The State
Summary
TLDRIn this global politics instructional video, Alan S introduces the concept of the state as a critical actor in international relations. Despite debates on its decline, the state remains significant with its characteristics: defined borders, a permanent population, a central government, sovereignty, mutual recognition, and a monopoly on force. The video also touches on the distinction between nations and states, highlighting potential tensions within a state's diverse national groups. The state's role in global politics is underscored as essential for understanding international relations.
Takeaways
- 🌍 The state is considered the most important actor in global politics, driving the way global politics unfolds.
- 📉 There is a debate on the decline of the state's power, with other entities like multinational corporations and NGOs gaining influence.
- 🏛️ The state is defined as a political and legal entity with distinct characteristics, including a defined territory, population, central government, and sovereignty.
- 🚧 All states have a border that delineates internal and external areas, which is a fundamental aspect of their existence.
- 👥 States have a permanent population, with citizens being the primary constituents, although there are exceptions.
- 🏢 Central governments in states have responsibilities such as controlling territory, administration, and law-making.
- 🔍 Sovereignty is a key principle for states, meaning they are free from external interference in their domestic affairs.
- 🔄 Recognition between states is mutual and signifies acceptance of each other's political and legal status, often extending to international institutions.
- 🚔 States have a monopoly on the use of force within their territory, with governments controlling legitimate force through entities like the police.
- 🏢 The concept of nation is distinct from the state; nations are cultural identities that may exist within a state and can sometimes be at odds with the central government.
- 🌟 Despite debates on its future, the state remains a crucial actor in the study of global politics and international relations.
Q & A
What is the primary focus of the video series Alan S introduces?
-The video series focuses on the study of global politics and international relations, with an emphasis on key concepts in these fields.
Why is the state considered a critical actor in international relations according to the script?
-The state is considered critical because it is a driver of global politics, and global politics happens the way it does because of the state's actions and policies.
What is the definition of the state used in the video?
-The state is defined as a political and legal entity with clearly defined characteristics such as a border, permanent population, central government, sovereignty, recognition by other states, and a monopoly on the use of force.
What are the first two characteristics of a state as described in the script?
-The first two characteristics of a state are having a clearly defined border and a permanent population.
What does the central government's role typically encompass according to the script?
-The central government is responsible for controlling the territory, administering it, passing rules, creating laws, and essentially running everything internal to the state.
What does sovereignty mean in the context of states as explained in the video?
-Sovereignty means that states are, in principle, free from interference from the outside in their domestic affairs.
Why is state recognition by other states important in global politics?
-State recognition is important because it signifies that one state acknowledges another as a political and legal entity, which can also lead to legal standing in international institutions like the United Nations.
What is the significance of a state having a monopoly on the use of force?
-A state having a monopoly on the use of force means that only the government can legitimately use force within its territory, maintaining order and security.
How does the script differentiate between the concepts of 'nation' and 'state'?
-The script differentiates by stating that the state is a political and legal entity, while a nation refers to cultural identities. Nations may exist within states and may have distinct cultural, religious, or linguistic characteristics.
What challenges can arise from the presence of national groups within a state?
-Challenges can arise when national groups feel that the state does not recognize their distinctiveness, leading to tensions and sometimes violence between these groups and the central government.
What is the debate surrounding the state's role in global politics as mentioned in the video?
-There is a debate about whether the state is in decline, with some arguing that other organizations like institutions and multinational corporations are becoming more powerful and driving global politics.
Outlines
🌍 Introduction to the State in Global Politics
In this introductory video, Alan S discusses the significance of the state in global politics and international relations. He emphasizes that while the state is considered the most crucial actor, there's an ongoing debate about its decline due to the rise of other powerful entities like multinational corporations and non-governmental organizations. Alan introduces the concept of the state as a political and legal entity with five key characteristics: a defined territory with borders, a permanent population of citizens, a central government, sovereignty, and mutual recognition among states. He also touches on the concept of state nationalism and the potential tensions between national groups and central governments, hinting at the complexities within states and their role in global politics.
🏛️ The Characteristics and Challenges of the Modern State
Alan S continues the discussion by delving into the sixth characteristic of states: a monopoly on the use of force, which allows the central government to maintain order and security within its borders. He contrasts the concept of a state with that of a nation, highlighting the cultural identities of nations and the potential for conflict between national groups and the state. The video concludes with a recap of the state's defining traits and the acknowledgment of the state's enduring importance in global politics despite debates about its future. Alan invites viewers to join him for further exploration in subsequent videos.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡State
💡Global Politics
💡International Relations
💡Sovereignty
💡Recognition
💡Monopoly on the Use of Force
💡Central Government
💡Borders
💡Permanent Population
💡Nation
💡State Nationalism
Highlights
The state is considered the most important actor in global politics today.
The state's role in global politics is being debated due to the rise of other powerful entities like institutions and corporations.
A state is defined as a political and legal entity with specific characteristics.
States possess a clearly defined territory with borders.
All states have a permanent population, which primarily consists of citizens.
Central governments in states have responsibilities such as controlling territory and creating laws.
Sovereignty is a key characteristic, where states are free from outside interference in their domestic affairs.
States are recognized by each other, signifying their legitimacy as political and legal entities.
Recognition by other states is crucial and can have significant implications in global politics.
States have a monopoly on the use of force within their territory, maintaining order and security.
Many states contain multiple national groups, which can lead to complex relationships with the central government.
The distinction between a nation and a state is important, with nations being cultural identities and states being political and legal entities.
Tensions can arise between national groups and central governments over issues like language, religion, and cultural recognition.
State nationalism is promoted to ensure loyalty, but not all citizens may be comfortable with it.
The debate on the state's decline is ongoing, with arguments about its importance and future role in global politics.
Despite debates, the state remains a critical actor in the study of global politics and international relations.
Transcripts
hi my name is Alan S and I'm sitting
outside the global Lounge here at the
University of British Columbia welcome
to the global politics instructional
video series in this series we'll be
looking at some of the key Concepts in
the study of global politics and
international Rel ations today we're
going to start with the state now
obviously the state is critically
important as an actor in international
relations why is that so well first of
all many people argue that the state is
the most important actor in global
politics today and it's important
because the state is a driver of global
politics global politics happens the way
it does because of the
state now many others argue that the
state is in Decline that it's uh losing
this power other organizations they say
like institutions and multinational
corporations and non-governmental
organizations are all becoming more
powerful and they are starting to drive
why things happen in global
politics but whatever you might think of
the state it's pretty clear that the
state is a very important actor and a
very important part of our subject
matter so today let's have a look at the
state so let's
begin okay so the
state now there's a lot of different
definitions of the state and you can
look them up if you like but the one
we're going to work with is the state is
a
political and legal entity
and I'm just going to draw a picture of
a
state like this and all states have a
certain set of characteristics and the
first characteristic is they all have a
border that is to say they have a
clearly defined territory where it's
clear what is internal to the state and
what is external to the state
second all states have a
permanent population
essentially people within the state for
the most part are citizens now are some
exceptions to that of course but Most
states have a permanent population so
here are some citizens and they all look
very happy and of course not all
citizens are happy so I'll just draw an
unhappy citizen here U but the whole
idea of course then is all countries
have a permanent
population third all states have a
central government
and this government and I'll just draw a
government building here at the center
symbolize that all have certain
responsibilities they all control the
territory uh they control the
administration of the territory they
pass rules create laws Etc the central
government basically runs everything
internal uh to the
state fourth all states are
considered
sovereign uh and at least in principle
and what this means is that all states
in principle are free from interference
from the outside in their domestic
affairs and States take this very
seriously and you will often see in
global politics uh States complaining
that another state or a group uh are
doing something that is interfering in
the domestic affairs of their country
and they'll get very upset about that
because they'll consider that a
violation
of their
sovereignty the fifth characteristic of
states is that they are all
recognized by each other that is to say
if we have another state let's call it
State
B right State B can choose to
recognize this state here which we'll
call State a and by extending that
recognition what state B is saying is
that we recognize you state a as a
political and legal entity and
presumably State a then does the same
for State B in return and this is
important because not all states
actually recognize other states as
political and legal entities and if they
don't that really says something because
essentially what one country is saying
to another is we don't recognize your
right to exist and uh that can be a very
very important issue in global politics
in addition states that are recognized
also will be recognized in the form of a
legal standing in international
institutions so for example both
countries A and B will be members of the
United Nations and will have a seat in
the United Nations General
Assembly the sixth characteristic that
all states share is they have a
monopoly on the use of
force and what that really means is that
inside their territory the central
government has control over the
legitimate use of force inside that
state only the government for example
can have a police force so I'll just
draw a little police officer
here and that's supposed to be a police
cap I know it doesn't really look like
one but let's just pretend it is and the
whole idea then is the government is
responsible for maintaining order and
security inside the
state now uh one of the characteristics
of modern International politics is that
many states in fact most of them have
many national groups inside them these
nations exist within States and there's
a very important distinction between the
idea of nation and the idea of the state
the state is a political and legal
entity but nations are cultural
identities and this group of people here
living inside this state may consider
themselves uh somewhat separate from the
state maybe they have a different
religion maybe a different culture maybe
a different language and the
relationship between these individuals
in this National Group and the state in
particular the central government may be
very awkward uh for example they may
feel that the state does not truly
recognize their language or doesn't
extend them religious rights or doesn't
consider them an independent cultural
group and that could create attention
because most States want to ensure the
Loyalty of their citizens to the central
government and so they'll promote
something called State
nationalism but not all citizens are
comfortable with that many national
groups want to be recognized for their
distinctiveness some may even want to
have their own State and so this creates
a lot of tension and sometimes violence
between National groups and Central
governments so take all of this together
a border
population central government
sovereignty recognition and a monopoly
on the use of force and you have the
central characteristics of the modern
state so that was the state obviously
the state is still a very important
actor in global politics people debate
about whether or not the state is in
Decline they argue about how important
it really is and there's a big debate
about the future of the state but one
thing is very clear the state for those
of us who study global politics and
international relations is still a very
important actor I hope you enjoyed this
video join me next time
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