In the 21st century, how true is it to claim that the nation-state is sovereign?

Résumé du document

Nowadays, with the emergence of a vast range of new actors which have an impact on various fields such as policy-making, organization of economies and ensuring the education of populations for example, some argue that the sovereignty of the state is threatened and that the sovereign nation state that we know is on the verge of dissappearing. By transforming the world and creating new connections, globalization empowers new actors and gives them more influences. It is an element that nation-states have to take into account and manage because it will have an impact on their sovereignty, which is 'the ultimate source of authority in a society'. According to this definition, the sovereign nation-states are the highest and final decision-makers of a community. Considering all these changes, to what extent the nation-states in the 21st century are the highest and final decision-makers?

Extraits

[...] It simply had changed to adapt to these new constraints but remains in most cases the highest and final decision-maker. Bibliography -Baylis J., Smith S., Owens P. (2008) The Globalization of World Politics Oxford University Press -Buelens F. (1999) Globalisation and the Nation-State, Edward Elgar Publishing -Friedman T.L. (2000) The Lexus and the Olive Tree, First Anchor Books Edition -Hague R., Harrop M. (2007) Comparative Government and Politics, an Introduction, Palgrave Macmillan -Gills, B.K (2001) Globalization and the Politics of Resistance, Palgrave -Hobson, J.M. [...]

[...] It is a form of intervention on the domestic policies of the nation state. We can also give the example of the United Nations General Assembly which made a declaration in 1991 implying that there could be occasions where states could intervene in a state to save endangered populations without the consent of the target state (Baylis, Smith, Owens 322), which is a breach of its sovereignty. The sovereignty of the state is also threatened by other actors such as Non Government Organizations (NGO). [...]

[...] But on the other hand, it would be wrong to assert that the state's sovereignty has disappeared. Indeed, there are many arguments in favour of the neo-realists' thesis that the state remains the first actor, central and in many areas mostly autonomous. Foremost, when it is argued that the sovereignty of the state is threatened by the free trade, it is important to remind that states are necessary to organize free trade, to build an adapted framework and to make it work properly. [...]

[...] L'État-nation est-il souverain au XXIe siècle ? Nowadays, with the emergence of a vast range of new actors which have an impact on various fields such as policy-making, organization of economies or ensuring the education of populations for example, some argue that the sovereignty of the state is threatened and that the sovereign nation state that we know is about to die. Firstly, we have to understand that the main concept shaping the world events in the 21st century is globalization. [...]

[...] In conclusion, in the 21st century there are many actors and processes that can be seen as a threat to state's sovereignty. Indeed they have an impact on it and in some areas like the economic one, nation states sometimes seem to have lost entire pieces of their sovereignty. For example the European countries in the Eurozone which do not control their currency anymore or the directives that European Union members have to respect. They are also influenced by other actors such as NGOs and TNCs which have a growing importance and sometimes put into question the states' sovereignty. [...]