and France were also supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces over the Assad regime in the civil war. Although striking against a terrorist group, the unauthorised bombings were a significant challenge of Syria’s sovereignty.
external challenges - TNCs
Transnational corporations operating in developing states form a dependent relationship. These organisations become a major source of employment opportunities and boost the economy of the state, causing a significant reliance that may impact the decision making or sovereignty of the state. For example, Zambia raised taxes on the copper sourced by mining corporation Glencore in 2014 from 6% to 20%. When Glencore threatened to withdraw from Zambia, the taxes were dropped to 9%. Forcing Zambia to choose and making threats was a clear challenge to Zambia’s sovereignty.
internal challenges - secession
Sovereignty of states can be challenged by national groups living within a state that demand to break away from the state and control their own territory. The Catalonians in Spain wish to secede from the state, as their language and culture are very distinct from the Spanish population. Catalonian leaders introduced a referendum to determine support for independence, however, this was done without the authorisation of the Spanish government. The 2017 referendum resulted in a 90% vote for independence. The leaders behind the movement were jailed, leading to backlash from secessionists in 2019. This included a massive pro-independence demonstration held in Barcelona, consisting of over 1 million people. The scale of such movements poses a challenge to Spain’s sovereignty by applying pressure to the Spanish government to approve secession.
analyse the challenges to sovereignty
contention eg
Challenges to sovereignty worldwide vary greatly in magnitude, and are dependent upon the quantity of power a state or global actor possesses in the global community. States with greater economic, diplomatic, and military power are at a decreased risk of significant challenges to their sovereignty
roles of the un
- protect human rights
- provide a forum for states to discuss international issues
- uphold international law
- deliver humanitarian aid
- assist parties in conflict to make peace
structure of the unsc
- consists of 15 member states
- has a permanent 5 members (china, US, russia, britain, france)
- other members are decided by vote and stay on the council for 2 years
- P5 have veto power over resolutions
- resolutions created are binding
aims of the un
- to maintain international peace and security
- to develop friendly relations among nations
powers of the un
use of force against states in these situations:
* against states that act as agressors (invading, not related to self-defence, only when national interests of P5 align)
* under responsibility to protect doctrine (if a state threatens/commits genocide, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing or war crimes)
* peacekeeping missions (resolving an internal conflict, reliant on state cooperation, eg UMISS extension unanimous agreement 2021)
* economic sanctions (cutting off trade and links to international finance, eg NK september 2017 unsc resolution 2375 textiles, oil, and labourers to deter nuclear missile testing)
not enforced:
* unga international treaties to protect human rights (eg un convention against torture UNCAT, states not compelled to sign or ratify)
limits to un power
- unsc resolutions can only be passed if the national interests of the P5 align due to veto power
- general assembly resolutions are not binding and cant be enforced
- states can withhold membership fees, leaving the un under resourced (US owed $1.3 billion as of january 2019)
- peacekeepers require the permission of the state to quell conflict
