Modern nation-state and transnational entities - Essay Example

? Modern nation and transnational entities Modern Nation and Transnational Entities Introduction This paper addresses issues related to nation-state and transnational entities. The paper also looks into various characteristics of a modern nation-state as well as examples of a Nation, State and Nation-state. Attributes of the United States that make it a modern nation state also form the basis of discussion in this paper. The European Union as transnational entity is also discussed in detail. Issues addressed as far as the AU is concerned include its origin, functions, and foreign policy objectives. Ways through which nation-states and transnational entities use foreign policy to achieve their interest are also addressed in this paper. Overview of modern nation-state The emergence of the modern nation state dates back to the 1700s. Before the emergence of nation-states, monarch systems were the governing tools, but later sovereignty came to change people’s way of life. Sovereignty recognized people as citizens with a role to play in government rather than subjects. The issue of nationalism is also viewed by many as a political ideology. The French revolution played a significant role in the emergence of modern nationalism (Zufle, 2011). Nationalism has many positive attributes in any nation-state. One of the attributes is that nationalism promotes democracy. This occurs because nationalism advocates for popular sovereignty and supports the idea that political power is legitimately held by people. People use the political power to put others in power to work as their agents. Nationalism also promotes economic growth within a country. Therefore, nationalism offers the opportunity to build a colonial power, to use resources to improve people’s life as well as economic infrastructure. The other impact of nationalism is that it promotes diversity and experimentation. This is evident in democratic nations through the way people from different walks of life maintain their own culture and values (Godfrey, 2004). Characteristics of modern nation-state In order to understand the concept of modern nation-state, it is necessary to define a nation, state and country. This is because the four terms apply to refer to political, economic, social and cultural contributors in the international system. Modern nation-state refers to single or multiple nationalities that come together to form a political union. The nation-state is responsible for identifying official languages, laws, currency system, and ordering elements of society through bureaucracy. A nation-state is only recognized when a nation of people forms its own country or state. Japan qualifies to be a nation-state (Chernilo, 2007). A nation state is highly politically oriented. Nation states refer to the political units comprised of national groups. A nation state also shows a highly centralized public administration. Traditionally, a nation state exists to ensure that there is a self- governing territory within a nation in an aim to attain any power. For example, in Japan, the population is of Koreans and Chinese blood, but there is a recognized language and culture. This fact makes a nation-state more powerful and organized than a nation. A nation-state provides a political personification as well as wider scope of power. In a nutshell, a nation-state is a hybrid of a nation and a state (Teichova, 2003). On the other hand, a nation refers to a group of people who share similar demography and culture similar to those of a community, and are able to make independent political decisions. People within a nation just believe of its existence making it intangible. A nation has members who have a common identity that make them different from others. In some situations, the term nation is exclusively used to refer to ethnic grouping. Unlike a nation-state, a nation is a socio-cultural entity comprised of people sharing a common language and culture. An example of a nation is the Basque, which forms part of northern Spain and southern France (Teichova, 2003). A state refers to a sovereign component with defined borders and has the monopoly to apply violence to enforce its orders. A state does not use the issue of common culture to rule its people, but it is a minor political issue. It is necessary to appreciate that the term state and country apply interchangeably. States have permanent populations, well defined territories, and governments that can relate with other states; an example of a State is Iraq (Teichova, 2003). The United State as a modern nation-state America has several states that act as institutional vehicles for self-governance to form the United States of America. Despite being a multicultural society, the United States qualifies to be a nation state due to the extensively shared American culture. States that make up the United States of America are marked with independent territories that cannot be swapped with any other state’s territory. Therefore, people within a state share similar territories and borders. As a sovereign nation-state, the United States has given its citizens the freedom to exercise their political rights. This is evident through the US electro system, which allows its citizens to elect representatives in the Electoral College for the purpose of electing the president and the vice-president (Chernilo, 2007). Therefore, in US, political power lies on the hands of the US citizens and they have the power to put their own leaders in power to work as their political agents. However, the US faces an immense challenge in unifying cultural practices within its member States. This is as a result of increased immigration of people of different cultural practices into the American territories. Despite America being a sovereign nation-state with well-defined territories and borders, presence of a heterogeneous culture questions the fact of America being a nation-state. However, America has philosophies that unify its people, making them different from the rest of the world (Zufle, 2011). The United States foreign policies The U.S foreign policy aims at protecting its interests and its inhabitants. Two examples of US foreign policies are the immigration policy with Mexico and support for Israel. The border between U.S and Mexico has been a source of conflict due to the illegal immigration of people from Mexico to the United States. To curb illegal immigration, the U.S came up with H.R. 6061 secure fence Act in order to build a fence that will restrict the movement of illegal immigrants, drug smugglers and terrorists from getting into United States (Hook, 2010). The other U.S foreign policy focuses on supporting Israel for it to emerge as a strong democracy in the Middle East. The objective has two components; first is to protect Israel from its enemies and the second is to protect the US interests in Israel, which are mainly on oil (Pillar, 2004). The European Union The EU is comprised of 27 member states with the sole aim of creating a politically and economically powerful community throughout Europe. The most significant nations in the EU are Sweden, Australia, Finland, Poland, and the Czech Republic (El-Agraa, 2011). Emergence of EU union was necessitated by the need to unite European nations after World War II in the 1940s. The cold war, protests, and divisions that existed between Eastern and Western Europe in 1950s further influenced the need to have the EU. Creation of European Coal and Steel community in the 1950s unified the EU nations economically. In 1989, the EU nations were further unified after the elimination of the Berlin wall (El-Agraa, 2011). The EU has a number of key institutions that govern its smooth running. These institutions include European council, Council of the European Union, and the European commission. The European council plays a role in offering political leadership and guidance to the EU. The council of the European Union deals with foreign and security policies that are a concern for EU member states. The European commission is responsible for the daily operations of the EU and acts as EU executive arm (Archer, 2008). The key role of EU is to enhance regional integration and cooperation among its member states. Therefore, the EU has the mandate to regulate the free movement of people, goods, and services for the benefit of its member states. To achieve its objectives, the EU uses a single market with unified currency and laws (Archer, 2008). The EU has set some foreign policy objectives in order to promote democracy, cooperation, global justice and human rights. One EU’s foreign policy is aimed at promoting peacekeeping activities. Through this objective, EU battle groups emerged, and they allow the EU to send 1500 men and women in conflict stricken regions. The other EU foreign policy allows it to promote environmental conservation and awareness through global warming conferences and symposia. In addition, the EU has laws that keep the environment safe (McCormick, 2004). As already stated, nation-states such as the US and transnational states such as the EU use foreign policy to promote their own interests. The US has a strong relationship with the UK, where the two nation-states to participate in military interventions together. For example, the US and the UK have troops in Arab nations in an effort to fight terrorism. The U.S is the founder of NATO as one way of promoting its foreign policy objectives. However, it is essential to note that NATO is largely comprised of EU members, forming the largest military organization in the world. NATO participated in restoring peace in war zones such as Rwanda and Kosovo (Fabbrini, 2005). The collaboration between US and NATO in restoring peace in conflict zones is viewed by many as a selfish move by the super powers to protect their interests (Fabbrini, 2005). This move further creates eternal enmity between the super powers and countries affected by internal conflicts. This is evident from the deteriorating relationship between the US and Arab nations due to the US fight against terrorism. On the other hand, internal conflicts may get worse once there is a perception that one group is receiving massive support from the super powers. The other tool employed by nation-states in conducting foreign policy is diplomacy, which involves negotiation and discussion among nations (Hook, 2010). Diplomacy mainly focuses on meeting political leaders, issuing diplomatic messages, and public statements regarding relationships between nations. For example, in the United States, the president invites leaders and diplomats from other nations in his office to discuss issues related to their respective nations and the United States. The other tool used to meet foreign policy is the use of foreign aid, which may either be in the form of military aid or economic aid. Through military aid, states are able to donate or sell military equipment and technology to various countries around the world. This initiative balances power in key regions around the world. Economic aid involves donating or loaning money to other nations in order to boost their economic status (Pillar, 2004). References Archer, C. (2008). The European Union. Oxford: Taylor & Francis. Chernilo, D. (2007). A Social Theory of the Nation-State: The Political Forms of Modernity Beyond Methodological Nationalism. Oxford: Taylor & Francis. El-Agraa, A. M. (2011). The European Union: Economics and Policies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Fabbrini, S. (2005). Democracy And Federalism In The European Union And The United States: Exploring Post-National Governance. New York: Routledge. Godfrey, S. (2004). The Shifting Foundations of Modern Nation-States: Realignments of Belonging. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Hook, S. W. (2010). U.S. Foreign Policy: The Paradox Of World Power. Washington: Cq Press. McCormick, J. (2004). The European Union: Politics and Policies. Colorado: Westview Press. Pillar, P. R. (2004). Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy. Washington: Brookings Institution Press. Teichova, A. (2003). Nation, State, and the Economy in History. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. Zufle, N. (2011). Changes in Statehood and Sovereignty of Modern States: Why Has the Modern Nation State Changed Since 1945? Munich: GRIN Verlag. Read More