This document discusses non-state actors (NSAs), which are organizations that participate in international relations without being part of a state. NSAs include NGOs, multinational corporations, religious groups, and more. Their increasing role in global affairs challenges the traditional Westphalian concept of states as the sole actors in international politics. NSAs can influence public opinion and work with international organizations on issues like human rights. Their activities add complexity to conflicts that involve multiple non-state armed groups.

1. Non-state actors (NSA) are entities that participate or act in international relations. They are
organizations with sufficient power to influence and cause a change even though they do not
belong to any established institution of a state.[1]
The admission of non-state actors into international relations theory rebukes the
assumptions of realism and other black box theories of international relations, which argue
that interactions between states are the main relationships of interest in studying
international events.
Contents
[hide]
· 1 Types
· 2 Effects on the Westphalian state mode l
· 3 Cotonou Agreemen t
· 4 Roles
· 5 See also
· 6 References
· 7 Further reading
· 8 External links
Types[edit]
· Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—typically considered a part of civil society.
· Multinational corporations (MNCs)—for-profit organizations that operate in multiple
sovereign states.
· The International Media
· Violent non-state actors—Armed groups, including groups such as Al-Qaeda or
criminal organizations, for example drug cartels.
· Religious Groups—Quakers and other religious sects are quite active in their
international advocacy efforts.[2] .
· Transnational diaspora communities—Ethnic or national communities that try to
influence their original and current territories.
· Cell-based, independent intelligence agents.
· Intergovernmental organizations
Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and
governments of different nations, a process driven by international tradeand investment and
aided by information technology. This process has effects on theenvironment, on culture, on
political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and onhuman physical well-being
in societies around the world.

2. What Is globalization?
Is it the integration of economic,globalization definition political, and cultural systems across
the globe? Or is it the dominance of developed countries in decision-making, at the expense
of poorer, less powerful nations? Is globalization a force for economic growth, prosperity,
and democratic freedom? Or is it a force for environmental devastation, exploitation of the
developing world, and suppression of human rights? Does globalization only benefit the rich
or can the poor take advantage of it to improve their well-being?
IMF/World Bank Introduction
Toward the end of the Second World War, in July 1944, representatives of the United States,
Great Britain, France, Russia, and 40 other countries met at Bretton Woods, a resort in New
Hampshire, to lay the foundation for the post-war international financial order. Such a new
system, they hoped, would prevent another worldwide economic cataclysm like the Great
Depression that had destabilized Europe and the United States in the 1930s and had
contributed to the rise of Fascism and the war.
Therefore, the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, as the Bretton Woods
conference was officially called, created the International Monetary Fund (the IMF) and
the World Bank to prevent economic crises and to rebuild economies shattered by the war.
The Bretton Woods strategy addressed what were considered to be the two main causes of
the pre-war economic downturn and obstacles to future global prosperity—the lack of stable
financial markets around the world that had led to the war and the destruction caused by the
war itself. The IMF would be aimed at stabilizing global financial markets and national
currencies by providing the resources to establish secure monetary policy and exchange rate
regimes, while the World Bank would rebuild Europe by facilitating investment in
reconstruction and development.
Although intended to benefit the global economy and contribute to world peace, the World
Bank and the IMF, collectively referred to as international financial institutions (IFIs), have
become primary targets of the anti-globalization movement. In many countries, they are
resented and are viewed as imposing Western-style capitalism on developing countries
without regard to the social effects.
The following Issue in Depth is designed to help you understand the history, purpose,
structure, and activities of the IFIs and to describe both benefits and concerns that surround
the World Bank and the IMF.
The IFIs are pillars of globalization. Designed to help manage the international financial
system, they have taken on major roles as drivers of closer economic integration of all of the
world’s countries, from the advanced to the least developed. They have provided funds and
advice to assist countries with their economic development and policy-making. At the same
time, they are subject to criticism on many levels—for intrusiveness into the economic and
political sovereignty of nations dependent on their aid, lack of transparency, and impact of
their policies on societies and the environment.

3. • Technological: IT, Biomedical, Green, Robotics
• Population: Growth, Aging, Youth Bulge,
Women, Labor, Nigration
• Economic: Commercial, Industrial,
Communications, Services
• Financial: Investments, Banking, Exchange
Rates, Black Markets, Money Laundering
• Cultural: Ideational, Ideological, Educational,
Civilization, Pop Culture

4. • Political, Democratic, Multinational
Organizations, International Law and Regimes,
Rule of Law, Civil Society
• Military/Security: Nuclear Proliferation,
Alliances, Rising Powers
• Environmental: Global Warming, Bio-Diversity,
Deforestation
• Health: Pandemics, Potable Water, AIDS/HIV,
Malaria
• Resources: Water, Food and Agriculture,
Energy and Fuels, Minerals
• Terrorism: Islamist-Extremist, other Religious,
Ethnic, National,
• Crime: Organized Crime, Drug Trafficking,
Piracy, Trafficking in Persons, Conflict
Diamonds
• The Threats:
– Sub-national Conflicts and Failed States
– Radical Islamic Terrorism – “Clash of
Civilizations”
– Authoritarianism – From Zimbabwe to
China
– International Organized Crime – Drug
Trafficking

5. – Widespread Corruption
– Global Economic/Social Inequality
– Population Pressures
– Ecological Threats – Rising sea levels,
Hurricanes
– Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
– Resource Wars – Fuel, Water, Food, Raw
Materials
– Human Rights Violations, War Crimes and
Genocides
• The Benefits
– David Ricardo and comparative advantage
– Expansion of trade, industrialization,
finance and GDP
– Expansion of Diplomacy and “Soft Power”
as the core of state power
– Expansion of International Law and
Organizations
– Expansion of Freedom, Democracy, Civil
Society
– Expansion of Development and Foreign
Assistance
– Expansion of Western Culture and Values

6. – US a principal beneficiary of Globalization
– Empowerment of individuals, women,
groups, minorities
Effects on the Westphalia state model[edit]
The proliferation of non-state actors in the post–Cold War era has been one of the factors
leading to the Cobweb Paradigm in international politics.[3] Under this paradigm, the
traditional Westphalian nation-state experiences an erosion of power and sovereignty, and
non-state actors are part of the cause. Facilitated by globalization, NSAs challenge nation-state
borders and sovereignty claims. MNCs are not always sympathetic to national
interests, but instead are loyal to the corporation's interests. NSAs challenge the nation-state's
sovereignty over internal matters through advocacy for societal issues, e.g. human
rights and the environment.[2]
Armed non-state actors operate without state control and are involved in internal and trans-border
conflicts. The activity of such groups in armed conflicts adds layers of complexity to
traditional conflict management and resolution. These conflicts are often fought not only
between non-state actors and states, but also between multiple NSA groups. Interventions in
such conflicts is particularly challenging given the fact that international law and norms
governing the use of force for intervention or peacekeeping purposes was primarily written in
the context of the nation-state.[4]
Cotonou Agreement[edit]
The term Non State Actors is widely used in development cooperation, particularly under
the Cotonou Agreement[5] between the European Union (EU) and African, Caribbean and
Pacific ACP countries. The agreement uses the term to refer to a wide range of
nongovernmental development actors whose participation in ACP-EU development
cooperation is now formally recognized. According to Article 6, non-state actors include:
· Civil society in all its diversity, according to national characteristics;
· Economic and social partners, including trade union organisations and;
· The private sector.
In practice, it means that participation is open to all kind of actors, such as community-based
organisations, women's groups, human rights associations, non-governmental
organisations (NGOs), religious organizations, farmers' cooperatives, trade

7. unions, universities and research institutes, the media and the private sector. Also included
in this definition are informal groups such as grassroots organizations, informal private sector
associations, etc. The private sector, however, is considered only insofar as it is involved in
non-profit activities (e.g. private sector associations, chambers of commerce, etc.)
Roles[edit]
Non-state actors can aid in opinion building in international affairs, such as the Human
Rights Council. Formal international organizations may also rely on non-state actors,
particularly NGOs in the form of implementing partners in the national context. An example is
the contribution of COHRE (Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions), to the protection of
land and property (HLP) rights in Kosovo by conceptualizing the Housing and Property
Directorate (now Kosovo Property Agency) within the framework of the United Nations
Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.[6]
Another example that shows the importance of non-state actors in peace-building is the
contribution of ICBL (International Campaign to Ban Landmines) to the international
prohibition on the use of landmines. ICBL is a global network of NGOs that has operated in
over 90 countries since 1992. Its primary goal is to make a world free of anti-personnel
landmines. Their passionate advertising appealing for global cooperation drew Diana,
Princess of Wales to become an ardent advocate. Together, they brought the issue to
theUnited Nations General Assembly. ICBL’s efforts led the international community to urge
states to ratify the Ottawa Treaty (Mine Ban Treaty) in 1997, and its contribution was
recognized and praised as it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the same year.[7]
See also[edit]
· Civil society
· Violent non-state actor
· Transnationalism
· Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
References[edit]
1. Jump up ^ Dictionary of the Social Sciences (1 January 2002). "Nonstate
actors". Dictionary of the Social Sciences. Cengage Learning. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Rochester, Martin J. Between Two Epochs: What’s Ahead for
America, the World, and Global Politics in the Twenty-First Century. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002.
3. Jump up ^ The Impact of Non-State Actors on World Politics: A Challenge to
Nation States
4. Jump up ^ "Non-State Actors in Conflict". SIPRI Archive. Stockholm International
Peace Research Institute. Retrieved 11 June 2012.

8. 5. Jump up ^ "Overview, The Cotonou Agreement". The Cotonou Agreement.
European Commission. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
6. Jump up ^ K. Hassine, Regularizing Property Rights in Kosovo and Elsewhere,
2010, ISBN 978-3-86553-340-1
7. Jump up ^ "About Us". The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). Retrieved 11 June 2012.
Further reading[edit]
· Chickering, Lawrence A., et al. Strategic Foreign Assistance: Civil Society in
International Security. Stanford: Hoover Institution Press, 2006.
· Keck, Margaret E. and Kathryn Sikkink. Activists beyond Borders: Advocacy
Networks in International Politics. London: Cornell University Press, 1998.
· Sobelman, Daniel. "Four Years After the Withdrawal from Lebanon: Refining the
Rules of the Game", Strategic Assessment, Vol. 7 No. 2, August 2004.
· Warkentin, Craig. Reshaping World Politics: NGOs, the Internet, and Global Civil
Society. New York: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2001.
External links[edit]
· "Non-State Actors and Their Significance"—Article on terrorists as NSAs, see section
titled "Non-State Actors (NSAs): Who Are They?"
As believed by some of the scholars that the most important effect of globalization is
being felt
on the basic characteristics of the ‘state sovereignty’. There are four different kinds and
degrees of sovereignty (Dunning 1992) that play a role in the activities of a nation state:
economic sovereignty reflects the ability of the state authority to manage country’s
resources
for economic activities, legal sovereignty means the right to impose rules and regulations
independently, cultural sovereignty and finally the general concept of political
sovereignty
which includes all three preceding “sovereignties” and corresponds to the combination of
external and internal sovereignty. In this regard it is considered that the nation state is
being
pressurized from ‘the above’ and from ‘the below’. Pressures from the above means
pressures
from global institutions like UN, WTO, IMF,MNCs and NGOs etc (some
rules/regulations of
these institutions are imposed which may not benefit the state) and pressure from below
means from the citizens because due to unfavorable conditions the nation state may not
be
able to maintain social order, public services, national security and make economic
decisions
for the welfare of its citizens (Banerjee & Linstead, 2001). It is generally being felt that,
the
World Bank, IMF and other donor agencies are serving as a tool for fulfilling objectives
of those

9. powerful countries by offering funds for development at their own terms and conditions
and
consequently undermining the sovereignty of the funds receiving countries. The current
debate
on the role of these agencies and increasing interference of powerful countries in the
world’s
political order raises the question of role of Power and nation state when seen in the
backdrop
of globalization.
Globalization

10. powerful countries by offering funds for development at their own terms and conditions
and
consequently undermining the sovereignty of the funds receiving countries. The current
debate
on the role of these agencies and increasing interference of powerful countries in the
world’s
political order raises the question of role of Power and nation state when seen in the
backdrop
of globalization.
Globalization