ACTORS AND INFLUENCESInternational relations

State Actors

State is a territorial entity controlled by a

government and inhabited by a population

Answers to no higher authority; exercises sovereignty

Population Forms a civil society to the extent that it

has developed institutions to participate in political life or social life

Shares a group identity called nation

State Actors

1. State leaders Head of the government or the head of

the state or both The most powerful political figure The key individual actors in IR,

regardless of whether these leaders are democratically elected or dictators

2. Bureaucratic organizations (such as foreign ministers) that act in the name of the state.

State Actors

International system The set of relationships among the

world’s states, structured according to certain rules and patterns of interaction.

Rule may be explicit or implicit Rules include who is considered a

member of the system, what rights and responsibilities the members have, and what kind of actions and responses normally occur between states

The International system

Before then, people were organized into

more mixed and overlapping political units such as city-

states, empires, and feudal chiefs

Modern internatio

nal system

existed for less 500

years

In the past 200 years, nations began

asserting as states, increase their

number during the decolonization,

substate nationalism and breaking up of large multinational

states

Population of States

Population varies dramatically China and India with more that 1 billion

against San Marino with fewer than 100,000.

Today, majority of states have population fewer than 10 million

15 states with populations more than 70 million people together contain about 2/3 of the world’s population

Economy of States

States differ tremendously in the size of their total annual economic activity (GDP)

US has $12 trillion against tiny states such as the Pacific island of Vanuatu with $600 million

The world economy is dominated by a few states, just as the world powers

Largest CountriesLa

rgest

Po

pula

tionPakistan

BangladeshNigeriaVietnamPhilippinesTurkey

Both

ChinaIndiaUnited StatesIndonesiaBrazilRussiaJapanMexicoGermany

Larg

est

eco

nom

yFranceBritainItalyCanadaSpainSouth Korea

Great Powers and SuperpowersGreat powers

Compose of few large states which possess especially greater military and economic strength and influence

Superpowers

Most powerful of great powers with truly global influence

Generally meant USA and Soviet Union during Cold War and now only the United States

Other Political Entities States or countries but not formally recognize

as states Taiwan

Operates independently but is claimed by China and is not a UN member

Former colonies and possession like Puerto Rico (USA), Bermuda (British), Martinique (French), French Guiana, the Netherlands Antilles (Dutch), Falkland Islands (British, and Guam (US)

Hong Kong reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997 under “one country, two systems” formula

Vatican’s (Holy See) status is ambiguous Other would-be states are Kurdistan (Iraq),

Abkhazia (Georgia), and Somaliland (Somalia)

Non-State Actors

Non-state actors are also called transnational actors1. Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)

Organizations whose members are national governments

Fulfill a variety of functions and vary in size from just a few states to virtually the whole UN membership

More than 5,000

2. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) Private organizations, some of considerable size and

resources Some have political purpose, some economic or

technical one More than 25,000

Non-State Actors

3. Multinational Corporations (MNCs) Companies that span multiple countries Often control greater resources and operate

internationally with greater efficiency, than many small states

May prop up (or even create) friendly foreign governments but may also provide poor states with much-needed foreign investments and tax revenues

Depend on states to provide protection, well-regulated markets, and a stable political environment

Non-State Actors

4. Terrorists During the 9/11 attack, demonstrated

the increasing power that technology gives terrorists

al Qaeda Can place suicide bombers in world cities,

coordinate their operations and finances through the Internet and global banking system, and reach a global audience with videotaped appeals

Non-State Actors

5. Substate Actors Exist within one country but either

influence that country’s foreign policy or operate internationally, or both

Example Ohio, an entirely US entity but operates an

International Trade Division to promote exports and foreign investments, with offices in Belgium, Japan, Canada, China, Israel, and Mexico

HOW ARE STATE AND NON-STATE ACTORS AFFECTED BY

THE REVOLUTION IN INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGIES?

Types of non-state actors

Type Who are they? Examples

IGOs – Intergovernmental Organizations

Members are national governments

United Nations, Arab League, Nato

NGOs – Nongovernmental Organizations

Members are individuals and groups

Amnesty International, Lions Club, Red Cross

MNCs – Multinational Corporations

Companies that span borders

ExxonMobil, Toyota, Wal-Mart

Others Individuals, cities, constituencies, etc.

Bono, Iraqi Kurdistan, al Qaeda

The IGOs

EU

NATO

AU

ASEAN

MERCOSUR

The ICRC (INGO)

The MNCs

Others

al Qaeda

Basque Fatherland and Liberty

Dallas

Taliban

LEVELS OF ANALYSIS

Definition

One of sorting out the multiplicity of influences, actors, and processes

It is a set of similar actors or processes that suggests possible explanations to “why” questions

The levels of analysis

Individual levelDomestic (or state or societal) level

Interstate (or international or

systematic)Global level

Levels of analysis

Individual level

Concerns the perceptions, choices, and actions of individual human beings

Example of influences: Without Lenin, there might well have

been no Soviet Union If few more college students voted for

Nixon rather than Kennedy in the razor-close 1960 election, the Cuban Missile might have ended differently

Domestic level

Concerns the aggregation of individuals within states that influence state actions in the international arena Includes interest groups, political organizations, and

government agencies These groups operate differently in different

kinds of societies and states Examples: democracies and dictatorships may act differently

from one another Democracies and dictatorships may act differently in

an election year from the way they act at other times

Interstate level

Concerns the influence of international system upon outcomes.

Focuses on the interactions of state themselves, without regard to their internal makeup or the particular individuals who lead them

It pays attention to states’ relative power positions in the international system and the interactions (e.g., trade) among them

The most important level of analysis

Global level

Seeks to explain international outcomes in terms of global trends and forces that transcend the interactions of states themselves Evolution of human technology Transnational integration through

scientific, technical, and business communities

Triad Activity

Identify the influences of the following levels of analysis in IR: Global Interstate Domestic level Individual level

Levels of analysisGlobal level

North-South gap, world regions, European imperialism

Religious fundamentalism, Terrorism, world environment, technological change

Information revolution, global telecommunications, worldwide scientific and business communities

Interstate level

Power, balance of power, alliance and information dissolution

War, treaties, trade agreements, IGOs

Diplomacy, Summit meetings, bargaining, reciprocity

Levels of analysisDomestic level

Nationalism, Ethnic conflict, type of government, democracy

Dictatorship, domestic coalitions, political parties and elections, public opinion

Gender, economic sectors and industries, military-industrial complex, foreign policy bureaucracies

Individual level

Great leaders, crazy leaders, decision making in crises

Psychology of perception and decision, learning, assassinations, accidents in historyCitizen’s participation (voting, rebelling, going to war, etc.)

END