“Globalization is bad as it undermines state sovereignty”.

Humanity is sitting on a time bomb! If the vast majority of the world’s political researchers and theorists are correct then we have just a few years to advert a major catastrophe that could bring and end to individual independence, freedom from external forces, traditions and ultimately state sovereignty. Globalization!

Globalisation as defined by Dr Martin Singh refers to the way in which “the economical, social, political and cultural activities of the world are interconnected” Singh (2008). State sovereignty on the other hand, as defined by popular Chinese attorney Guigo Wang refers to “the three-fold capacity of a state, which is to have – absolute supremacy over internal affairs within its territory, absolute right to govern its people, and freedom from any external interference in the above matters” Wang (2004). Theses two definitions are direct contradictions of each other and can therefore not exist simultaneously or cooperatively.

A state is viewed as the most important unit of politics. Sovereignty is seen as the foundational pillar in order for a state to maintain existence and democratic power. Through globalization, events and decisions in one part of the world have a bearing and affect events and decisions in another part of the world. Thus, undermining the very essence of state sovereignty.

Globalization has several characteristic including: the promotion of a western (American) culture, which entails values of consumerism that overrides the local traditions and cultures. This is seen, for example in fashion trends and youth culture. Individuals tend to forget their native roots in order to fit in with the crowd and to be seen a trendy and popular according to global standards, there is an ever growing importance of multinational corporations, a shift in production from country to country, and an increase in foreign capital flow and foreign direct investments.

Steven D. Krasner, a world renowned theorist, agrees with evidence that state sovereignty is collapsing. However, he disagrees with the notion that globalization is the detrimental trigger to sovereignty. He argues “Those who proclaim the death of sovereignty misread the history. The nation state has a keen instinct for survival and has so far adapted to new challenges, even the challenge of globalization” (Krasner, 2001: 20). His theory is based on the fact that globalization is not a new phenomenon and is often said to have existed since the beginning of time. However, contemporary globalization distinguishes itself from that of the past, in terms of “rapid communication, market liberalization and the global integration of goods, services and production” Badakhshani (2007). Thus proving that globalization of today will impact differently on state sovereignty as compared to globalization of the past.

In our today’s world it is vital for states to build relations with each other in order to develop and grow their economies through the selling of goods, services, resources, commodities and trade. For example there is interdependency between China and South Africa. While China relies on South Africa for resources, South Africa relies on China for goods. This interdependency of trade between states thus undermines the first of the three-fold capacities of a sovereign state, “the absolute freedom from any external force”, which influences the conduct of the state. De jure states are not compelled to develop relations with each other, but de facto it is in their best economic, social and political interests to do so.

For a state to be regarded as sovereign it is essential that it as the ability to solve its own civil problems without external interference. However, problems and threats are now becoming more globalized and it has become virtually impossible for a state to act independently in finding solutions to various issues. For example, international crime, lets say there is a drug trade between two criminal organizations situated in two separate countries, namely Zimbabwe and Nigeria. In order to demolish this crime network, the Zimbabwean government is dependent on the assistance of the Nigerian government and vice versa. Thus, undermining the second notion of sovereignty, “absolute supremacy over internal affairs within its territory”.

Through globalization the world is viewed as a global village. The concept of a global village is based on the “Kantian philosophy that views the world as a community of free individuals; a community where nations and borders are no longer relevant or of any meaning” Badakhshani (2007). Through this view, powers of the government are reduced as governments become more dependent on each other. International bodies such as the World Bank and The United Nations influence the policies and choices that national governments can make. Through the introduction of Multinational corporations (“Large companies or branches that operate in several counties” Singh (2008)) around the world, individual’s loyalties and influence are shifting from their native counties to the international companies which skill them and provide them with jobs and an income. Thus undermining the final notion of sovereignty, which is the states, “absolute right to govern its people”.

With the reduction in state sovereignty due to globalization there is an ever looming possibility of imperialism by powerful countries on less powerful countries. Multinational companies are built. Developing counties are exploited by developed countries, in order to serve their own interests. Most jobs are low paying, there are poor working conditions, long hours, most profits are taken out by the parent country therefore reducing benefits to the host country, little money is spent on preventing environmental problems due to lenient environmental laws, resources are extracted with no value added, employment insecurity arises when the multinational corporations shed jobs arising from technological advancements.

Due to the increasing growth of interdependency between countries (states), emergence of multinational institutions and the integration of international laws, there has been a rapid deterioration in the three-fold capacity of a state. Thus, states no longer have absolute supremacy over internal affairs within its territory, absolute right to govern its people, and freedom from external interference in the above matters. Much of this is due to international influence. States are also faced with high rates of crime and terrorism. Since they can no longer provide for the absolute security of their citizens and cannot independently act in order to solve their civil problems, there is a lack of state sovereignty. Thus proving that not only does globalization undermine state sovereignty but it will also gradually lead to the demise of states and its governance.

In my personal view, the negatives effects of globalization on the sovereignty of our various states can no longer be viewed as a commercial or political issue – sovereignty is fundamental in order for us to maintain democracy and independence. Therefore this issue should be viewed as the biggest moral challenge facing our civilization today.