The globalization phenomenon is posing new challenges to the system of governance the world over. This essay examines the various challenges posed by Globalization and whether Globalization has rendered the state system obsolete.
Globalization and advancements in communications have made economic transactions virtual. International treaties, laws, agreements and deregulation now allow greater access to citizens to move freely across the world challenging traditional ideas of sovereignty, national identities as well as concepts of security shaped by realist and neorealist assumptions (Steans 66). Take for example security, since criminals and terrorists are no longer constrained by geography and operate anywhere in the world using the internet to transfer funds, recruit members and carry out operations, they defy national sovereignties. Sovereign laws cannot be applied as the perpetrators of crimes are located elsewhere. Stateless organizations and multinationals now have the capacity to challenge government economies and money used by such non-state actors subverts national bureaucracies. Naim has identified five wars that globalization has produced namely wars against Drugs, arms trafficking, alien smuggling, money laundering and counterfeit goods (64). Since criminals can freely move around the world, states need to frame a new set of laws and update the existing framework of international and national laws that have far too many loopholes to counter the threat from the above stated five wars. This may require a change in laws regarding sovereignty, greater cooperation and regulation amongst nations (Naim 66). Globalization has also internationalized skilled labor and people possessing specialist skills can find work and legitimacy anywhere. Multinational companies too have benefited as their operations now span the globe, where at times their clout becomes greater than the host countries since some of them are linked to national security of powerful states, oil companies being one such example. In the realm of sports, soccer players are traded globally by soccer clubs and thus have become trans-national cultural products that have universal acceptance (Foer 72-75). Despite the serious challenges posed by Globalization, the construct of modern nation states with clearly defined geographical boundaries, shared ethnicity, religions, cultures, values and customs still require state specific laws, armies and police to ensure physical security of its people. Take the example of the âEuropean Unionâ where each nation state continues to maintain its identity despite attempts at homogenizing laws, currency and administrative procedures. The globalization paradigm calls for a âuniversalizationâ of human rights, which is not likely to happen as Sashi Tharoor has pointed out that perceptions of Confucian, Vedic and African cultures are far removed from the Western ideals of human rights (Tharoor 185).
In conclusion it can be reiterated that though globalization has undoubtedly increased the challenges for the governmentsâ world wide making it easier for criminals to operate freely, the relevance of the current state system will continue albeit with greater cooperation and change in international laws to deal with the positive and negative challenges of globalization.
Works Cited
Foer, Franklin. “Soccer vs. McWorld.” Jackson, Robert. Annual Editions: Global Issues 05/06. NY: Dushkin, 2006. 72-76.
Naim, Moises. “Five Wars of Globalization.” Jackson, Robert. Annual Editions: Global Issues 05/06. NY: Dushkin, 2006. 61-66.
Steans, Jill. Gender and International Relations. NY: Rutger University Press, 2006.
Tharoor, Shashi. “Are Human Rights Universal?” Jackson, Robert. Annual Editions: Global Issues 05/06. NY: Dushkin, 2006. 185-188.