Outline of the Discussion


 The Nation-State
 “Imagined Community”
 International Organizations
 Civil Society

 THE NATION-STATE
What is Nation-State?

 It provides sovereign
territory for a particular
culture or ethnic group.
 It is also frequently used
interchangeably with the
terms “state” and “nation”.
What is a State?

“A community of persons, more or
less numerous, occupying a definite
territory, completely free of external
control and possessing an organized
government, to which the great body
of inhabitants render habitual
obedience” (James Garner)
What is a State?

“A human society bound together by
an order of normative rules…” (Benn
and Peters)
State distinguished from
Nation

In common usage, the two terms are
often used synonymously
The Constitution uses them
interchangeably.
State = a political concept
May consist of one or more nations or
people
State distinguished from
Nation

Nation = ethnic concept; sociological
collectivity of individuals
Common social or racial origin,
language, customs, traditions
Strictly synonymous with “people”
E.g. Arab nation, Korean nation
State distinguished from
Government

The government is only the agency
State cannot exist without a government
Possible to have a government without a
state
Various governments at different periods
of Philippine history
No Philippine state = under foreign
domination
State distinguished from
Government

A government or an administration may
change
State and its elements remain the same
Elements of the State

 People
 Inhabitants or population of a state
 Number of people is not definite
 No requirement
Neither too small nor too large
Small enough to be well-
governed
Large enough to be self-sufficing
Elements of the State

People
Issues
Enough food supply and
resources?
Politically united?
Elements of the State

Territory
Terrestrial, fluvial, maritime and aerial
domains
Land which the jurisdiction of the state
extends
Rivers and lakes therein
Certain area of the sea
Air space above it
Elements of the State

Government
Instrument or machinery through
which the will of state is formulated,
expressed and carried out
Composed of agencies and
institutions
Elements of the State

Government
The word sometimes used to refer to
the person or aggregate of those
persons
Function of political control
“Body of men” = “administration”
Elements of the State

Sovereignty
Supreme power of the state to
command and enforce obedience
to its will from people
within jurisdiction
to have freedom from foreign
control
Elements of the State

Sovereignty
Not absolutely true in
practice
development of
international relations
and international law
Elements of the State

Sovereignty
Internal Sovereignty
Power of the state to rule within its
territory or borders
Regulate and control the people
Their conduct and affairs
Elements of the State

Sovereignty
External Sovereignty
Freedom of the state to carry out its activities
Without subjection to or control by other
states
Often referred to as independence
Against aggression, invasion or
intervention in its domestic affairs
Theories on the
Origin of the State

Divine Right Theory
State is of divine creation
Ruler is ordained by God to govern
the people
Theories on the
Origin of the State

Necessity or Force Theory
States created through force, conquest or
coercion = maintain power for legitimacy
Leaders compelled their people to obey
Some great warriors who imposed their
will upon the weak
“might makes right”
Theories on the
Origin of the State

Paternalistic Theory
Evolution, enlargement, expansion
Family-clan-tribe-nation-state
Theories on the
Origin of the State

Social Contract Theory
Deliberate and voluntary compact among the
people
 Form a society and organize the government
For common good
Justifies the right of people to resist and revolt
 Against a bad ruler
Theories on the
Origin of the State

Social Contract Theory
Thomas Hobbes: state to
preserve peace and give security
John Locke: state to maintain
peace and order
Preserve people’s natural
rights to life, liberty and
property
Theories on the
Origin of the State

Social Contract Theory
Jean Jacques Rousseau:
state as completely and
directly democratic
Popular participation =
participatory democracy
Theories on the
Origin of the State

Instinctive Theory
State was created due to natural
inclination of men
Towards political association
For self-preservation and security
Theories on the
Origin of the State

Economic Theory
State originated from the needs
(economic) of men
Social system of services

“IMAGINED
COMMUNITY”
“Imagined Community”

Benedict Anderson was an
Irish political scientist
famous for his 1983 book
“Imagined Communities”.
“Imagined Community”

Benedict Anderson defines the nation
as “an imagined political community”.
For Anderson, a nation exists primarily
within the realm of ideas, subjectively
within people’s mind as an image.
There are four characteristics of an
imagined nation.
“Imagined Community”

 It is imagined because it is impossible in all
but the smallest communities to have face-to-
face contact with more than a few of one’s
peers.
Because there are at least some, and like
many, not available for personal contact, one
must imagine who they are, what they
believe, what holds them together, and so on.
“Imagined Community”

It is imagined to be limited “because even the
largest of them, encompassing perhaps a
billion living human beings, has finite, if
elastic boundaries, beyond which lie other
nations.
No nation imagines itself as coterminous
with mankind.
“Imagined Community”

It is imagined to be sovereign, that is
being free.
“Imagined Community”

It is imagined to be a community, “because
regardless of the actual inequality and
exploitation that may prevail in each, the
nation is always conceived as a deep,
horizontal comradeship”.

INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS
International Organizations

 An international organization is a
membership group that operates across
national borders for specific purposes.
Scholars of international relations consider
international organizations to have growing
importance in world politics.
International Organizations

International organizations fall into two main
categories: intergovernmental organizations
and international nongovernmental
organizations.
Intergovernmental
Organizations

 An intergovernmental organization,
sometimes also referred to as an international
governmental organization and both
abbreviated as IGO, consists of three or more
nation-states that have signed a treaty,
establishing the organization and specifying
its purposes.
Intergovernmental
Organizations

 Most IGOs have a variety of organs such as:
 deliberative assembly – discusses policy
 executive organ – makes policy decisions
 administrative organ – implements policy
United Nations (UN)

international organization
of countries created to
promote world peace and
cooperation
 It succeeded the League of
Nations.
The UN was founded after
World War II ended in 1945.
United Nations (UN)

Its mission is to maintain
world peace, develop
good relations between
countries, promote
cooperation in solving the
world’s problems, and
encourage respect for
human rights.
United Nations (UN)

 The UN began operations on
October 24, 1945.
 As of 2014, there were 193
members.
 The UN is both a creation and
creature of the United States.
Its name was suggested by
President Franklin Roosevelt.
United Nations (UN)

The UN can be seen as concerned primarily
with four broad areas.
The first involves military issues. The UN
was envisioned as a major force in managing
peace and security, especially in interstate
relations.
United Nations (UN)

 The second area involves economic issues.
The main focus of the UN has been to
promote actions that would lead to
reductions in global inequality.
 Third are environmental issues (e.g.
pollution, hazardous wastes) which are dealt
with primarily through the UN Environment
Program.
United Nations (UN)

 The fourth area is on matters of human
protection. A variety of UN-sponsored
human rights treaties and agreements have
protected human rights above the world.
Structures of the UN

 The General Assembly is made up of all 193
member countries, each with one vote. It
undertakes all major discussions and
decisions about UN actions.
Structures of the UN

 United Nations Security Council
 The Security Council is the most powerful body in
the United Nations (UN). Its 15 members determine
how the UN should resolve world conflicts, and it is
the only UN body that can order enforcement action
in the event of aggression.
Structures of the UN

 United Nations Security Council
 Its decisions are binding on all UN members and
have the force of international law.
Structures of the UN

 United Nations Security Council
 The General Assembly elects the other 10 members
for rotating two-year terms.
 The Council’s five permanent members—Britain,
China, France, Russia, and the United States—have
the most power because any one of them can veto a
Council decision.
Structures of the UN
Secretariat 

It is the UN’s executive branch.
It oversees the administration of the UN’s
programs and policies and carries out day-to-
day operations.
This branch is headed by the secretary
general, who acts as the UN’s spokesperson.
Structures of the UN
Secretariat 

The secretary general is a powerful public
figure who oversees the daily operations of
the UN and plays a major role in setting the
organization’s agenda in international
security affairs.
Structures of the UN
Secretariat 

 The secretary general is formally chosen by the
General Assembly
. But the secretary general must first be
nominated by the Security Council and win the
consent of all five of its permanent members.
The secretary general serves a five-year term,
which may be renewed.
Structures of the UN
Secretariat 

 The current UN Secretary
general is Antonio Guterres
of Portugal.
Structures of the UN

 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
 It works under the authority of the General
Assembly to coordinate the economic and
social work of the UN.
ECOSOC has 54 member countries elected by
the General Assembly for three-year terms.
Structures of the UN

 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
 ECOSOC coordinates studies and
recommends actions on international topics
such as medicine, education, economics, and
social needs.
It promotes higher living standards, full
employment, respect for human rights, and
economic and social progress.
Structures of the UN

 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
 It oversees the work of a large number of
UN programs and agencies.
 ECOSOC coordinates the work of many
specialized agencies that provide a variety of
social, economic, and related services. The
agencies operate independently but work
with other programs in the UN.
Structures of the UN

 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Those agencies include the World Health
Organization (WHO), the World Bank, the
International Monetary Fund; the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), the International
Labor Organization (ILO), and the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Structures of the UN

 International Court of Justice
 It is also known as the World Court, is the
judicial arm of the UN.
It is located in The Hague, Netherlands. The
court hears cases brought by nations against
each other.
Structures of the UN

 International Court of Justice
 It has 15 judges, elected by the Security
Council and the General Assembly.
A country is not required to participate in the
court’s proceedings, but if it agrees to
participate, it must abide by the court’s
decisions.
Structures of the UN

 Trusteeship Council
 It was established to oversee the transition of
a handful of colonies to independence.
The last of those colonies, the Palau Islands,
gained independence in 1994, making the
Trusteeship Council obsolete.
Other Intergovernmental
Organizations

 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian
Nations)
 EU (European Union)
 AU (African Union)
 OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries)
International Nongovernmental
Organization

International nongovernmental
organizations (INGOs) = non-profit
organizations or multinational corporations
 Ex. Transparency International,
Amnesty International, Green Peace, and
the International Red Cross
International Nongovernmental
Organization

 INGOs are private, voluntary, and
most are oriented to bringing some sort
of social and/ or political change.

CIVIL SOCIETY
Civil Society

 German philosopher G.W.F.
Hegel defined civil society as
that which exists between the
family and the state; a realm that
is not only separated from them,
but one where an individual can
participate directly in various
social institutions.
Civil Society

 According to French
political writer Alexis
de Tocqueville, civil
associations (e.g.
religious, moral) allow
people to interact with
one another.
Civil Society

 For Italian Marxist thinker Antonio
Gramsci, in order to challenge the
hegemony of the state, the opposition had
to gain positions in civil society (e.g.
universities, the media) to generate their
own ideas to counter the hegemonic ideas
emanating from the capitalist economic
system.
Civil Society

 It is a process through which
individuals negotiate, argue, struggle
against, or agree with each other and
with those in authority.
 It is a realm where people can analyze
and criticize their political and
economic institutions.
Civil Society

 People can do this, and thereby act
publicly, by acting through “voluntary
associations, movements, parties, and
unions”.
 Civil society includes NGOs,
transnational networks, religious
organizations, and community groups.
References

 Baylis, J., Owens, P., & Smith, S. (2017). The globalization of world
politics: An introduction to international relations. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
 Charles, R. (Ed.). (2015). Global environmental change. New York:
Callisto Reference.
 Dean, Paul & Ritzer, G. (2015). Globalization: A basic text. West
Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
 DeLaet, D. L. (2015). The global struggle for human rights: Universal
principles in world politics. Australia: Cengage Learning.
 Gutierrez-Ang, J. (2018). The contemporary world: A text manual for
the 21st century Filipino student. Manila: Mindshapers.
References

 Lazo, R. (2006). Philippine governance and the 1987 constitution.
Manila: Rex Book Store.
 Robertson, A. (2015). Media and politics in a globalizing world.
Cambridge: Polity Press.
 Schaeffer, R. K. (2018). Understanding globalization: The social
consequences of political, economic, and environmental change. Lanham,
MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
 Schuerkens, U. (2017). Social changes in a global world. Los Angeles:
SAGE.
 Thompson, G. (2015). Globalization revisited. London: Routledge.
 Walhrab, A. & Steger, M. B. (2017). What is global studies?: Theory
and practice. New York: Routledge.