07 March 2010

ON ANARCHY IN WORLD POLITICS

The concept "anarchy", strictly speaking, means the absence of governments and rulers. But "anarchy" doesn't mean total chaos because in international relations between countries chaos doesn't prevail but mostly order. That is, there is order in the political world due to the balance of power between states.
 

  He's not a world's leader
but a leader of North Korea. (beloved?)


After cold war period in the world's stage there aren't only states as actors but also other players: multinational corporations like Nokia, human rights movements like Amnesty International, terrorist networks, organized crime, etc.  
                                                                 
                                                                           He's not a world leader. (beloved?)                                                                                                      
 
But the structure of world politics is an anarchic system of states meaning that 1) there is no higher government over states and 2) it's a self-help system. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/staging_site/in_depth/georgia_russia_conflict/default.stm

"Anarchy in world politics" could be defined also, like a famous philosopher Thomas Hobbes did, as a war of all against all. That is, there's not higher ruler to enforce order. A good example about that kind of situation would be a town without a sheriff in the Old West or Somalia at present time. In Somalia nobody has a monopoly to keep in order as different clans and groups fight against each other.
                                                                                                                                                                  So, if there is not the international police enforces sanctions against lawbreakers or states and political leaders,  then world politics is a self-help system. And that's true because in international relations no one has a monopoly to use force. As a result, especially Great Powers such as China, US, Russia and some European countries, the governments don't trust each other and feel suspicion. In domestic politics, however, police and courts, by the government's power, can pass sanctions to lawbreakers and prevent their freedom to act.


Finally, althought political leaders and peoples have their right to self-determination, there is always possibility to intervene in other sovereign state's political system in world politics by the armed forces. It occurs due to anarchic system of states: look at Georgia, Iraq and Afghanistan! So, there are expectations to the rule: one hasn't right to intervene in the affairs of another state.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/12/2009121194338739472.html