OPENING

PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name, thy
kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven, Give
us this day our daily bread, and
forgive us our trespasses, as we
forgive those who trespass
against us, and lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us.
Amen.
ICE
BREAKER!!
!
 Global
CHAPTER II

Lesson 3

Interstate
System
GLOBAL STATE SYSTEM
• Some claim that of all modern societies,
contemporary international relations is closest to a
social field. That is, interactions are predominantly
spontaneous and free market processes
fundamentally determine major relations.
• It is further claimed that nobody plans what the
society will be like as no central organizational
structure coercively commands behavior.
• Relations among members of the world society are
said to comprise multiple and overlapping local,
regional, and international expectations dependent
on the interests, capabilities, and wills of the parties
involved.
JEAN JACQUES
ROUSSEAU (1712-
1778)

The Genevan philosopher who

explained that the powers of
Europe form among themselves a
kind of 'system’ that joins them
together through the same religion,
law of nations, customs, letters,
commerce, as well as a sort of
balance which is the necessary
effect of all these.
Georges-Henri Soutou
french historian (b.1943)

introduces international system as

characterized by the general balance of
the powers making it up and, also by
shared solidarities that are cultural,
religious, economic, social, as well as
with regard to legal and diplomatic
structures (organizing the international
system,” n.d).
‘SYSTEM’ IN INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS
• In the context of the global interstate system,
system fundamentally refers to interactions by
various political entities, but mostly states.
• Today, the system is virtually global
• During the 18th century, the term "system”
came into common use in the field of
international relations.
International system as a modern in sociology:

• requires going beyond a purely mechanical order to consider

relations among the powers, their power dynamics, and their
conviction of having a shared destiny.
• A system has a transcendental dimension that surpasses the
specificity of each of its members, in order to make up a more or
less coherent whole of countries that observe common rules, and
adopt common practices.
• The relative haziness of this notion comes from the fact that each
state pursues individual goals in keeping with their singularity.
• Conceiving an international system involves envisioning a
cohesion that is satisfactory for the greatest number, and which
starts out from varied interests that are not always convergent,
and that can even be incompatible.
INTERSTATE
SYSTEM
Interstate System may refer to a
system for international relations,
specifically that which deals with
governments or states and their
authorities.

International Relations are broad and

can be divided into:
1.) interstate
2.) intersocietal
3.) interpersonal
Interstate relations
Interstate refers to the interactions and relationships
between sovereign states, encompassing diplomatic,
economic, military, and cultural exchanges
Intersocietal relations
intersocietal refers to those authoritative actions,
understandings, or commitments of the authorities of
groups within one state with those groups or citizens of
another state.
Interpersonal relations

denote those relations of or between

citizens of different states acting in their
personal interests.
• All authoritative actions of a state's governmental
authority against any citizen or group or another state
is part of interstate relations.
• International relations are thus interpersonal,
intersocietal, and interstate and the international field
comprises interpersonal, intersocietal, and interstate
behavior and attributes. Technically though, global
interstate system is concerned (only) with the
interstate matters.
• Many say that the current international system is
marked by growing interdependence (that is, the
mutual responsibility and dependency on others) due
to growing globalization, specifically the international
economic interactions.
THE EFFECTS OF
GLOBALIZATION ON
GOVERNANCE
State
• is commonly defined as a nation or territory
considered as an organized political community
under one government.
• is the geographic unit that has a distinct
constitution, fiscal system, and sovereign
Government
• is the governing body of a state, nation, or
community.
• is the political administration of a state or
country.
Looking at globalization vis-à-vis governments is an
essential part of overall impact that globalization has had
on trying to understand this phenomenon the future, it is
also vital to evaluate particular implications of
globalization, and specifically the effects of economic
globalization, as well as the political impact of
globalization on the behavior of governments or states.

GLOBALIZATION AND ECONOMIC SOVEREIGNNITY

Osland (2003)
contends that "the key question regarding globalization
and governments is whether or not globalization threatens
national sovereignty. (p.142)” history seems to manifest
that the governments of states were contributory in driving
globalization.
• In the present day, it becomes difficult to be economically
isolated. As a result, some believe that today, "government
matters less and less in a global economy.
• Nation-states are simply other actors on the global stage rather
than its directors (Osland, 2003), and that "aggressive global
production systems and capital markets now occupy the
'commanding heights of global development, forcing
governments on the defensive and pressuring them to
deregulate, downsize, and privatize many of the social
management functions they assumed during the past century"
(Yergin and Stanislaw, 2000)
Joyce S. Osland Ph. D
of San Jose State University College of Global Leadership
and Innovation enumerates some of the pros and cons of
globalization related governments. The positives include
the following (2003):

1. increased economic development benefits some

governments;
2.increased jobs and expanded infrastracture benefit
some countries;
3.transfer of modern management techniques into
business sector;
4.greater interdependence among trading and
investment partners may war; and
5.proliferation of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
to counter-balance decreased governmental power.
On the other hand, the negative effects of globalization on governments include these:

1.power of multinational enterprises (MNEs) increased at the expense of government

power, sovereignty, and ability to regulate business;
2.MNEs externalize some of their cost to countries;
3.competition for factories and foreign direct investments (FDI) result in too many
concessions to MNEs by some governments;
4.some MNEs influence local government policy and threaten to leave if their
demands are not met;
5.MNEs pay fewer taxes to governments and incorporate where the tax rate is
lowest, depriving their own country; and
6.governments are pressured to reduce tax rates and decrease social benefits that
may affect stability.

As regards globalization and political sovereignty, with the rise of globalization come
increase international human rights norms which have brought serious challenges on
traditional meanings of state sovereignty.
INSTITUTIONS THAT GOVERN INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS

International relations (also referred to as

international affairs) have a broad purpose in
contemporary society, as it seeks to understand
the following (International Relations,” n.d.):

1.the origins of war and the maintenance of

peace;
2.the nature and exercise of power within the
global system; and
3.the changing character of state and non-
state actors who participate in international
decision-making.
• As regards globalization and political sovereignty, with the
rise of globalization come increased international human
rights norms which have brought serious challenges on
traditional meanings of state sovereignty.
• Since the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, the state model has
been the prevailing one in international relations (as
explained in a previous section of this book).
• With the formation of the League of Nations, and more so
later with the establishment of the United Nations in the past
century, governments and states have continued to have their
respective sovereignty questioned by human rights activists
who demand the state live up to its function as the defender
of its population.
• With platforms such as the United Nations, international
actors can come together and work on international legal
• Although states sometimes violate treaties and conventions, but
with some enforcement mechanisms today such as the
International Criminal Court, the capacity of governments leaders
to guard themselves from international eyes, in terms of media and
expectations of international law, is significantly curtailed.
• International treaties also affect the states' ability to pass
economic policies. As Stiglitz (2007) states, Increasingly, a
government's ability to control the actions of individuals or
companies is also limited by international agreements that impinge
on the right of sovereign states to make decisions.
• A government that wants to ensure that banks lend a certain
fraction of their portfolio to underserved areas, or to ensure that
accounting frameworks accurately reflect a company's true status,
may find it unable to pass the appropriate laws. Signing on to
international trade agreements can prevent governments from
regulating the influx and outflow of hot, speculative money, even
though capital market liberalization can lead to economic crises
INSTITUTIONS THAT GOVERN
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
International relations (also referred to as international affairs) have a broad
purpose in contemporary society, as it seeks to understand the following
("International Relations, n.d.):

1. the origins of war and the maintenance of peace,

2. the nature and exercise of power within the global system; and
3. the changing character of state and non-state actors who participate in
international decision-making.

Historically, the formation of treaties among nations served as the earliest

form of international relations. The study and practice of international
relations in today's world and globalized society is valuable for several
reasons, Ideally speaking. international relationshas the following roles.
1 It promotes successful trade policies between nations:
2. It encourages travel related to business, tourism, and immigration, providing people with
opportunities to enhance their lives
3. It allows nations to cooperate with one another, pool resources, and share Information as
a way to face global issues that go beyond any particular country or region. Contemporary
global issues include pandemics, terrorism, and the environment.
4. It advances human culture through cultural exchanges, diplomacy, and policy
development ("International Relations." n.d.).

The practice of international relations is significant in a wide range of settings, Some

examples include Humanitarian organizations (Action Against Hunger, Oxfam International,
World Food Programmes, Government agencies (Department of State, Department of
Homeland Security, Department of Commerce), International corporations (General Electric,
Exxon Mobile, Toyota, Nestle, Siemens); Media outlets (BBC, Washington Post, The Guardian,
Der Spiegal, New York Times, Forbes, Wall Street Journal); International communications
(Amnesty International, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders),
Research centers/Think tanks (Brookings Institution, Center for International Policy, Council
on Foreign Relations, Global Public Policy Institute), and Intergovernmental organizations
(World Trade Organization, United Nations, NATO)