Interdependance
Summary
TLDRIn this instructional video, Alan Sands introduces the concept of interdependence in global politics, a key idea in political liberalism. He explains how states and non-state actors, like multinational corporations, NGOs, and international institutions, are interconnected through trade, finance, travel, and communication. Sands highlights the liberal view that this growing interdependence fosters peace and prosperity. However, critics like realists and Marxists argue that interdependence can lead to dominance and exploitation rather than mutual cooperation. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding interdependence in today's globalizing world.
Takeaways
- 🌍 Interdependence is a crucial concept in global politics, particularly in the theory of political liberalism.
- 🌐 The idea of interdependence is closely tied to globalization, highlighting a world that is increasingly interconnected.
- 🤝 Liberals argue that a more interdependent world leads to increased peace and prosperity.
- 🏛️ In the international system, states are not the only actors; multinational corporations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international institutions also play vital roles.
- 🔗 Interdependence involves the mutual connectedness of states and non-state actors through channels such as trade, financial flows, travel, and communication.
- 📶 The international system is characterized by a growing network of interconnected relationships, resulting in more permeable state borders.
- ⚖️ Not all connections in the system are symmetrical; some actors may be more dependent or vulnerable than others.
- 💡 Interdependence is seen by liberals as a force for positive change, fostering cooperation and closer ties among global actors.
- ❗ However, realists argue that the world is still dominated by sovereign states in an international anarchy, making cooperation difficult.
- ✊ Marxists and dependency theorists view interdependence as a form of dominance and exploitation, benefiting only powerful elites and states.
Q & A
What is interdependence in the context of global politics?
-Interdependence refers to the mutual connectedness and dependency of states and non-state actors in global politics, where their actions and decisions affect each other through various channels such as trade, finance, travel, and communication.
Why is interdependence important in political liberalism?
-Interdependence is a key concept in political liberalism because liberals believe that a more interdependent world leads to more peace and prosperity through international cooperation and interconnectedness between states and non-state actors.
How does interdependence relate to globalization?
-Interdependence is a fundamental part of globalization, where the increasing interconnectedness of states and non-state actors through economic, social, and political networks helps drive global cooperation and development.
Who are the key actors in the international system according to liberal theory?
-According to liberal theory, the international system includes not only states but also non-state actors like multinational corporations (MNCs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international institutions such as the United Nations and the European Union.
What are the main ways in which actors in the international system are interconnected?
-Actors in the international system are interconnected through various means such as trade, financial flows, travel, and modern communication technologies, creating a complex and evolving web of relationships.
Do all actors benefit equally from interdependence?
-No, not all actors benefit equally from interdependence. Some countries or non-state actors may be more dependent on these links, while others might be more vulnerable to disruptions, making the relationships asymmetrical.
How do liberals view the effects of interdependence on international relations?
-Liberals argue that interdependence promotes international cooperation, leading to a more peaceful and prosperous world. They believe that closer ties between states and non-state actors foster mutual benefit.
What are the criticisms of interdependence from realists and Marxists?
-Realists argue that the world remains a system of sovereign states living in international anarchy, where distrust and competition make cooperation difficult. Marxists and dependency theorists claim that interdependence is not about cooperation but about dominance and exploitation by powerful elites.
What role do non-state actors like NGOs and multinational corporations play in interdependence?
-Non-state actors like NGOs and multinational corporations play significant roles in interdependence by engaging in global politics and forming links with states and other actors, influencing policies, economic flows, and social movements.
How does interdependence affect state sovereignty?
-Interdependence challenges traditional notions of state sovereignty by making state borders more permeable to trade, finance, travel, and communication flows, increasing the influence of non-state actors and international institutions.
Outlines
🏛️ Introduction to Global Politics and Interdependence
Alan Sands introduces the instructional video series on global politics, filmed outside the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. He explains the focus of this video, which is on the concept of interdependence. He highlights its importance in political liberalism, a major theory in international relations. Interdependence is linked to globalization, suggesting that a more interconnected world leads to peace and prosperity. Sands sets the stage for a deeper exploration of this idea by defining interdependence as the mutual connectedness of states and non-state actors.
🌍 Actors in the International System
Sands explains that in the liberal theory of interdependence, states are not the only important actors in global politics. Other significant players include multinational corporations (MNCs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international institutions. MNCs are represented with squares, NGOs with triangles, and institutions like the UN and the EU with stars. These actors are all interconnected through trade, finance, travel, and communications, creating a web of relationships. Sands introduces the idea that this interconnected system influences global politics, with a focus on non-state actors playing key roles.
🌐 The Web of Global Interconnections
In this section, Sands discusses how the international system is characterized by an intricate and growing network of states and non-state actors. These actors are connected through various means like trade, financial flows, and modern communications, resulting in increasingly permeable state borders. While acknowledging that these connections are not always symmetrical—some actors may be more vulnerable or dependent than others—Sands underscores that interdependence promotes international cooperation, leading to a more peaceful and prosperous world.
⚖️ Critiques of Interdependence: Realists and Marxists
Sands presents alternative viewpoints on interdependence. Realists argue that despite interconnectedness, the world remains anarchic, with sovereign states acting in self-interest and cooperation being difficult. Marxists and dependency theorists critique liberalism by claiming that interdependence is not about cooperation, but about dominance and exploitation by powerful states and elites. They see global politics as driven by control rather than mutual benefits. Despite these criticisms, Sands concludes that interdependence remains a key concept, particularly in the context of globalization, and invites viewers to explore it further.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Interdependence
💡Political Liberalism
💡Globalization
💡Non-State Actors
💡Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
💡Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
💡International Institutions
💡Trade
💡Financial Flows
💡Realism
Highlights
Introduction to the concept of interdependence in global politics.
Interdependence is a key component of political liberalism in international relations.
Interdependence is closely tied to globalization and the concept of a globalizing world.
Liberal theorists believe that a more interdependent world promotes peace and prosperity.
Definition of interdependence as the mutual connectedness of states and non-state actors.
Interdependence involves more than just states; non-state actors like multinational corporations and NGOs also play crucial roles.
Examples of important non-state actors include multinational corporations, NGOs (e.g., Amnesty International), and international institutions.
The international system includes various actors interconnected through trade, finance, travel, and communications.
States and non-state actors are part of a complex, interconnected network in the international system.
The growth of interdependence has led to more permeable state borders and increased cooperation among international actors.
While interconnected, the relationships between states and actors are not always symmetrical or equal.
Some states or actors may be more vulnerable to disruptions in the interconnected international network.
Interdependence is seen as promoting international cooperation and positive change within the global system.
Critics like realists argue that interdependence overlooks international anarchy and state sovereignty.
Marxists and dependency theorists believe interdependence is about dominance and exploitation, not mutual cooperation.
Transcripts
hi my name's Alan sands and I'm standing
outside the Museum of Anthropology here
at the University of British Columbia
welcome to the global politics
instructional video series in these
videos we are exploring some of the key
concepts and ideas in the study of
global politics and international
relations today we're looking at
interdependence and interdependence is
an important concept for us in a number
of different ways first of all it's a
key component of political liberalism
one of the main theories of
international relations second the whole
idea of interdependence is wrapped up
with this notion of a globalizing world
so the whole idea of globalization is a
big part of this discussion another
reason why interdependence is so
significant is that liberals tend to
argue that a more interdependent world
will be a more peaceful world in a more
prosperous world and I think we'd all
like that so what do we have a look at
this idea okay interdependence
now there are a lot of definitions of
interdependence and you can look up and
use anyone you like what we are going to
define interdependence as the mutual
connectedness of independency of states
and non-state actors and this definition
is revealing in a number of different
ways and it's a very big parts whole
concept of interdependence is a very big
part of the liberal school of
international relations and what I'm
going to describe to you today is very
much how liberal theorists see the world
so let's draw a system so here's our
international system I'm going to
populate it first with the number of
states of varying size and power and the
first notable thing about
interdependence and the liberal theory
of interdependence is the idea that
first of all states are not the only
actors and that's significant because
the idea is that there are a number of
different types of actors that are
important in global politics not just
the state so for example they argue that
multinational corporations are very
important and need to be represented in
our view of the international system so
I'll just going to draw a number of
multinational corporations for us here
and I will represent multinational
corporations with a square box another
actor of importance our non-governmental
organizations or NGOs and these are not
for profits professional associations
and so on but also how very
roles in global politics Amnesty
International for example or Greenpeace
come to mind and I'll represent NGOs
with a triangle so we also have NGOs as
actors in the international system and
then lastly there are a whole series of
international institutions in global
politics the European Union the United
Nations the International Coffee
Association and a whole variety of them
and I'll represent those with a star so
here are some of our institutions of
various kinds and so you have a system
as populated with more than just States
you have States and non-state actors
being important in the system and the
whole idea then is that all of these
actors are interconnected in some way
and they're interconnected through a
variety of channels trade financial
flows travel and communications
and taken together all these means or
ways in which actors are interconnected
in the International System trade
finance travel and communications mean
that the International System is
characterized by a web of interconnected
relationships all of these actors are
connected to each other in this complex
ever-shifting ever-growing international
network of states and non-state actors
with trade flows financial flows people
traveling by planes and boats and
automobiles and of course modern
communications technology all of them
linking all of these actors and all
these states together the result of
courses of state borders are
increasingly permeable to all of these
methods of interconnection and we have
more more non-state actors engaged in
this kind of an international system and
it doesn't mean of course that all of
these links are exactly the same many
liberals make the argument that these
relationships are not necessarily all
symmetrical that is to say they're not
all equal some countries some non-state
actors may be more dependent than others
on these links in these connections
other countries other international
actors may be more vulnerable to the
breaking of these networks or risks or
threats to those networks than others
but the bottom line is that this
interconnection has been steadily
growing and the whole idea of
interdependence is that it is a force
for positive change in the international
system the development of all these
non-state actors and the ways that they
are connected with each other and with
States means that states and all actors
in the international system are
benefiting from closer ties
this is promoting more and more
international cooperation in this world
as a result will be a more peaceful
world and a more prosperous world okay
that's interdependence now it sounds
good doesn't it but not everyone agrees
realists for example make the argument
that it's not an interdependent world at
all it's a world of sovereign states
living in an international anarchy and
therefore they're all distrustful of one
another and cooperation is very
difficult Marxists and dependency
theorists make the argument that
liberals have got it all wrong
interdependence is not about mutual
cooperation interdependence is actually
all about dominance and exploitation
that liberals are mistaking the way the
world runs for some sort of mutually
cooperative environment when in fact
it's really characterized by control and
the dominance of a few powerful elites
and States but however we feel about
interdependence there's very little
doubt that it's a critically important
concept for us and the whole idea that
we in a globalizing world is in large
part built on the idea of
interdependence I hope you enjoy this
video join me again next time
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