UNIT: Power, Sovereignty and International Relations
KEY GLOPO CONCEPTS: (memorize definitions) Power, Sovereignty, Legitimacy, Conflict, Violence,
Globalization, Interdependence
Power- The ability of one global actor to influence the actions of another global actor. Power can be exercised in a
range of types and forms.
Sovereignty- Legitimate or widely recognised ability to exercise effective control of a territory within recognised
borders. Primary organizing principle of global politics which provides states with the authority to represent their
territorial entity within the international community. State sovereignty can be challenged internally (for example,
secessionist groups) or externally (for example, one state invades another).
Legitimacy- Political legitimacy is the popular acceptance of authority. It is considered to be the basic condition for
government, without which it will collapse. Sometimes it only takes a small-influential elite to render a nation
legitimate despite the regime being unpopular (syria).
Globalization- Acceleration and intensification of exchanges of goods, services, labor and capital which promote
global interdependence. These have been facilitated by rapid changes in communication and technology. Has
widespread impacts on social, political, economic and cultural life.
Conflict- The dynamic process of actual or perceived opposition between individuals, groups or countries. This
could be opposition over positions, interests or values. Most theorists would distinguish between nonviolent and
violent conflict. In this distinction, non-violent conflict can be a useful mechanism for social change and
transformation, while violent conflict is harmful and asks for conflict resolution.
Violence- Often defined as physical or psychological force inflicted upon another being. In the context of global
politics it could be seen as anything man made that prevents someone from reaching their full potential (e.g.
structural violence). This broader definition would encompass unequal distribution of power and discriminatory
practices that exclude entire groups of people from accessing certain resources.
Interdependence- For global politics, the concept of interdependence most often refers to the mutual reliance
between and among groups, organizations, areas and states for access to goods and services that sustain living
arrangements. Often, this mutual reliance is economic (such as trade), but can also have a security dimension
(such as defense arrangements) and, increasingly, a sustainability dimension (such as environmental treaties).
Globalization has increased interdependence , while often changing the relationships of power among the various
actors engaged in global politics.
Theories: Power Sovereignty
Liberalism Believe soft-power, cooperation and a rules based Sees sovereignty as one of several principles in
international order are the most effective and safest world politics. It is important but not exclusive
way of using power in global politics. Liberals and at the expense of other groups or ideas.
perceive states as more powerful when they work Sovereignty is not absolute and can be pooled
together (i.e through cooperation in international and challenged (when other states fail to
organizations. They believe states should use exercise their sovereignty responsibly).
power by conforming to a world order governed by
international law and respecting human rights.
Realism Believe that power politics have to do with states’ Sees sovereignty as an essential feature of
hard power capabilities. They see states as locked global politics. Prepared both to defend
in competition with each other, with each state sovereignty as an inviolable principle and to
wanting to protect its national security against breach the sovereignty of other states if their
threats from other states in an anarchic world own national security requires it. View states
order. States either pursue offensive realism (i.e are the only legitimate bodies in global politics.
aiming to expand their global power) or defensive The interests and right of states to act
realism (i.e aiming merely to defend themselves independently and defend their core interests is
against external threats prioritized over most other principles and ideas.
,Definitions Joseph Nye (American political scientist and cofounder of neoliberalism theory)
and - Hard power
theories of - The use of force and threats of force to influence the decision-making of those in charge
power - Soft power
- Achieving aims through persuasion or influence (i.e the power to get others to want what
you want)
- Lies more in the realm of negotiation, promises of aid, cooperation and other non-military
means of influencing change
- Smart power
- The combination of hard and soft power – the ability to use both when called for, or one
or the other when necessary
Eric Wolf (Anthropologist)
- Structural power
- Refers to social conditions and the use of labor to maintain social realms
John. J Mearshemer
- Offensive realism
Types of Power
power - The ability to influence other group in global politics and achieve outcomes. At its simplest,
power is about achieving desired goals and influencing others.
- Power can be used to achieve material gains (i.e agree a trade deal or defeat a terrorist
group). It may be used to persuade others to conform to a political/economic idea (i.e
states persuading other states to choose a democratic, capitalist model of government/fight
corruption)
- Power is variable → states can become more powerful, whilst others see their
power decline.
- Through IGOs, smaller states can cooperate with other states to become more powerful
than they would be alone (multilateral power)
- Members of NATO may respond collectively (collective power) to security
threats by launching military action.
- Political and economic unions (e.g EU) can establish a single currency zone that aims to
maximize their economic power
Types of power
- Hard vs soft (see above)
- Military power – essential when using hard power.
- Military resources (i.e land, air or sea) are the ultimate means to force another group or
state to comply or to change their behavior.
- The most powerful states are often thought to be those with the largest armies, the most
advanced weapons (comprising nuclear), and the technology/willingness to use this
power.
- It is dangerous to draw firm conclusions about military power from statistics and
resources alone. What matter is whether military resources are actually used and
whether they are successful when they are used (success should be measured in
terms of the objective of the use of military power
- Economic power – (GDP, GDP per capita, Economic growth %)
- It is possible for states to seek only economic power (Germany, Japan) however it is
unlikely that a state will be a significant military power if it is not also a significant
economic power.
- States can use economic power as a form of hard power. States often impose
sanctions on other states to force them to change their behavior (i.e US sanctions
on Iran to reduce its nuclear deal)
- It’s also possible for states to develop an economic relationship that balances out
each state’s economic strengths/weaknesses (i.e China depends on natural
resources from Africa, Africa depends on China for FDI in infrastructure).
- Structural power – the means by which states affect global politics, usually by promoting a
model of politics that they favor, such as democracy or capitalism.
, - Some states may wish to push others towards a more democratic, capitalist, free market
economic model (i.e the ideological struggle between capitalist and communist models of
economic development).
- In recent times, Western powers have tried to remove authoritarian regimes and build up
the democratic models of government (i.e regime change in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan)
through hard military power and regime change.
- Relational power is when a state has a relationship with another state and uses this relationship to
influence the other state to change its behavior; using military, economic, hard, soft power or a
combination of such.
- To be successful, the state will need an effective strategy, and must know the other state’s
strengths/weaknesses to know what would be a convincing threat.
- Three types of relational power (Nye)
- Threats and rewards – likely to encourage the state to achieve their desired goal
- Controlling the agenda – limiting the choices of the other state in order to achieve
the desired goal
- Establishing preferences – getting the other state to want the same goals as your
state
- Social and cultural power – globalization has given rise for some states to export their cultural
resources across the world.
- Global brands (e.g Simpsons, Facebook, BBC, Apple) are universally known and popular.
However, it’s difficult to know whether this brand popularity has any soft power benefit
for the states from which the brand originates
- Just because BBC is popular in Pakistan, it does not mean that the UK is
perceived positively
- Thus, cultural power connects diverse populations around the world at a more human,
rather than strategic, level
, The Nation state
evolving - The result of a complex division of labor and exchange relationships – it is a political and
nature of territorial entity
state - “Nation” implies that there is a common ethnicity and cultural characteristics (i.e
sovereignt language)
y - “State” most often refers to the sovereign nature of the area in which a state has been
formed
- States are classified as sovereign if they are independent entities not controlled by other territories
or entities
- In order for sovereignty to exist, there has to be an agreement within the nation’s
population that the state is legitimate and the holders of the will of the people
Westphalian Sovereignty
- A state’s sovereignty is dependent on other states recognizing the state as a state
- This idea originates from classical Rome and Medieval Europe. The Treaty of Westphalia
(1648) can be seen as the point where the ideas of statehood were formally established.
- The principle of sovereignty has been supported through putting ideas such as
diplomacy and non-intervention into practice.
- Groups such as the Islamic State may call themselves a state, but if no other states or
international organizations recognize them, they cannot be considered a sovereign
state. International legitimacy is essential in order for a state to be considered an
independent sovereign country.
Features of Sovereign Nations – Montevideo Convention (1933)
- A permanent population
- Do people live in a permanent place? Is the population fixed? Refugees?
- A defined territory and borders
- Do the ICJ and international law agree on state borders? Identifiable borders on a map?
- Effective government
- Does a government exist? Does it have full authority and control over its territory?
- The capacity and legitimacy to enter relations with other states
- Does the state have diplomatic relations (i.e summits, IGO memberships,
bilateral/multilateral partnerships)?
The Montevideo Convention is used to determine whether a nation is a sovereign state, however
there are many challenges to this method as some non-state groups conform to some of the above
features
Present-day status of sources of sovereignty
- In modern global politics, the UN is the key international body which agrees the legitimacy of
state borders and makes rulings on borders that are contested
- → being recognized as a full member state of the UN is the ultimate confirmation of
independent statehood
- At an international level, where borders or sovereignty are disputed, the resolutions of the UNSC
and decisions of the ICJ are important statements of international law
- Rulings from both institutions however are sometimes ignored
- At a national level, states and regions seeking independence often hold a referendum, in which the
population votes directly on whether it should become independent
- (i.e Scotland voting against becoming an independent state, Catalonia wanting to secede
from Spain)
Present-day challenges to state sovereignty
- There has been much debate about the evolution and declining importance of the state, given the
interactions of trade and challenges to centralized law, such as supranationality, humanitarian
intervention, indigenous rights, and social movements
- However, competing stakeholders keep the politics of states in motion
State sovereignty becoming less significant State sovereignty still significant
KEY GLOPO CONCEPTS: (memorize definitions) Power, Sovereignty, Legitimacy, Conflict, Violence,
Globalization, Interdependence
Power- The ability of one global actor to influence the actions of another global actor. Power can be exercised in a
range of types and forms.
Sovereignty- Legitimate or widely recognised ability to exercise effective control of a territory within recognised
borders. Primary organizing principle of global politics which provides states with the authority to represent their
territorial entity within the international community. State sovereignty can be challenged internally (for example,
secessionist groups) or externally (for example, one state invades another).
Legitimacy- Political legitimacy is the popular acceptance of authority. It is considered to be the basic condition for
government, without which it will collapse. Sometimes it only takes a small-influential elite to render a nation
legitimate despite the regime being unpopular (syria).
Globalization- Acceleration and intensification of exchanges of goods, services, labor and capital which promote
global interdependence. These have been facilitated by rapid changes in communication and technology. Has
widespread impacts on social, political, economic and cultural life.
Conflict- The dynamic process of actual or perceived opposition between individuals, groups or countries. This
could be opposition over positions, interests or values. Most theorists would distinguish between nonviolent and
violent conflict. In this distinction, non-violent conflict can be a useful mechanism for social change and
transformation, while violent conflict is harmful and asks for conflict resolution.
Violence- Often defined as physical or psychological force inflicted upon another being. In the context of global
politics it could be seen as anything man made that prevents someone from reaching their full potential (e.g.
structural violence). This broader definition would encompass unequal distribution of power and discriminatory
practices that exclude entire groups of people from accessing certain resources.
Interdependence- For global politics, the concept of interdependence most often refers to the mutual reliance
between and among groups, organizations, areas and states for access to goods and services that sustain living
arrangements. Often, this mutual reliance is economic (such as trade), but can also have a security dimension
(such as defense arrangements) and, increasingly, a sustainability dimension (such as environmental treaties).
Globalization has increased interdependence , while often changing the relationships of power among the various
actors engaged in global politics.
Theories: Power Sovereignty
Liberalism Believe soft-power, cooperation and a rules based Sees sovereignty as one of several principles in
international order are the most effective and safest world politics. It is important but not exclusive
way of using power in global politics. Liberals and at the expense of other groups or ideas.
perceive states as more powerful when they work Sovereignty is not absolute and can be pooled
together (i.e through cooperation in international and challenged (when other states fail to
organizations. They believe states should use exercise their sovereignty responsibly).
power by conforming to a world order governed by
international law and respecting human rights.
Realism Believe that power politics have to do with states’ Sees sovereignty as an essential feature of
hard power capabilities. They see states as locked global politics. Prepared both to defend
in competition with each other, with each state sovereignty as an inviolable principle and to
wanting to protect its national security against breach the sovereignty of other states if their
threats from other states in an anarchic world own national security requires it. View states
order. States either pursue offensive realism (i.e are the only legitimate bodies in global politics.
aiming to expand their global power) or defensive The interests and right of states to act
realism (i.e aiming merely to defend themselves independently and defend their core interests is
against external threats prioritized over most other principles and ideas.
,Definitions Joseph Nye (American political scientist and cofounder of neoliberalism theory)
and - Hard power
theories of - The use of force and threats of force to influence the decision-making of those in charge
power - Soft power
- Achieving aims through persuasion or influence (i.e the power to get others to want what
you want)
- Lies more in the realm of negotiation, promises of aid, cooperation and other non-military
means of influencing change
- Smart power
- The combination of hard and soft power – the ability to use both when called for, or one
or the other when necessary
Eric Wolf (Anthropologist)
- Structural power
- Refers to social conditions and the use of labor to maintain social realms
John. J Mearshemer
- Offensive realism
Types of Power
power - The ability to influence other group in global politics and achieve outcomes. At its simplest,
power is about achieving desired goals and influencing others.
- Power can be used to achieve material gains (i.e agree a trade deal or defeat a terrorist
group). It may be used to persuade others to conform to a political/economic idea (i.e
states persuading other states to choose a democratic, capitalist model of government/fight
corruption)
- Power is variable → states can become more powerful, whilst others see their
power decline.
- Through IGOs, smaller states can cooperate with other states to become more powerful
than they would be alone (multilateral power)
- Members of NATO may respond collectively (collective power) to security
threats by launching military action.
- Political and economic unions (e.g EU) can establish a single currency zone that aims to
maximize their economic power
Types of power
- Hard vs soft (see above)
- Military power – essential when using hard power.
- Military resources (i.e land, air or sea) are the ultimate means to force another group or
state to comply or to change their behavior.
- The most powerful states are often thought to be those with the largest armies, the most
advanced weapons (comprising nuclear), and the technology/willingness to use this
power.
- It is dangerous to draw firm conclusions about military power from statistics and
resources alone. What matter is whether military resources are actually used and
whether they are successful when they are used (success should be measured in
terms of the objective of the use of military power
- Economic power – (GDP, GDP per capita, Economic growth %)
- It is possible for states to seek only economic power (Germany, Japan) however it is
unlikely that a state will be a significant military power if it is not also a significant
economic power.
- States can use economic power as a form of hard power. States often impose
sanctions on other states to force them to change their behavior (i.e US sanctions
on Iran to reduce its nuclear deal)
- It’s also possible for states to develop an economic relationship that balances out
each state’s economic strengths/weaknesses (i.e China depends on natural
resources from Africa, Africa depends on China for FDI in infrastructure).
- Structural power – the means by which states affect global politics, usually by promoting a
model of politics that they favor, such as democracy or capitalism.
, - Some states may wish to push others towards a more democratic, capitalist, free market
economic model (i.e the ideological struggle between capitalist and communist models of
economic development).
- In recent times, Western powers have tried to remove authoritarian regimes and build up
the democratic models of government (i.e regime change in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan)
through hard military power and regime change.
- Relational power is when a state has a relationship with another state and uses this relationship to
influence the other state to change its behavior; using military, economic, hard, soft power or a
combination of such.
- To be successful, the state will need an effective strategy, and must know the other state’s
strengths/weaknesses to know what would be a convincing threat.
- Three types of relational power (Nye)
- Threats and rewards – likely to encourage the state to achieve their desired goal
- Controlling the agenda – limiting the choices of the other state in order to achieve
the desired goal
- Establishing preferences – getting the other state to want the same goals as your
state
- Social and cultural power – globalization has given rise for some states to export their cultural
resources across the world.
- Global brands (e.g Simpsons, Facebook, BBC, Apple) are universally known and popular.
However, it’s difficult to know whether this brand popularity has any soft power benefit
for the states from which the brand originates
- Just because BBC is popular in Pakistan, it does not mean that the UK is
perceived positively
- Thus, cultural power connects diverse populations around the world at a more human,
rather than strategic, level
, The Nation state
evolving - The result of a complex division of labor and exchange relationships – it is a political and
nature of territorial entity
state - “Nation” implies that there is a common ethnicity and cultural characteristics (i.e
sovereignt language)
y - “State” most often refers to the sovereign nature of the area in which a state has been
formed
- States are classified as sovereign if they are independent entities not controlled by other territories
or entities
- In order for sovereignty to exist, there has to be an agreement within the nation’s
population that the state is legitimate and the holders of the will of the people
Westphalian Sovereignty
- A state’s sovereignty is dependent on other states recognizing the state as a state
- This idea originates from classical Rome and Medieval Europe. The Treaty of Westphalia
(1648) can be seen as the point where the ideas of statehood were formally established.
- The principle of sovereignty has been supported through putting ideas such as
diplomacy and non-intervention into practice.
- Groups such as the Islamic State may call themselves a state, but if no other states or
international organizations recognize them, they cannot be considered a sovereign
state. International legitimacy is essential in order for a state to be considered an
independent sovereign country.
Features of Sovereign Nations – Montevideo Convention (1933)
- A permanent population
- Do people live in a permanent place? Is the population fixed? Refugees?
- A defined territory and borders
- Do the ICJ and international law agree on state borders? Identifiable borders on a map?
- Effective government
- Does a government exist? Does it have full authority and control over its territory?
- The capacity and legitimacy to enter relations with other states
- Does the state have diplomatic relations (i.e summits, IGO memberships,
bilateral/multilateral partnerships)?
The Montevideo Convention is used to determine whether a nation is a sovereign state, however
there are many challenges to this method as some non-state groups conform to some of the above
features
Present-day status of sources of sovereignty
- In modern global politics, the UN is the key international body which agrees the legitimacy of
state borders and makes rulings on borders that are contested
- → being recognized as a full member state of the UN is the ultimate confirmation of
independent statehood
- At an international level, where borders or sovereignty are disputed, the resolutions of the UNSC
and decisions of the ICJ are important statements of international law
- Rulings from both institutions however are sometimes ignored
- At a national level, states and regions seeking independence often hold a referendum, in which the
population votes directly on whether it should become independent
- (i.e Scotland voting against becoming an independent state, Catalonia wanting to secede
from Spain)
Present-day challenges to state sovereignty
- There has been much debate about the evolution and declining importance of the state, given the
interactions of trade and challenges to centralized law, such as supranationality, humanitarian
intervention, indigenous rights, and social movements
- However, competing stakeholders keep the politics of states in motion
State sovereignty becoming less significant State sovereignty still significant
