The Modern State and International Relations

The Modern State and International Relations Q2. What is the most significant feature of the modern state and how has it shaped international relations? The core of the early modern period to vast histories of sovereignty and state formation is a topic produced for some of the work done by the most influential political theorists of the past century. However an attempt of understanding the nature of political consciousness requires a historical understanding of the theoretical evolution of the modern state itself. This, in turn, requires an understanding of earlier state formations and ideologies that has influenced the evolution (Nelson, 2006). In this essay, I will discuss the topic of the modern state, its significant feature and how modern state has shaped international relations. In discussing the features, this essay aims to identify and define the term state, the components and key concepts of modern state, followed by the main significant feature and its impact towards the new era of international relations. The modern state is believed to have rises between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries in Europe, and later spread to the rest of the world through conquest and colonialism. This ideal of modern state comprises of four defining characteristics that is territory, sovereignty (external and internal), legitimacy, and bureaucracy. Legitimacy can come in various forms, from traditional, to charismatic, to rational-legal, the latter of which requires a highly effective bureaucracy and some semblance of the rule of law. States uses the four aspects to provide their populations goods such as security, a legal system, and infrastructure. â€Å"Weak states† are those that cannot adequately provide these goods, and once a state has become so weak that it loses effective sovereignty over part of its territory, it may be called a â€Å"failed state† (or in extreme instances a â€Å"collapsed state†) The most definitive terms of state comes from the German political sociologist and economic historian Max Weber (1864–1920). Max Weber claims that â€Å"the state is human community that successfully claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory†. A starting-point for Weber, which contrasted with much earlier thinking, was that the state could not be defined in terms of its goals or functions, but had rather to be understood in terms of its distinctive means. Thus, he argued that â€Å"the state cannot be defined in terms of its ends. There is scarcely any task that some political association has not taken in hand, and there is no task that one could say has always been exclusive and peculiar to those associations which are designated as political ones. Ultimately, one can define the modern state only in terms of the specific means peculiar to it, as to every political association, namely, the use of physical force†. For Web er, the modern state was a particular form of the state which was itself, a particular form of a more general category of political associations. There are two more recent definitions of a state. The first is by a sociologist named Charles Tilly and the second is by the Nobel-laureate economist, Douglass North. Chares Tilly claims that states are â€Å"relatively centralized, differentiated organizations, the officials of which, more or less, successfully claim control over the chief concentrated means of violence within a population inhabiting a large contiguous territory† (Tilly 1985, 170). Douglas North says that â€Å"a state is an organization with a comparative advantage in violence, extending over a geographic area whose boundaries are determined by its power to tax constituents† (North 1981, 21) There are two key concepts of the modern state The territorial state and the unitary sovereign will whereby the modern state project is aimed at replacing confused political order. Global spread of the idea of the nation-state Weber ‘the modern state is the result of a century’s long process of disarming non-state/private actors’. According to Charles Tilley, the state proved itself to be a superior. Modern state can also be associated with charter of the UN. A state is more than a government; that is clear. A state is the means of rule over a defined or sovereign territory. It is comprised of an executive, a bureaucracy, courts and other institutions. In a broad sense, any polity, any politically organised society, can be viewed as a state, and various criteria can be used to distinguish between different kinds of state. There are three components to the modern state comprises of territory, people and central government. Territory comprises of the element on which its other elements exist. People are every territorial unit that participates in international relations supports human life. Central government is the members of the state designated as its official representatives. States not only claim ultimate power within their realms (internal sovereignty), they also claim independence of one another (external sovereignty). Some of the significant features of modern state may be the dominant form of political authority and imagination today but it has taken many and specific forms across the world without completely removing or superseding older languages of power and public authority. According to Weber, the modern statemonopolizesthe means of legitimate physical violenceover awell-defined territory. Monopoly on force– has the right and ability to use violence, in legally defined instances, against members of society, or against other states. Legitimacy– its power is recognized by members of society and by other states as based on law and some form of justice. Territoriality– the state exists in a defined territory (which includes land, water and air) and exercises authority over the population of that territory. Changingconceptions of the modern stateinevitably provoke conflicting views of sovereignty. While some argue that the growing impact of cosmopolitan norms and transnationally-based governance are weakening state sovereignty, others claim that the concept is merely being redefined. Indeed, the latter group even includes proponents of global governance, who argue that state sovereignty can actually be strengthened rather than weakened by the transfer of power to the supranational level. Modernization has brought a series of indisputable benefits to people. Lower infant mortality rate, decreased death from starvation, eradication of some of the fatal diseases, more equal treatment of people with different backgrounds and incomes, and so on. To some, this is an indication of the potential of modernity, perhaps yet to be fully realized. In general, rational, scientific approach to problems and the pursuit of economic wealth seems still too many a reasonable way of understanding good socia l development. At the same time, there are a number of dark sides of modernity pointed out by sociologists and others. Technological development occurred not only in the medical and agricultural fields, but also in the military. Environmental problems comprise another category in the dark side of modernity. Pollution is perhaps the least controversial of these, but one may include decreasing biodiversity and climate change as results of development. The development of biotechnology and genetic engineering are creating what some consider sources of unknown risks. Besides these obvious incidents, many critics point out psychological and moral hazards of modern life alienation, feeling of rootlessness, loss of strong bonds and common values, hedonism, disenchantment of the world, and so on. Likewise, the loss of a generally agreed upon definitions of human dignity, human nature, and the resulting loss of value in human life have all been cited as the impact of a social process/civilization that reaps the fruits of growing privatization, subjectivism, reductionism, as well as a loss of traditional values and worldviews. All states use at least the threat of force to organize public life. The fact that dictatorships might more obviously use force should not hide the fact that state rule in democracies is based on the threat of force (and often the use of force). That states rule through the use of force does not mean that they are all powerful. This explains why North and Tilly only claim that states must have a â€Å"comparative advantage in violence† or have control â€Å"over the chief concentrated means of violence†. Nor does the state’s ability to use force necessarily mean that it can always enforce its will. All states tolerate some non-compliance. At some point, the marginal cost of enforcing laws becomes so great for any state that it prefers to allow some degree of non-compliance rather than spend more resources on improving law enforcement. Idealism is a classical theme of an unchanging and untrustworthy human nature, of anarchy in the international order, of ‘cold war’ as a semi-permanent state, of amorality in international affairs, of the security. The experience of the 1930s – above all, the rise of fascism and the descent into a second world war – dealt a severe blow to this liberal-minded progressivism and made space for what was to become the dominant paradigm in IR: realism and its second-generation progeny, neo-realism. At the heart of the realist approach is the insistence that we study the political world ‘as it actually is and as it ought to be in view of its intrinsic nature, rather than as people would like to see it’ (Morgenthau 1978: 15). For realists, both human nature and the character of international politics to which this gives rise are, in their essentials, timeless and unchanging. These characteristic claims of realism can be developed in terms of the eight key propositions which follow. States are the major actors in world affairs States behave as unitary actors States act rationally International anarchy is the principal force shaping the motives and actions of states States in anarchy are preoccupied with issues of power and security Morality is a radically qualified principle in international politics States are predisposed towards conflict and competition, and often fail to cooperate, even in the face of common interests International organizations have a marginal effect upon these prospects for inter-state cooperation However, critics of realism have never gone unchallenged. States are not the only major actors in world affairs Anarchy is constrained by forms of international cooperation Institutional arrangements may allow for much greater international cooperation than realism supposes International organizations may have a significant effect upon the prospects for inter-state cooperation States are not solely preoccupied with issues of military security Increasingly, international relations are about economic power Realism’ does not reflect ‘reality’ but one world-view (among many) in the service of particular interests In conclusion, while various states justify coercion in different ways, (through elections, through birth, through religion etc.), while they may use coercion for different purposes (to improve social welfare or to enrich themselves), and while their use of coercion may have different effects (higher levels of investment), it is also notable that such commonly-observed features of many modern societies as the nuclear family, slavery, gender roles, and nation states do not necessarily fit well with the idea of rational social organization in which components such as people are treated equally. While many of these features have been dissolving, histories seem to suggest those features may not be mere exceptions to the essential characteristics of modernization, but necessary parts of it. However, it is important to recognize that, although the nation-state has become by far the most predominant political entity in the world, there are still â€Å"stateless nations† like the Kurd s in Iraq and â€Å"diasporic nations† without a clearly identified homeland such as the Roma. As a result, nations and states remain distinct concepts even if they increasingly seem to occur together. References Ahmad, R.E., Eijaz, A., 2011, â€Å"Modern Sovereign State System is under Cloud in the Age of Globalization†, South Asian Studies – A Research Journal of South Asian Studies, Vl.26, No.2, pp.85-297 Clark, W.R., Golder, M., Golder, S.N., 2012, â€Å"Chapter 4: The Origins of the Modern State†, Principles of Comparative Politics, Vol. 2, pp1-66 Closson, S, Kolsto, P, Seymour, L.J.M., Caspersen, N, 2013, â€Å"Unrecognized States: The Strugge for Sovereignty in the Modern International System†, Nationalities Paper: The Journal of Nationalism and Ethnicity, Routledge Publishing, Vol.41, pp.1-9 Farr, J., 2005, â€Å"Point: The Westphalia Legacy and The Modern Nation-State†, International Social Science Review, Vol. 80, Issue 3/4, pp.156-159 Mann, M, 1993,â€Å"A Theory of The Modern State†, The Sources of Social Power Volume 2, The Rise of Classes and Nation States 1760-1914, Cambridge University Press, Vol.2, pp.44-89 Morris, C.W, â€Å"The Modern State†, Handbook of Political Theory, Sage Publications, pp.1-16 Nelson, B.R, 2006, â€Å"State and Ideology† The Making of the Modern State – a Theoretical Evolution, Palgrave Macmillan, pp.1-177 Netzloff, M., 2014, â€Å"The State and Early Modernity†, Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, University of Pennsylvania Press, Vol. 14, No.1, pp.149-154. Pierson, C, 1996, â€Å"The Modern State: The Second Edition†, Routledge Taylor Francis Group, pp.1-206 Sidaway, J.D., 2013, â€Å"The Topology of Sovereignty†, Geopolitics, Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Vol.18, No.4, pp.961-966 Chapter 3: The Modern State, http://www.chsbs.cmich.edu/fattah/courses/introPolSc/ch03state.htm Introducing Comparative Politics: The Modern State, http://college.cqpress.com/sites/drogusorvis/Home/chapter2.aspx The Problem with Sovereignty: The Modern States Collision with the International Law Movement, http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Articles/Special-Feature/Detail/?id=135613contextid774=135613contextid775=135611 1

Concept Paper :: essays research papers

Truth, Honor, Integrity Truth, honor, and integrity can be used and interpreted in many different ways. These three concepts are instilled into people during childhood, enforced during school years, and reinforced as adults. In the end, though, it all depends on how an individual chooses to interpret these principles before any of them can be seen as good or bad.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The dictionary definition of truth is an agreement with fact or reality. There are many different aspects of truth; there is the whole truth, and the partial truth. When someone tells the whole truth there is no lacking in it. It is the complete and absolute truth with no editing for personal reasons. An example of partial truth would be the case of President Clinton and, White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. Although Clinton did admit to having oral sex with Ms. Lewinsky he denied having sex with her. What is the difference, you ask? Clinton claims that the dictionary definition of sex says that it involves intercourse, which he never had with Ms. Lewinsky.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Honor is another word for respect. The Bile states that children should honor their fathers and mothers. My interpretation of this is that children should not only show respect directly towards their parents, but also show it to their name, in the way that they act. The Bible also states that the same respect that is shown to parents should also be shown to peers and authority. There are many different ways to show that you have respect for someone. Doing things like: obeying orders, even if they do not appear logical, and behaving appropriately when in public, can show respect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Integrity is the state of total honesty and sincerity. Showing integrity is like coming out ant telling the whole truth, no matter what the consequences may be. One of my favorite examples of integrity is shown in the movie While You Were Sleeping. In that particular movie, a lonely female is mistakenly identified as the fiance of a man who has been rendered unconscious.

Socioeconomic effects on children :: essays research papers

When Both Parents are Employed Socio-economic conditions in North America have contributed to the need for dual incomes for families. Economically, â€Å"the number of two parent families below the poverty line would increase to an estimated 78% if they were to become single income families.† (Ontario Women’s Directorate 9) Socially, it was the norm, in the past, for women to stay at home having a more expressive role in the family; taking care of the children and providing emotional support for the family. Presently, women feel that their traditional roles as child bearers and homemakers must be supplemented with a sense of achievement outside the home. Recent studies reflect an increased trend towards the dual income family and projections are for this trend to continue. In 1961, 30% of married women were working; in 1978, 38% were employed; by 1981 50% were working and in 1985, 55% held paying positions outside the home. (Jarman and Howlett 95) In 1961, only 20% of all two parent families were! dual wage families, but by 1986, more than half (53%) of all families were dual earning families. (Ramu 26) In light of the fact that the majority of two parent families in the 1990’s have also become dual wage earning families, it is important to examine the effects of such a phenomenon on society in general and on child rearing in particular. Children acquire their goals, values and norms based on the way that they view or identify with their parents as well as from the quality and amount of care, love and guidance given to them by their parents. Parents who work present a different image to their children than parents who do not work. In addition, wage earners, including parents, must (in most cases), be absent from the home during the day. When considering these modifications to the family dynamics, there is considerable basis for proof that the positive effects outweigh the negative effects experienced by offspring in families were both parents are employed. The working parent occupies an important exemplary role within the family. Working parents often command considerable respect from their children, because they demonstrate the worthy characteristics of industriousness, social compatibility, self reliance, maturity, intelligence and responsibility. Because children identify with their parents, the feedback from such positive influences tends to be positive as well because many of these positive characteristics are imparted upon them.

Scary Story Essay -- Short Stories Fiction Essays

Scary Story I looked up at the black sky. I hadn't intended to be out this late. The sun had set, and the empty road ahead had no streetlights. I knew I was in for a dark journey home. I had decided that by traveling through the forest would be the quickest way home. Minutes passed, yet it seemed like hours and days. The farther I traveled into the forest, the darker it seemed to get. I was very had to even take a breath due to the stifling air. The only sound familiar to me was the quickening beat of my own heart, which felt as though it was about to come through my chest. I began to whistled to take my mind off the eerie noises I was hearing. In this kind of darkness I was in, it was hard for me to believe that I could be seeing these long finger shaped shadows that stretched out to me. I had this gut feeling as though something was following me, but I assured myself that I was the only one in the forest. At least I had hoped that I was. As the bushes and brush grew more solid I began to ponder. Will I make it through this forest tonight or will I be taken in by the thick of the mystery? Sounds from sluggish foot steps caused a vibration around me that lead me to stop in my place and listen closely. Could this forest be haunted or was I just over exaggerating? I started to get very nervous by this time. â€Å"It will be just fine,† I told myself. I am just imagining things. I continued my journey through the forest but negative thoughts were running through my l... Scary Story Essay -- Short Stories Fiction Essays Scary Story I looked up at the black sky. I hadn't intended to be out this late. The sun had set, and the empty road ahead had no streetlights. I knew I was in for a dark journey home. I had decided that by traveling through the forest would be the quickest way home. Minutes passed, yet it seemed like hours and days. The farther I traveled into the forest, the darker it seemed to get. I was very had to even take a breath due to the stifling air. The only sound familiar to me was the quickening beat of my own heart, which felt as though it was about to come through my chest. I began to whistled to take my mind off the eerie noises I was hearing. In this kind of darkness I was in, it was hard for me to believe that I could be seeing these long finger shaped shadows that stretched out to me. I had this gut feeling as though something was following me, but I assured myself that I was the only one in the forest. At least I had hoped that I was. As the bushes and brush grew more solid I began to ponder. Will I make it through this forest tonight or will I be taken in by the thick of the mystery? Sounds from sluggish foot steps caused a vibration around me that lead me to stop in my place and listen closely. Could this forest be haunted or was I just over exaggerating? I started to get very nervous by this time. â€Å"It will be just fine,† I told myself. I am just imagining things. I continued my journey through the forest but negative thoughts were running through my l...

Private Cable Tv :: essays research papers

Private Cable TV The times are achanging... How France, Germany and Sweden introduced private, cable and satellite TV - a comparison over the past 10 years. 1. INTRODUCTION Why we have chosen this subject? Before starting to write about TV in Sweden, Germany and France, we wanted to compare French,German and Swedish media. But on account of the wideness of this analysis, we decided to focus on the evolution of TV broadcasting during these last 10 years. The technical revolution which has appeared in this area since 1980 is necessary to be understood to be able to follow and forecast what will happen in the future when multinational companies can take a look on pan-european broadcasting. In this paper we try to make the point on this changes. Furthermore as we came from different countries and live now in an other one, we found it interesting to compare the three countries (France, Germany and Sweden) TV-broadcasting system. While we were searching for datas, we discovered the gap that exists in cable- covering between France and the two other countries. What are the main reasons of this delay? Are they political, financial or cultural? We will try to answer these questions in our paper. But we will first define the different technical terms that we are going to focus on. Then we will developp the birth of private channels, their regulations, laws and financing in the different countries. 2. BASICS In our paper you will find the following technical terms:  ¥ terrestrial broadcasting: this is the basic technology used to broadcast radio and TV. It «s the use of radio-frequencies that can be received by a simple antenna. The problem by using terrestrial broadcasting is, that you only have a few (up to max. 7) possible frequencies and that you need to have expensive transmitters every 100-150 kms to cover an area. Programms which are broadcasted terrestrical are e.g.: Swedish TV 1, 2 and 4; German ARD, ZDF, 3. Programme and some private channels in urban areas; French TF 1, France 2 and France 3.  ¥ cable TV: the reason why you have only a few frequencies by using terrestrial broadcasting is that terestrial broadcasting is influenced by physical phenomens (bandwith) whereas broadcasting in a cable is shielded/protected from outside influences. So you can have more channels on the same bandwith-space. For example: a cable might carry 7 programmes catched with an antenna from terrestrical transmitters and additional 25 satellite channels (maximum 30-35 different channels in one cable). Instead of connecting to an antenna cable- households connect their TV-sets to the cable-network.  ¥ satellite broadcasting: a satellite is a transmitter that is positioned on a course in space 40.

Advertisements and other sources Essay

1/ To what extent do you believe that individuals are responsible for their own weight (or in the case of children, parents or guardians)? I believe that individuals should be responsible for their own weight. It is true that advertisements and other sources of marketing influences people. However, such sources by no means force people to eat a particular product. It is people who ultimately choose what they are willing to buy and eat. In case of children, it should be the responsibility of parents and guardians to monitor their eating habits. A grown up adult, however, can take the responsibility of his own action. 2/ In your opinion, should the food and restaurant industries be held liable for the rise of obesity, or not? In my opinion, the food and restaurant industries should not be held liable for the rise of obesity. The reason is as I stated in question 1; the individuals are responsible for their own weight. That means if they have obesity, they would be responsible for that themselves. No one forces them to eat, so that they eat foods they like with their own risk. 3/ If you were a manager for a fast food chain or food company, what actions would you take with respect to obesity, if any? If I were a manager for a fast food chain or food company, possible actions I can take include offering healthy food options, fully disclosing the nutritional and caloric content of products to customers, and refraining from advertising directed at children. 4/ What do you think is the best solution to the obesity epidemic? what role can the food and restaurant industries, trial attorneys, government policymakers and regulators, and individual consumers play in a solution, if any? All four have a part to play in any solution. The food and restaurant industry can support initiatives to develop and market healthy food options and to fully disclose the nutritional and caloric content of products to customers. Actions by trial attorneys can have a deterrent effect, prompting companies to take action to reduce their potential legal liability. Government regulatory agencies can provide information on nutrition and health to the public and can establish labeling and information disclosure rules. Another approach is for policymakers to adopt laws shielding producers and retailers of food from lawsuits by obese customersNutritio

Philosophy I Think Therefore I Am Essay

‘Cogito ergo sum’, meaning I think therefore I am, Rene Descartes is the man credited to these few words. The quote originally written in French, comes from The Discourse on Method, but also appears written as the famous Latin, â€Å"Cogito ergo sum,† in his Meditations on First Philosophy, which was an attempt to find foundational truths for knowledge. The book contains six meditations that attempt to discover what is real by first doubting absolutely everything and starting from scratch. In this way, Descartes starts at the bottom and works his way up into believing in the existence of worldly things. For Descartes the essence of the self is the ability to think, in order to actually have an identity, you must be able to think. In many of Descartes works he emphasizes this point. In order for one to have an identity, you would have to be aware of your thinking, reasoning, perceiving processes. If someone was consistently unconscious of all of the for-mentioned things than it is impossible to actually have a perception of the self. Cogito, ergo sum is one principles of Descartes theory, where he is basically saying that if someone can not think, or have a conscience mind then they do not exist as an individual. It was the foundation upon which knowledge could be built. Although we can doubt our senses, we cannot doubt our thinking as doubting is a thought. And as one cannot think without existing and as we think, it follows that we exist. Many people now reject Descartes’ point of view, but I completely agree. If we can’t not think how can we truly understand our surroundings and adapt as all humans are naturally born to do. Our ability to think is completely dependent on all of the things we perceive with our minds. Though sometimes our senses can be a deceiving it is completely up to our minds and our thinking ability to be the decipher, the clear thought in the sea of confusing and discourse.