WHAT IS GLOBAL POLITICS?

WHAT I ISNMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND GLOBAL

POLITICS?
Global politics, also known as world politics] names
both the discipline that studies the political and
economic patterns of the world and the field that is
The four chapters of the course are divided into the
being studied. At the centre of that field are the
most relevant and appropriate levels of analysis for
different processes of political globalization in relation
global politics in the 21st century – global, regional,
to questions of social power.
national, and the role of individuals.

The discipline studies the relationships between cities,

Module 1: Global
nation-states, shell-states, multinational corporations,
non-governmental organizations and international 1.1. Power in the international system
organizations. Current areas of discussion include
national and ethnic conflict regulation, democracy and
the politics of national self-determination, globalization How do we understand and quantify power? Is the
and its relationship to democracy, conflict and peace distribution of economic and military resources alone
studies, comparative politics, political economy, and the enough to determine system polarity and positions of
international political economy of the environment. predominance? Or should we consider other, more
One important area of global politics is contestation in diffuse, conceptualizations of power? Can concepts
the global political sphere over legitimacy. such as soft, structural, agenda-setting and institutional
power help us to better interpret international life? This
section unpacks different forms of power so as to
Global politics is said by some to be distinct from the provide students with a comprehensive toolkit with
field of international politics (commonly seen as a which to analyse international interactions, events and
branch of international relations, as it "does not stress trends.
the primacy of intergovernmental relations and
transactions". This distinction however has not always
been held among authors and political scientists, who Barnett, M and Duvall, R. (2005), Power in International
often use the term "international politics" to mean Politics. International Organization 59 (1)
global politics.

1.2. Anarchy, hierarchy and authority

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF GLOBAL POLITCS?

It allows students to develop an understanding of the

local, national, international and global dimensions of The international system is anarchic in that there is no
political activity, as well as allowing them the overarching authority empowered to adjudicate
opportunity to explore political issues affecting their disputes and differences between states. But interstate
own lives. dynamics are often based on authority relations
between superordinate and subordinate states that
allow some actors to control political space and actions.
Global politics draws on a variety of disciplines in the Building on the understandings of power developed in
social sciences and humanities. It helps students to Section One, here we question the usefulness of
understand abstract political concepts by grounding anarchy as an analytical category and look at the causal
them in real world examples and case studies, and also mechanisms which determine economic and political
invites comparison between such examples and case outcomes within the international sphere.
studies to ensure a transnational perspective.
Nexon, D and Wright, T. (2007). What’s at Stake in the 2.2. Economic and political regionalism – from
American Empire Debate? The American Political integration to post-hegemony
Science Review 101 (2)

Section Two analyses different forms of regional

1.3. Theoretical approaches projects, comparing the economic integration of the
European Union with more political and less
institutionalized projects in other parts of the world,
Section Three brings together the concepts studied in notably South America. We thus see regional projects
the previous sections so as to interpret the key theories which embody and promote fundamentally different
of International Relations. Does material power ideas on state-society relations, modes of capitalism
competition within an anarchic system condemn us to and the global distribution of power. Regions, in this
constant conflict, as Realism argues? Or should we sense, may either embrace and internalise or
listen to Liberals, who contend that institutions, free counterbalance and tame processes of globalization.
trade and democracy create the conditions for
cooperation? This section also looks at Constructivism’s
reinterpretation of anarchy through a focus on Riggirozzi, P. (2012). Regions, Regionness and
identities, interactions and change, as well as Neo- Regionalism in Latin America: Towards a New Synthesis.
Gramscian understandings of capital accumulation and New Political Economy 17 (4)
hegemony.

2.3. Regionalism and security

Blair, A. and Curtis, S. (2009). International Politics: An
Introductory Guide, pp.124-150
Most conflicts take place within regions or sub-regions,
so to what extent can a focus on regional relations help
us understand security dynamics? This section looks at
regions as security complexes, providing insights into
interactions which destabilise regions in security terms
Module 2: Regional as well as those which enhance regional security, both
through the easing of intra-regional tensions and the
2.1. Regions, regionalism and regionalisation limiting of military incursions or pressures from extra-
regional actors. Whilst during the Cold War security
dynamics were overlain by superpower control, now
What are the structures and interactions which give regions have the possibility to collectively manage their
meaning to a region? Through which processes, and for own security structures and identity, which has
what reasons, are regions constituted as political, important consequences for reducing conflict.
economic, social and security entities? This section
examines the ways in which regions both condition and
react to a globalizing world, allowing regional clubs of Fawn, R. (2009). Regions’ and Their Study: Wherefrom,
states to act collectively in the pursuit of shared What for and Whereto? Review of International Studies
interests. 35 (1)

Collard-Wexler, S. (2006). “Integration under Anarchy:

Neorealism and the European Union.” European Journal
of International Relations 12 (3).
 Discipline and Diversity. Oxford: Oxford University
Press. Ch. 5.

Module 3: National
3.3. State-building and War
3.1. Sovereignty

War is often regarded as destructive – and in many

The Westphalian System of mutually exclusive territorial
ways it is, not least in terms violence, loss of life, and
units with centralised legal and political authority is at
material damage. But for many centuries, fighting wars
the heart of the modern international system. This
helped governments become stronger, and
section will briefly identify what makes the modern
paradoxically, help ‘build’ states because warfare is
state distinct from previous forms of political order, and
often associated with national history and thus national
how it also constitutes the international system as
identity. Since the end of the Cold War, ‘new wars’ have
anarchic.
broken out in the Balkans, Central Asia, and parts of
Africa, where the lines between combatant and civilian
are blurred, and the ‘war economy’ is based on
De facto and de jure, internal and external, positive and illegality. According to Mary Kaldor – for the first time in
negative; all of these binaries will be explored in order centuries, these ‘new wars’ weaken states, not build
to show that despite being at the centre of our them.
understanding of the modern world, it is a highly fluid
concept.
Kaldor, M. (2012). New and Old Wars. Cambridge: Policy
Press pp.1-31
Krasner, S. (1995). Compromising Westphalia.
International Security 20(3): 115-151

3.2. Domestic Politics

Module 4: Individual

Why do states behave in the way that they do in global 4.1. Human Rights
politics? How are foreign policies made? Is state survival
such a pressing issue that all other policies are
subordinated to it, as realists would have us believe? Human rights form a fundamental part of global politics
Are democracies really more peaceful? To answer all of today. Do states protect human rights because they
these questions we have to look into the domestic believe it is the right thing to do, or because other
politics of states, and identify how both the politics (i.e. states put pressure on them to comply – either by
how members of the society influence the policies of promising incentives or threatening punishment? Under
their governments) and the polity (i.e. how societies are what circumstances can important norms of
structured and what type of government system they international society, such as the non-intervention in
employ matter. the domestic affairs of sovereign states, be violated in
the name of protecting people from the gravest
violations of human rights? This section answers these
Russett, B. (2013). Liberalism’ in Dunne, T., M. Kurki & S. questions and more.
Smith (eds.) Theories of International Relations:
Emilie M. Hafner-Burton and Kiyoteru Tsutsui. Human CHARACTERISTICS OF GLOBAL POITICS
Rights in a Globalizing World: The Paradox of Empty
Promises. American Journal of Sociology 110, no. 5
(March 2005): 1373-1411 1. Nobody is in charge. A continuing feature of world
politics is that there is no overall authority such as the
federal government in the U.S. Each country has
4.2. Civil Society sovereignty, which means that it has the authority to
make its own domestic and foreign policies.

How do individual change the world around them? In

global politics there are many ways that do not require The notion of sovereignty came about after the Thirty
using public institutions such as governments – these Years War killed about one third of the European
are non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that population in an orgy of battles, massacres, atrocities,
operate in a public space separate from the state – civil starvation and switching sides. The weary survivors
society. The revolution in communication technology agreed in the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia that maybe it
has made communication across borders easier and wasn’t so important after all whether a kingdom was
cheaper than ever, it is possible to mobilise public Protestant or Catholic. Each ruler could decide for
awareness and support for injustices that a few decades himself the religion of his state. From this beginning
ago would have remained unknown. States are being arose the notion of sovereignty, or the ability of each
forced to adapt to the impact of networks of civil country to decide its own domestic and foreign policies.
society groups operating domestically and
transnationally.
The flip side of sovereignty is that each country is on its
own, plus whatever support it can gain from allies and
Keck, M. E. and K. Sikkink (1999). Transnational international organizations. Technically, this is called
advocacy networks in international and regional politics. anarchy, but this does not imply the colloquial meaning
International Social Science Journal 51 (159): 89-101. of "chaos." There is plenty of order in the system, since
most nation-states follow the international rules.
However, there is no formal authority enforcing the
4.3. Development rules. Each country follows what it sees as its national
interests. For instance, North Korea believes it is in their
interest to have nuclear weapons to increase their
While globalisation has brought economic opportunities power in the world system and as deterrence against a
to many, including the platform of growth for the U.S. attack. We can’t call World 911 to stop their
‘emerging economies’ led by Brazil, South Africa, India program because there is no World 911.
and China, it has also furthered inequalities between
people, with more wealth concentrated in the hands of
fewer people than ever before. What should be the Nation-states frequently work together when it is in
response of global politics to questions about the their interests, sometimes within organizations such as
(un)fairness of opportunities for people across the the United Nations. For instance, after many years of
planet? negotiations, in 1983 the U.N. put together a
comprehensive Law of the Seas Treaty, which made
activities on the oceans much more orderly and
Sen, A. (2009). The Idea of Justice. Harvard University predictable.
Press, Chapter 1 – pp. 1-27.

On the other hand, nation-states sometimes do not

follow international law and violate the sovereignty of
other countries. For example, since 2015 China has
illegally taken over seven islands, built military bases partially because of the Iraq War.) Political parties, the
and claimed 90% of the South China Sea, ignoring the military and other bureaucracies may want or oppose
rights of seven other countries. In 2003, the U.S. war. Domestic industries complain about foreign
invaded Iraq without U.N. approval and in spite of imports and demand help in increasing exports. Exiles
disagreements from many of its allies. Russia invaded its from other countries try to affect policy toward their
tiny neighbor Georgia, took over the Crimea and home country. For instance, Iraqi exiles had a big
occupied part of Ukraine. Israel has built hundreds of influence on the decision to Invade Iraq in 2003.
illegal settlements in the West Bank. There is no world
police to stop any of these.
4. Perceptions Affect Reality. Perceptions influence and
can become reality. People, including national leaders,
In Syria, fighting between rebels and the dictatorial see the world through filters that organize and
Asad regime has killed about 500,000 people. Russia has sometimes distort reality. For instance, Russian
backed up the government, its longtime ally, with President Vladimir Putin sees the U.S. as trying to hurt
planes, supplies and troops, totally destroying the Russia and is fighting to regain world power.
ancient city of Aleppo and other communities. Iran also
supplies also the Syrian government with weapons and
fighters. The UN is helpless to stop the killings because How maps are drawn is another example. One
Syria exercises its sovereignty in refusing to allow any humorous map turns the world upside down and puts
outside intervention, and the Russians and Chinese Australia at the top and center instead of ‘down under.’
support them in the UN Security Council. Some U.S. maps cut Eurasia in half to put the U.S. at the
center. Japanese maps put Japan at the center. Maps
from the 1600s through the 1900s used the Mercator
2. Nation states are still the primary international projection, which exaggerates the size of the Northern
players. Although international organizations such as hemisphere, where most maps were produced. Today’s
the United Nations and other nonstate actors such as more accurate maps show that Africa is 2 ½ times the
ISIS and Coca Cola are much more numerous and size of the U.S.
important, nation states remain the primary players in
world politics. This is despite repeated predictions that
they will weaken and eventually disappear. Ain’t gonna Also, we all make snap judgments based on
happen in the foreseeable future. Within international stereotypes. Today, many Americans see Muslims as
organizations, nation states are again the main players. radical terrorists and many Muslims see Americans as
militaristic bullies. The U.S. obsesses about jihadists
when domestic white nationalists kill many more
3. Domestic factors affect world politics and vice versa. people. Sixty percent of the population in the Middle
In order to stay in power, British Prime Minister David East believes that 9/11 was carried out by the CIA and
Cameron promised the anti-European Union faction of Israeli intelligence in order to cast blame on Muslims for
his Conservative Party that he would hold a national the attack.
referendum on whether to stay in the EU. To everyone’s
shock, in 2016 the country narrowly voted to leave
(Brexit), which is causing all kinds of problems in a The U.S. comedian Ahmed Ahmed always gets stopped
country that imports 70% of its food from Europe. On at airports because there is a terrorist with the same
the other hand, leaders sometimes use foreign policy to name. He has to explain, “I’m not the terrorist, I’m the
gain stature and win elections (e.g. Bush 2 used 9/11 to comedian.” He wonders if people go up to the other
win in 2004), while failed foreign policies can result in Ahmed Ahmed and say, “Tell me a joke,” and he says,
leaders being pushed out of office. (Lyndon Johnson did “I’m not the comedian, I’m the terrorist.”
not run for re-election in 1968 because of the Vietnam
War. Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair lost in 2007
because of the Iraq War. U.S. Republicans lost in 2008
Sometimes we interpret others peoples’ actions in a which also includes rising countries and constitutes 85%
negative way while expecting them to see our actions in of the world economy, is becoming more important.
a positive way - ‘mirror imaging.’ Both the U.S. and
USSR saw each other as hostile and aggressive during
the Cold War (and are doing so again today), and this is There has also been cooperation in developing a series
how Israeli and Palestinian, Indian and Pakistani, and of international treaties on acid rain, the ozone layer
Iranian and American leaders still see each other. and global warming.

Perceptions also come from historical experience. China In contrast, the media focuses on numerous conflicts
suffered 100 years of encroachments, military over security, trade and other matters. Usually these
humiliations and exploitation at the hands of arrogant are resolved through diplomacy, but there are also
westerners and Japanese before becoming strong and plenty of military conflicts in spite of the United Nations
independent in the late 1900s. They still don't trust the and other international organizations.
West and want to regain the power and respect they
had in the 1600s. Russia is paranoid about invasion after
suffering huge casualties from centuries of attacks by 6. Continuity and change. Today, things are changing
the Mongols, Swedes, French and Germans. Iran more and faster, but many things remain the same.
mistrusts the U.S. because they suffered under the Shah Years after 9/11 supposedly changed everything, global
after the CIA engineered a coup to put him in office. The trade continues, China continues to rise, and
U.S. has been protected by its oceans and Britain by the India/Pakistan, North Korea and Israel/Palestine remain
English Channel. Both often see the outside world as flash points. The nature of war has changed
corrupt, something either to be avoided or reformed. dramatically, with precision bombs that can go through
the doorway of a building, drones that can be controlled
from several thousand miles away and cyberattacks that
5. Cooperation and Conflict. There is a huge amount of can cripple governments, banks and utilities. However,
unnoticed cooperation in the international system that much of war is still being fought by infantry walking
we take for granted. For instance, an international down alleys and kicking in doors.
organization called ICANN decides on each country’s
internet suffix. In 2009, they decided to allow new
suffixes and the use of Chinese, Arabic and other non- Today almost half the world economy is trade, travel is
Roman languages. Intelsat decides where so cheap and routine that ordinary workers in Europe
communication satellites should be placed in orbit. Even fly to other countries for weekend parties, and
during the Cold War, the U.S. and USSR cooperated in international Internet communication is so normal that
numerous ways to avoid conflict. NATO members work a recent TV ad showed several guys in different
together on military matters, e.g., intervening to stop countries competing in a video game. But Silicon Valley,
the Yugoslav civil wars in the 1990s. Wall Street and Hollywood still depend on close
geographic proximity. And personal relationships still
count. Bush 1 was a compulsive networker - his family
Increased international trade and investment increase sent out 20,000 Christmas cards each year. He was
interdependence and further more cooperation. It’s not always making phone calls, visiting and receiving visits
a good idea to bomb a country that supplies you with oil from foreign leaders. When it came time to invade Iraq,
or computer chips. he was able to assemble 28 allies to participate. Eleven
years later, Bush 2, who had an arrogant attitude
toward other countries, could only assemble a few.
The G7 countries (the big democracies) meet in regular
summits to cooperate in economic matters, and also in
fighting terrorism - by freezing assets, extraditing
suspects and sharing information. However, the G20,
Why Should We Study World Politics? People love to buy cheap imports, even as they
complain about jobs moving overseas.

1. It can kill you. That’s why you have to take your

shoes off at the airport - world politics could hijack or 5. It affects your health. In 2016, all branches of Genki
blow up your plane. Or you could be at your desk Sushi in Hawaii were closed after hundreds of people
minding your own business in the World Trade Center caught Hepatitis from raw scallops imported from the
on 9/11 when two planes hit the buildings. Or you could Philippines. (An estimated 15 percent of the U.S. food
be at a party in San Bernardino or a night club in supply is imported, including 50% of fresh fruits, 20% of
Orlando when Internet-inspired crazies come in and fresh vegetables and 80% of seafood, and only 5% of
start shooting. Or you could be walking down a sidewalk imported food is inspected.) Meanwhile, pollution
when an Islamic State wannabe drives a truck into the respects no man-made boundaries. Dust from the Gobi
crowd. Desert becomes heavily polluted as it blows across
China. Then it blows across the Pacific to land on snow
in the Rocky Mountains, contaminating American water.
Active duty military, reservists and members of the Twenty-five percent of the smog in L.A. comes from
National Guard are still going to Afghanistan and Iraq, China and five percent of the smog in Honolulu comes
where roadside bombs, car bombs, suicide bombs, from L.A. Acid rain from the American Midwest and
shootings and other attacks have killed thousands of Germany destroys forests in Canada and Scandinavia.
U.S. soldiers and marines and wounded many more. Smoke from huge forest fires in Indonesia spreads all
over Southeast Asia.

2. It costs you money. Even if you don't get directly

involved in a war, you help pay for it with your taxes. In another dimension, increased trade and travel means
The military consumes over $700 Billion a year, 20% of local diseases are carried to new places. The corona
our national budget. The Department of Homeland virus spread all over the world in a few months. Zika
Security spends another $38 billion. spread from Brazil all over the Americas. Ebola spread
from West Africa. African Swine Flu has spread all over
the globe, requiring the killing of millions of pigs.
3. It affects your job. You could lose your job if the Various bird flus from China have killed hundreds of
company moves it to China, India or Mexico. Several people around the world. The latest H9N9 version has a
million jobs moved overseas in recent years as human mortality rate of 25% and is more infectious.
companies reduced or closed their U.S. plants and AIDS is also a global disease. West Nile disease is now
offices. On the other hand, you could get a raise if your established throughout the U.S. Drug-resistant TB is
company makes successful exports. Hollywood and U.S. spreading from Russia. MERS (Middle East Respiratory
farmers could not survive without their exports. Seattle Syndrome) is spreading from Saudi Arabia.
depends on Boeing, which is the largest exporter in the Furthermore, invasive species hitch rides on planes and
U.S. Many of the big corporations in the Fortune 500 ships - brown tree snakes from the Solomon Islands kill
make more than half their sales overseas. They are birds and attack babies in Guam, zebra mussels from
hiring, but not in the U.S. Russia and Ukraine choke the Great Lakes, and Asian
carp invade U.S. rivers.

4. It affects your shopping. When we buy Chinese-made

cell phones or Mexican-made jeans, we save money. 6. The world is becoming more and more globalized,
When we buy strawberries in the winter, they didn't more and more quickly. Twenty-four percent of NBA
come from the U.S. We depend on cheap oil imports to players and 27% of Major League Baseball players are
fuel our SUVs. Most of the clothing, shoes, video foreign born. Half of KFC’s sales are in China. There are
recorders and TVs sold in the U.S. are made overseas. huge amounts of international trade, international
organizations, international culture and international
travel. Today, 30% of the US economy is trade. In many • DEVELOPMENT
countries it is more. Big ships and planes carry more
• GLOBALIZTION
people and more goods faster and cheaper. Indeed,
travel is the world’s largest industry. There are • INEQUALITY
thousands of non-state actors like Amnesty
International, Greenpeace, Islamic State and Facebook • SUSTAINABILITY
that are engaging large countries. The K-Pop group BTS • PEACE
had three #1 hits in the U.S. in 2019 and brought in $4.3
billion. PSY’s Gangnam Style has had 3 billion views • CONFLICT
since it went up on YouTube in 2012. American movies • VIOLENCE
play everywhere, and Indian, Iranian, Japanese and
other movies are also finding overseas audiences. South • NON-VIOLONECE
Korean, Mexican, Turkish and Brazilian TV dramas play
all over the world. The Beverly Hills Hotel is facing a
boycott because of the conservative anti-gay Islamist
policies that its owner, the Sultan of Brunei, has
3. How do key actors control and influence global
imposed in his home country in Southeast Asia. Many
governance?
other American businesses are also owned by foreign
companies. Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Power
texting and blogs make it ordinary to communicate
Power is a central concept in the study of global politics
quickly and easily to people thousands of miles away,
and a key focus of the course. Power can be seen as
coordinate revolutions at home, foment lynchings, riots
ability to effect change and, rather than being viewed as
and genocide, or find and arrest government critics.
a unitary or independent force, is as an aspect of
relations among people functioning within a social
organization. Contested relationships between people
Whether we like it or not, world politics affects us
and groups of people dominate politics, particularly in
greatly. So it is a good idea for us to know what is going
this era of increased globalization, and so
on out there.
understanding the dynamics of power plays a
prominent role in understanding global politics. WITH
THE HLP OF POWER IT ALLOWS THE AUTHORITY TO
1. Explain, examine, and relate the key concepts being
control others o do what other would do or would not
used in the study of global politics.
do to CREATE CHANGES
The global politics course explores fundamental political
concepts such as power, equality, sustainability, and
peace in a range of contexts and at a variety of levels. Sovereignty

2. What are the key actors in global politics? Sovereignty characterizes a state’s independence, its
control over territory and its ability to govern itself.
• POWER
How states use their sovereign power is at the heart of
• SOVEREIGNTY many important issues in global politics. Some theorists
argue that sovereign power is increasingly being eroded
• LEGITIMACY by aspects of globalization such as global
• INTERDEPENDENCE communication and trade, which states cannot always
fully control. Others argue that sovereign states
• HUMN RIGHTS exercise a great deal of power when acting in their
• JUSTICE national interest and that this is unlikely to change.

• LIBERTY the notion that governments are free to do what they

want within their own territory
• EQUALITY
 Justice

There are a number of different interpretations of the

concept of justice. It is often closely associated with the
Legitimacy
idea of fairness and with individuals getting what they
Legitimacy refers to an actor or an action being deserve, although what is meant by desert is also
commonly considered acceptable and provides the contested. One avenue is to approach justice through
fundamental basis or rationale for all forms of the idea of rights, and what individuals can legitimately
governance and other ways of exercising power over expect of one another or of their government. Some
others. The most accepted contemporary source of theorists also argue that equality not only in the
legitimacy in a state is some form of democracy or institutions and procedures of a society but also in
constitutionalism whereby the governed have a defined capabilities or well-being outcomes is required for
and periodical opportunity to choose who they wish to justice to be realized.
exercise power over them. Other sources of legitimacy
are suggested in states in which such an opportunity
does not exist. Within any proposed overall framework Liberty
of legitimacy, individual actions by a state can be
The concept of liberty refers to having freedom and
considered more or less legitimate. Other actors of
autonomy. It is often divided into positive and negative
global politics and their actions can also be evaluated
liberty, with negative liberty defined as individuals
from the perspective of legitimacy.
having the freedom from external coercion and positive
liberty defined as individuals having the autonomy to
carry out their own rational will. Some scholars reject
Interdependence
this distinction and argue that in practice, one form of
In global politics, the concept of interdependence most liberty cannot exist without the other. It is also
often refers to the mutual reliance between and among questioned if such an understanding of liberty is
groups, organizations, geographic areas and/or states sufficient for an interdependent world, in which the
for access to resources that sustain living arrangements. seeming freedom and autonomy of some may depend
Often, this mutual reliance is economic (such as trade), on lack of some forms of liberty for others. Hence,
but can also have a security dimension (such as defence debates on equality inform our understanding of liberty
arrangements) and, increasingly, a sustainability as well.
dimension (such as environmental treaties).
Globalization has increased interdependence, while
often changing the relationships of power among the Equality
various actors engaged in global politics.

Egalitarian theories are based on a concept of equality

Human Rights that all people, or groups of people, are seen as having
the same intrinsic value. Equality is therefore closely
Human rights are basic claims and entitlements that,
linked to justice and fairness, as egalitarians argue that
many argue, one should be able to exercise simply by
justice can only exist if there is equality. Increasingly,
virtue of being a human being. Many contemporary
with growing polarization within societies, equality is
thinkers argue they are essential for living a life of
also linked to liberty, as different people have differing
dignity, are inalienable, and should be accepted as
possibilities to be free and autonomous.
universal. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
adopted by the UN in 1948 is recognized as the
beginning of the formal discussion of human rights
Development
around the world. Critics argue that human rights are a
Western, or at least culturally relative, concept. Development is a sustained increase in the standard of
living and well-being of a level of social organization.
Many consider it to involve increased income; better without compromising the ability of future generations
access to basic goods and services; improvements in to meet their needs. Sustainability today has three
education, healthcare and public health; well- fields of debate—environmental, sociopolitical and
functioning institutions; decreased inequality; reduced economic. In global politics, mechanisms and incentives
poverty and unemployment; and more sustainable required for political institutions, economic actors and
production and consumption patterns. The focus of individuals to take a longer term and more inclusive
development debates in contemporary global politics is well-being perspective in their decision-making are
on issues faced by developing countries, and on the particularly important.
imperative of shifting the focus from modernization
(seen as Westernization). However, all societies and
communities face questions about how to best promote Peace
well-being and reduce ill-being.
Peace is often defined as both the absence of conflict
and violence as well as a state of harmonious relations.
Many also refer to peace as a personal state of non-
Globalization
conflict, particularly with oneself and with one’s
Globalization is a process by which the world’s local, relationship to others. Peace is the ultimate goal of
national and regional economies, societies and cultures many organizations that monitor and regulate social
are becoming increasingly integrated and connected. relationships.
The term refers to the reduction of barriers and
borders, as people, goods, services and ideas flow more
freely between different parts of the world. Conflict
Globalization is a process that has been taking place for
centuries but the pace has quickened in recent decades, Conflict is the dynamic process of actual or perceived
facilitated by developments in transportation and opposition between individuals or groups. This could be
communication technology, and powered by cheap opposition over positions, interests or values. Most
energy. It is now widely acknowledged that theorists would distinguish between non-violent and
globalization has both benefits and drawbacks and that violent conflict. In this distinction, non-violent conflict
its benefits are not evenly distributed. can be a useful mechanism for social change and
transformation, while violent conflict is harmful and
requires conflict resolution.
Inequality

Inequality refers to a state of affairs where equality Violence

between people or groups of people is not realized and
the consequent potential compromises of justice and Violence is often defined as physical or psychological
liberty. Inequality often manifests itself through force afflicted upon another being. In the context of
unequal access to resources that are needed to sustain global politics, it could be seen as anything someone
life and develop individuals and communities. does that prevents others from reaching their full
Consequently, the concept is closely connected to potential. This broader definition would encompass
discussions of power and of who holds the rights to unequal distribution of power that excludes entire
these resources and their proceeds. Inequality can be groups from accessing resources essential for improved
examined both as a phenomenon within and between living standards or well-being, and discriminatory
societies. practices that exclude entire groups of people from
accessing certain resources.

Sustainability
Non-violence
Definitions of sustainability begin with the idea that
development should meet the needs of the present Non-violence is the practice of advocating one’s own or
others’ rights without physically harming the opponent.
It often involves actively opposing the system that is
deemed to be unjust, through for example boycotts,
demonstrations and civil disobedience. Theorists argue
that non-violence can often draw attention to a conflict
situation and that it could provide a fertile basis for
post-conflict transformation.

Actors in the international arena can be classified

mainly into two types of actors as state actors and non-
state actors. The key difference between state actors
and non-state actors is, the state actors are the ruling
governments of a state or a country whereas non-state
actors are the influential organizations or even
individuals having the potential to influence the actions
of state actors, but not allied to a state.