Welcome
to the 40th Question of the Week entry! This week I will cover the word sovereign
in the following question:
Does
the impact of globalization have a positive effect on the sovereignty of a state?
The
word sovereign stands for a state that has complete control over a specific
territory and its inhabitants. Currently there are 195 sovereign states1.
For these states to be recognized, a number of criteria have to be met. These
include: a defined territory, inhabitants within that territory, a government,
and the ability to interact with other states. The last point is important
because if no other country recognizes a self-proclaimed state, then it cannot
be defined as a sovereign state.
When
looking at the world today, virtually every country is connected to each other
in some way. Computers for instance may be designed in the USA, after which
suppliers from South Korea would send parts to China for assembly, which would
then be transported via a Danish shipping firm to Doha, Qatar. The same can be
said for local cultures, since in many big cities around the world there is a
China town. These all play a role in governments since countries would have to
trade with each other in order to import and export products.
State
sovereignty looks at the rules in which a country governs its territory and
people. For trade to occur, it would mean that the trading countries have to
accept a set of rules in the likelihood that something goes wrong. For
instance, if a criminal in country A steals property of a company from country
B, then country B would ask country A to fulfill its obligations and catch the
criminal. If not, then country B would threaten country A by place trade
embargos, cut financial aid, or halt government investments, just to name a
few. Thus due to the increase in trade, as an effect of globalization, it
establishes a set of rules that facilitate the communication between two
sovereign states.
Certain
global initiatives may also affect state sovereignty by making governments
change the way they let their inhabitants live. One example is the Kyoto
protocol, which asks member nations to reduce their greenhouse emissions (CO2)
and other air pollutants. By sharing the common problem of pollution, which is
a result of the ever increasing globalization and manufacture of products such
as cars, fast-food, and electronics, governments would change their legislation
to a worldwide standard that is beneficial to the environment and ultimately
its inhabitants. Another example concerns the diminishing of trade barriers
that has to be adopted by, for instance, members of the European Economic Area
(EEA), the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the Association of
South East Asian Nations free trade zone (ASEAN). This has the positive effect
of exposing the local inhabitants to cheaper prices and to a greater variety of
products. Thus, sovereign states now combine their knowledge to tackle the
consequences of globalization collectively that positively affects the standard
of living of its inhabitants.
In
short: A sovereign state is a state that is independent of other states,
defined by its territory and inhabitants. Globalization has a positive impact
on the sovereignty of a state as changes in legislation have to be made in
order to facilitate communication with a foreign state. It also allows
countries to collectively work together in tackling the consequences of
globalization, such as pollution and trade barriers.
If
you have any doubts, questions, or would like to contribute, then please do not
hesitate to leave a comment!
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