Question

Explain the changes that have taken place in the political area due to globalisation.

Answer 1

Political globalisation can be seen in changes such as the democratisation of the world, the creation of the global civil society, and moving beyond the centrality of the nation-state, particularly as the sole actor in the field of politics.

Some of the questions central to the discussion of political globalisation are related to the future of the nation-state, whether its importance is diminishing and what are the causes for those changes, and understanding the emergence of the concept of global governance. The creation and existence of the United Nations have been called one of the classic examples of political globalisation. Political actions by non-governmental organisations and social movements, concerned about various topics such as environmental protection, are another example.

Answer 2

1. Importance of Democracy: The East European revolution of 1989 and the disintegration of the Soviet Union are looked at as the fall of communism. It has been argued that the world is moving towards democratic political systems. Terms like ‘Participatory State’, ‘Citizen-Centric Governance’ and ‘Good Governance’ have become important. Participatory state goes beyond traditional democratic practices wherein the decision is made by the majority.
2. Position of the State: It is being argued that the State is becoming less and less important. One of the key features of the State is its sovereignty. The concept of sovereignty is linked with the concept of jurisdiction of the state. This is the right of the State to make laws within its territory. It has been argued that the concept of sovereignty is being challenged by both internal and external factors. External challenges come from the growth of international law, regional economic organisations, globalisation of markets, growing environmental and humanitarian concerns, etc. Internal challenges come from a decline of national consensus, growth of ethnic nationalism, activism of non-state actors, etc.
3. Non-State actors: It is the importance of the civil society that has given importance to non-state actors. Thus, Voluntary Organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) have started to become more important. Today, international relations are not relations between states; they also include non-state actors. They play an important role in promoting humanitarian issues. Besides organisations like Amnesty International and the Greenpeace Movement, terrorist organisations are also non-state actors.
4. Human Rights: In the age of globalisation, the protection of human rights has become an important agenda. But there is a need to make a distinction between the approaches to human rights of the developed world and the developing world. The Third World holds that economic development has to precede civil and political rights and that a greater value needs to be placed on community and family than on individual rights. The Indian Constitution, for example, places stress on social justice and looks at food, shelter, clothing, education, and health as the primary needs of its citizens.