Characteristics of Nation States - Essay Example

MODERN Modern s- Nation s MODERN S-NATION S Abstract This paper will examine the pros and cons of governance within a transnational entity, the European Union, and a nation state, the United States, especially in relation to the pursuit of foreign policy. MODERN INSTITUTIONS-NATION STATE Characteristics of Nation States An example of a nation is that of the Quebecois of the Quebec province of Canada. This is because it has an official language (French), and a culture distinct from the rest of Canada. (www. bowson.edu) In fact it is recognized in the Canadian constitution as a “distinct society”. However, it does not exercise political sovereignty over its’ territory. Canada is a state with sovereignty over a fixed territory including Quebec. However it is not a nation state since it recognizes 2 official languages (English and French), and its’ borders do not coincide with a single dominant culture (www.bowson.edu). An example of a nation state would be Mexico since it has a single dominant Hispanic culture within its borders. A modern nation state can be distinguished from its feudal predecessor (www.slideshare.net). The feudal model is characterized by a powerful church and feudal kingdoms which provided support and protection. From this the modern nation state evolved which has the following elements 1) centralization of power 2) initially strong monarchs later curbed by the state 3) authority of Catholic Church challenged 4) rising sense of nationalism 5) standing armies financed by state 6) development of state bureaucracies and in some cases quelling of political opposition by the state. MODERN INSTITUTIONS-NATION STATES How US Fits Criteria and Functions of Modern Nation State. The United States has a fixed border including 6 miles of territorial waters in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans bordering on its land territory over which it claims sovereignty. This sovereignty includes the air space above the land and water territories. The borders were established by treaty recognized and respected by most other countries. However the US defends its borders by border patrols, coast guard, police and armed forces and in some cases fences. Within its borders the US federal government exercises political sovereignty in accordance with its constitution. Although the US has many cultures within it spread across the country, it has only a single dominant English speaking culture officially recognized in its constitution.(unlike Canada). Furthermore, at least until recently the US pursued a policy of encouraging immigrants to integrate into the mainstream culture (melting pot theory) rather than pursuing the multicultural model of allowing immigrants to retain their original culture. Foreign Policy Objectives of United States The most important foreign policy objective of the US is to protect its territorial integrity. “This extends beyond its physical territory. It also includes protecting one’s embassies and safeguarding one’s military forces stationed in or visiting other MODERN INSTITUTION-NATION STATES countries” (ucc.edu) It also includes working with other counties and international organizations such as the UN to maintain international balance of power, protect universal human rights, American nationals in foreign countries and access to strategic resources, and to foster economic development throughout the world and the interests of American business. European Union as a Transnational Entity The forerunner of the European Union (EU) was the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) established in the early 1950s (europa.eu). Six countries namely Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg agreed to run the coal and steel industries under a common management. The impetus for this agreement was to prevent individual countries from secretly rearming and creating the risk of a recurrence of World War II. It also had economic benefits, eliminating customs duties within the group, providing uniform prices, and production controls to suit demand. Later in 1957 because of the success of this treaty, it was expanded to other economic sectors and the Common Market was created under the Treaty of Rome. Over the years the European Union has expanded from the original 6 in stages to the current 27 and will likely expand even MODERNINSTITUTIONS-NATION STATES further in future as new states apply and are admitted (europa.eu). In addition to the original 6 the EU now includes Denmark, Ireland, United Kingdom, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria who joined approximately in this order. Since the EU has over the years expanded its role from a purely economic association to one of also co-operation and legislation in many other fields of common interest, it has established institutions accordingly. They include the European Parliament, Council of the European Union, the European Commission, Court of Justice, Court of Auditors, European Economic and Social Committee, Committee of the Regions, Central Bank, Investment Bank, Investment Fund, European Ombudsman and European Data Protection Supervisor. The contemporary function of the European Union is to legislate policy in those areas where this power has been ceded to it by the member states, such as agriculture and fisheries (europa.eu). In other areas such as culture, employment and social affairs policy making is shared between the EU and national governments. Currently as reported in the media, the EU has MODERN INSTITUTIOMS- NATIOM STATES developed a financial aid package with conditions to help troubled member state Greece. Regarding foreign policy, the basis for it is the use of “soft” power, that is, the use of diplomacy backed where necessary by trade, economic aid and peacekeepers to resolve conflicts. For example “in August 2008 the EU brokered a ceasefire between Georgia and Russia and deployed EU observers to monitor the situation” (europa.eu) The EU has no standing army and relies on ad hoc contributions by the member states, who retain ultimate foreign and security policy authority, in order to carry out short term objectives such as the above. Secondly, it co-operates with other international organizations in promoting long term peace and stability through projects of economic aid and development, conflict prevention and fighting organized international crime and terrorism. US and EU Foreign Policy Implications As presently constituted, transnational entities such as the European Union are much more inhibited in their engagement in foreign policy to achieve their interests than a nation state such as the United States. By this statement, I mean that unlike the US, the EU cannot unilaterally decide on and implement a military invasion or blockade in its name without the unanimous consent of MODERN INSTITUTIONS-NATION STATES all 27 member states since these states have not ceded the authority to do so to the European Parliament. Therefore, as its official website states, it must rely only on soft power as described above to achieve its foreign policy interests. Even if the 27 member states agree on military action in a particular situation, it would take time to organize and coordinate such an undertaking which would likely detract from its operational success.. Thus even though the European Union’s military might taken together may be considerable, it is not suited to the exercise of hard power military actions even if the divergent interests of its member states could be reconciled. On the other hand, the US can decide and act quickly under the authority of its president only if it feels its interests are threatened as it did in Iraq. Of course, it is preferable if it gets at least moral support from the majority of the world community such as at the United Nations., but this is not mandatory since it has the hard power to act quickly and decisively on its own without consultation with others. This was seen recently when a commando group entered Pakistan without even warning this country, to kill Osama Bin Laden. It is interesting to note that although some EU counties, especially the UK and France, participated in the recent Libya air operations, they did so under the auspices of NATO rather than the EU, although the EU expressed moral support and MODERN INSTITUTIONS-NATION STATES provided humanitarian aid in evacuating foreign nationals from Libya during the conflict. Although the US has the power to act unilaterally, it should exercise it prudently because in the long run rash actions could alienate the world community causing it to come together and find ways to threaten US interests. Because of globalization, there is a current trend for smaller nations to band together, even to cede some powers to transnational entities, in order to protect their vital interests from global forces such as multinational corporations, organized crime, competing trade blocks and larger states, especially those with competing ideologies. I believe that Europe is too divers to ever become a nation state on the US model, but I would not be surprised if it eventually evolved to a single federal state with a strong central government, especially if the exercise of soft power in the long run proves insufficient to achieve and protect their vital interests. Conclusion Most states are reluctant to cede power to transnational entities. However as the European Union has shown, they will do so if they perceive it is in their interest economically and otherwise, and is necessary to counterbalance powerful nation states such as the MODERN INSTITUTIONS-NATION STATES United States. It remains to be seen whether the European Union’s member states ever cede more powers and in effect become provinces of the country or state of Europe. MODERN INSTITUTIONS-NATION STATES References 1).What is a Nation State retrieved from www.bowson.edu//polsci/ppp/sp97/realism/whatusns.htm. 2) US Foreign Policy retrieved from faculty.ucc.edu/egh-damerov/US%20Foreign% 20Policy.htm. 3) “European Gateway to the European Union” European Union Website the official EU website retrieved from europa.eu/index-eu.htm 4) “The Rise of the Modern Nation-State A transition in politics s toward the modern political state” retrieved from www. slideshare.net/…/the-rise-of-the-modern-nation-state-presentation/ Read More