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Summary essay plans - Paper 3: Global Politics
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- Paper 3: Global Politics
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- PEARSON (PEARSON)
providing in-depth essay plans for Alevel politics, Unit 3: global politics.
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GLOBALISATION:Examine the factors that have driven cultural and political globalisation.
Paragraph 1: technology
- globalisation has quickened its pace due to technology - the speed, ease, and low cost of conveying
information, goods, and people around the globe has massively changed the world.
- There are more mobile phones than people, and it is estimated that 40% of the global population use internet.
- News and information can be relayed virtually instantaneously to every phone, tablet, or computer.
Cultural:
The role of technology innovation, especially in ICT.
Benjamin Barber in his concept of ‘McWorld’ describes the increasing uniformity of culture.
States and institutions promote lifestyles, ideas, and needs that allow for the spread of global
capitalism.
Political:
In July 2016, President of Turkey was able to mobilise opposition to a military coup through the use of
a smartphone broadcast.
Gaza = first genocide with mobile phones
2011 Arab spring – brutal propaganda – HR culture places individuals above states – increase in
liberal democracy since the Cold War.
John Tomlinson = homogenised by globalisation – hyperglobalists
Ulrich Beck = Americanisation – consumer culture.
Paragraph 2: economics
- There has always been international trade, but, uniquely, economic globalisation is the degree of
interconnectedness and interdependence, and the fact that the global economy can be seen as a single
identity.
Cultural:
Increased wealth from economic globalisation increases the desire for political participation =
democracy.
Global culture works across boundaries, weakening the state.
Francis Fukuyama (hyperglobalist) – liberal democracy and neoliberal economics is the only way to
end the communist USSR and Iron Curtain – growth in trade – TNCs across borders.
Political:
The Bretton Woods economic system - introduced towards the end of WW2 to prevent the
circumstances that led to the pre-war economic catastrophe - exchange rates and regulations to
encourage trade and stability in the international system.
post-war reconstruction of Europe through the Marshall Plan and Keynesian economic policies.
all led to a growth in production, trade, and prosperity in the early 70s.
The 1973 oil crisis = floating exchange rates = greater competition for national economies.
Transformationalist’s view – the nature of the state has been changes – new architecture of politics is
emerging.
Paragraph 3: institutions
- increase in interconnectedness and global and regional problems means that states and non-state actors will
co-operate and create institutions to solve these shared problems (IGOs and NGOs).
Cultural:
NGOs = 6000 at the end of 2015 = promoting human rights cultural and accountability towards states
NGOs are very wide-ranging, campaigning for debt relief, for an end to poverty, for human rights, or
against the destruction of rainforests. UK – the Red Cross, Amnesty International, Save the Children,
WWF, and Oxfam.
Political:
The scale of IGOs has increased greatly in the last 150 years, but especially since WW2.
There is the United Nations and its associated agencies, including the World Health Organisation and
the WTO. The EU and NATO to name more.
Rise in international organisation = WTO, IMF, G7, G20, UN etc – growing role.
The emergence of HR culture – spread and protection of human rights is supported by the public and
politicians.
Samuel Huntington (Sceptic) – spread of liberal values = backlash of ethnic and religious attachment and
nationalist ideas – clash of civilisations.
,Evaluate the view that globalisation has had a beneficial impact on contemporary global issues (e.g. poverty,
conflict, human rights, environment).
Paragraph 1: poverty
Agree:
- there is considerable evidence that globalisation is lifting countries and people out of poverty.
- countries that have opened themselves up to trade in recent decades have seen economic growth and the
improvement of living standards.
Disagree:
- the transfer of jobs to lower-cost countries – for example, outsourcing call centres to India – unemployment
can be a consequence in countries that lose these industries.
- the opening of developing markets to Western competition can kill of local companies and the theory of
comparative advantage can condemn developing nations to remain focused on the primary sector.
Paragraph 2: conflict
Agree:
- there is a move to a single global community where people feel a connection and obligation to each other,
creating shared norms and views in areas such as human rights – weaking state sovereignty and increasing
cooperation and peace.
- Growing political globalisation compromises international institutions and international law, which breed
cooperation, peace and harmony.
Disagree:
- poverty, inequality and fear can also lead to conflict.
- Political globalisation is stalled by national sovereignty, which is the cornerstone of international order.
- While western states do not want to lose the considerable advantages they already have, developing nations
do not want to be deprived of the gains of globalisation and growth they think they have earned and are
entitled to.
- Nationalism has been rising, which tends to blame others for a nation’s misfortunes.
- Nationalism is a well-known threat to peace, and conflicts have a habit of spreading – Syria where the civil
war has led to increased regional tensions.
Paragraph 3: human rights
Agree:
- The spread of economic and political liberalism lessens the chance of conflict and human rights abuses.
- creating shared norms and views in areas such as human rights – weaking state sovereignty and increasing
cooperation and peace.
Disagree:
- the humanitarian plight of the Syrian refugees and the human rights abuses that they have suffered in the civil
war, and are still vulnerable to, have pricked the conscience of many.
- However, the inability to protect these people has also damaged the reputation of the international community
and its organisations.
- The consequence of increasing inequalities and human rights abuses is the higher chance of conflict both
within and between nation-states.
,Evaluate the view that globalisation has eroded national sovereignty.
Intro:
- Globalisation is the concept that the world is becoming more closely entwined into a complex web.
- Sceptics believe regional, national, and local economies are more significant, and countries are working more
cooperatively.
- However,… the stronger argument lies in favour of the statement.
- In favour with Hyperglobalisers: economic, political, and cultural globalisation has undermined nation-state
sovereignty.
Paragraph 1: economic globalisation
Agree:
- Key argument of hyperglobalists
- Large TNCs put pressure on national governments to reduce taxes, to benefit themselves – undermining the
economic sovereignty of the state.
o They engage in legally dubious accounting methods that trout profits through tax havens in places
such as Jersey and the Cayman Islands.
- Governments have given significant power to banks that are ‘too big to fail’, forcing governments to bail them
out to prevent economic breakdown – 2008 under Gordon Brown.
Disagree:
- Counter argued placed by sceptics – see much of globalisation as a myth.
- The so-called intergraded global economy does not exist – region, national and local economies are more
significant.
o The failures of the banks during the financial crises were due to poor state regulation.
- Bond markets are a good independent indicator of the success of the state’s economic policy – place checks
and regulations on government.
o Without access to loans, states would have few opportunities to ‘spend their way to recession’ – these
markets strengthen the state.
… sovereignty has not been undermined.
Paragraph 2: political globalisation
Agree:
- Hyperglobalists – increasingly interconnected world, with the interest of nation-states bound together by
intergovernmental organisations – UN and EU.
o So… IGOs increasingly take lead in and addressing collective dilemmas (climate change etc.)
Disagree:
- Sceptics – retained sov.
- USA – dominates the UN, NATO and G7.
- The nation-state remains the key decision maker when negotiating with other states,
- Although there are more opportunities for global cooperation (via IGOs), nation states choose the extent to
which they will world with other countries.
… argument lies somewhere in the middle. Although only state that must worry about money would be impacted by
IGOs, organisations such as the IMF and WB can be said to be sovereign – if you want to borrow money, you’ll have
to follow the rules.
- IGOs do have an impact – undermining sovereignty to an extent.
Paragraph 3: political and cultural globalisation
Agree:
- Hyperglobalist view.
o John Tomlinson – globalisation has homogenised society to create priority towards consumer
capitalism and the ideas of human rights – protected by NGOs and social movements.
- The increasing reach of the internet compromises physical borders of states.
- Cyberterrorism and cyber warfare further challenge state protection of citizens – sovereignty.
Disagree:
- Sceptic view – political and cultural globalisation has been key in the state retaining sovereign power.
- Rival religious and political world views has proved more resilient than Soviet communism for example – the
nature and extent of people’s rights and liberties often depend more upon cultural traditions than university.
- States still determine the extent to which they will abide by international standards of human rights.
o Often, intervention comes later. If it comes at all, it may not finish the job and will not be permanent.
- However… for majority of countries, HR culture does not do much – failed or rogue states are in the minority.
… the issues of consumer capitalism and weakening borders outweigh its opposition – cultural and political
globalisation has undermined state sovereignty.
, Overall – globalisation has undermined the nation-state.
Evaluate the view that globalisation is reducing poverty but increasing inequality.
Paragraph 1: economic
Agree:
- WB – won’t reach target of eradicating poverty by 2030 = natural disasters = wealth gap is
accelerating faster than income gap – bottom 30% = 2% of global wealth growth.
Disagree:
- Rapid globalisation of China and India – trade and technology.
- 1980 = 84% if China and 60% of India’s population lived in poverty – China 16% in 2022
Paragraph 2: political
Agree:
- WTO rules are biased to wealthy stabs – ‘cotton four’ struggling to survive against US subsidised
cotton industry.
- North and South Korea divided.
Disagree:
- WB – covid could push 150 million people – 1.4% into extreme poverty – 9% poverty rate.
- commitment to Ricardo’s comparative advantage = could reduce inequality.
Paragraph 3: cultural
Agree:
- war in Ukraine – rise in multilateralism = jobs – integrating governments – global supply chains
moving to Vietnam = more exploitation.
Disagree:
- climate crisis – Africa – affected by drought and conflict – political liberalism.
- Arab spring = enhanced HR culture.
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