Nation State and Transnational Entities - Essay Example

Nation and transnational entities of Nation state and transnational entities Characteristics of a nation modern state One of the characteristics of a modern state is that it has a defined territory. This means that it has boundaries that are recognized internationally. Secondly, it has self-rule. Self rule means that it has sovereignty to the effect that no any other state has power or authority over its territory (Bull, 2007). A nation state also has some form of organized government. This government is responsible for providing services to the people as well as police power. Finally a modern state has a population that shares a national identity or customs. This means that there is a group of people with similar customs. A nation is a group of people that is tightly-knit and which shares a common culture. It is larger compared to a single community or tribe, that share a common language, history, institutions, and religion. By this definition therefore, a nation does not necessarily need to have physical borders.An example of a nation is Japan. A state can also be referred to as a country. It connotes a political entity that is self-governing. It has a permanent population, a government and can enter into relation with other states. An example of a state is Argentina. It is as a result of people with a nation having a State or country. An example is a place like France and Japan. How USA fits criteria and functions of a modern state USA is a perfect example of a nation state. Though it is a multicultural society, it is regarded as a nation-state due to the existence of the shared American "culture." It has a territory that is composed of all the states; it also has a government as well as sovereignty. How United States Government and American society work to foster; Fixed territory The government in its bid to foster a fixed territory protects the country against external aggression. This can be illustrated by the unrelenting effort by the government to fight the al-Qaida that poses the greatest threat to the territory of United States. In fact, one of the objectives of the United States foreign policy is military objective. Sovereignty The American government exercises authority over the American society. The Government does not allow any other entity to exercise authority over its citizens. This is also achieved through its foreign policies as well as internal policies. Common culture Existence of a common culture is what binds American society as a nation-state. There are various state policies aimed at promoting the American Culture. This is achieved through education system among other policies to promote a common culture in a society that is largely multicultural. Foreign policy objectives of the United States The first main example of United Statesforeign policy is characterized in the way it interacts with other foreign nations as well as setting interaction standards for its various organizations, individual citizens as well as corporations. This objective is to achieve a democratic, secure as well a prosperous world that will benefit the American people as well as the international community. Moreover, United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, has stated its jurisdictional goals as: controlling exports and fostering commercial relations with other foreign nations. European Union as a transnational entity Historical events and interests during twentieth century that led to the creation of European Union The European integration process has been characterized by two periods. These are; the Cold War and Second World War. After these two historical events, a majority of the European States recognized the need for cooperation. After the Second World War, Europeans learnt a lesson that encouraged them to test practically benefits that could accrue from European integration. The War had led to reduction of European power. In addition, this decline was an opportunity for the Soviet Union and the US to lead in terms of security, political as well as economic positions. These therefore pushed European leaders to put behind their differences and cooperate. The cooperation was intended to eliminate the causes of war and promote European political as well as economic union. It is worth noting that there were different reasons that motivated them. There was a group made up of states that had been destroyed following the war and were keen on reconstructing their economy as well as reestablish the lost international power. These states were prepared to sacrifice their national sovereignty so as to reach their goals. There was another group of states that was in need of cooperation that was above economic benefits and with no supranational features. The first point of the integration process is marked by ECSC and EFTA. Later there was, ECSC and EEC which demonstrated successful cooperation above deeper organization, triggering more countries to join. After that the integration process was motivated by one vision. This vision was strengthening European economies to be achieved through supranational organization. The only objective that was shared by all the European states was the economic benefit. A majority of the states have not yet accepted the objective of a federal Europe. Major institutions and significant nations that make up the European Union Major institutions The first institution is the European Council.The council is responsible for setting up the European Union’s political direction. However, it has no power to make laws. It is made up of a President and national heads of state or government.The council is supposed to meet at least once in six months. It represents the governments of member states. There is also the European Parliament. It represents the European Union Citizens. It is directly elected by the citizens. It is responsible for adopting new laws. The other is the European Commission. The Commission is responsible for the interests of the whole union. It is responsible for proposing new laws as well as implementing them. Finally there are two other institutions namely the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors. They uphold the rule of European law as well as controlling the financing respectively (Malesvic, 2006). Significant nations that make up the European Union The European Union is made up of twenty seven member states. These states include: Britain,France, Germany, Italy, Belgium Luxemburg and Netherland, UK, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland among others. The contemporary function of the European Union European Union (EU) is intended to foster closer relations among the member states. This is in bid to utilize all the abilities of the member countries, for instance; free trade, free movement of people as well as freedom in job choice. This has been achieved by doing away with the bureaucracy that was involved with those issues. One mechanism that has been proposed to achieve this is through the adoption of a common currency. It was also formed to counter the United States as the only world super power. For instance, during the United States war on Iraq, many of the European Union countries stood up to the United States. Foreign policy objectives for the European Union The foreign policy objectives of the European Union have been developed by the Lisbon Treaty. The objective is purely non-military reliance. Rather it is majorly in the fields of trade and aid. It is also involved in trade as well as development assistance to developing countries.It has entered into agreements with other foreign countries in bid to foster trade and development(Smith, 1986). How nation-States and transnational entities engage in foreign policy United States is an example of a nation state while European Union is an example of a transnational entity. There is a very significant difference in the way in which the two entities engage in foreign policy. The European Union isn’t a state but rather an organization of a political character that is made up of states.It therefore does not posses autonomy that a state has in international relations. In addition, it has curtailed external powers as well as very complex institutions and policy instruments. Therefore, its way of engaging in foreign policy is different from that of states. European Union foreign policy is driven by identity. On the other United Statesforeign policy is driven by local politics. One major characteristic is that the European Union does not rely on military power unlike the United States. United States is engaged in military intervention to provide stability to other foreign nations. It also does not engage in political incentives as part of foreign policy. European Union engages in matters of low politics as opposed to high politics which is the real realm of foreign policy. The goals of the United States foreign policy as listed in the Foreign Policy Agenda are "to create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community.” Consequences of interaction in international politics Foreign policy and aid have been subjected to much debates, praises and criticism. The interaction is seen by many people as a means of promoting the entities own interest and not focused on the interests of other foreign countries. Such is the level of suspicion that any nature of foreign interaction is scrutinized with a tooth comb. The interaction has caused sharp divisions especially between the United States and the European Union member countries. This was especially demonstrated during the war by the United States in Iraq where European Member States stood up against the United States. There is also a general feeling the interaction has been applied selectively. An example is the situation in Darfur and Somalia which has not received any military assistance from any entity unlike the situation in Libya which has been restored to normalcy a few months later. References H. Bull. (2007). Civilian power Europe: A Contradiction in Terms. New York. United States. Auerbach Publications Landoll, D. J. (2006).The security risk assessment handbook: a complete guide for performing security risk assessments. New York. United States. Malesevic, Sinisa (2006). Understanding NationalismandEthnicity. New York. United States. Palgrave. Smith, Anthony. (1986). The Origins of Nations: Basil Blackwell. Read More