NSA definition
Individuals or groups who have the capacity to influence the activites of states. They arent sponsored, directed, funded or affiliated by / with any government.
notes on NSA
- can be subnational (domestic influence eg. labour union) or transnational (influence across many states eg. transnational drug cartel)
- peaceful or violent
- can have diff. self-proclaimed interests/aspirations (political, economic, ethnic, religious)
- extreme: become direct competitors of states
- can be funded by gov. (gossip) > Hamas funded by Qatar?
How many States vs. NSA
States: 190+
VS
60k MNCs, 10k domestic NGO, 5800 int’l NGO, 250 IGOs (Baylis, 2001)
NSA: civic movements
- BLM
- # metoo
- Spanish football kiss Luis Rubiales > adapted Spanish sexual consent law (removed disctinction between sexual harrasment and sexual assult)
NSA: MNCs
- out of 100 largest economies: 51=States, 49=Cooperations (US hosts most)
- can bargain w/ State to get what they want
- Apples value = 2x Spanish governments (2023)
EG. Apple in Ireland
- benefited from very low cooperate tax rates (0.005% some years)
- later challenged by EU as “illegal State act”
NSA: Greta Thunberg
“How dare you” speech against major gov. at UN Climate Action Summit, 2019
- Protests worldwide eg. infront of White House
- forced politicians like Donald Trump to respond (on X)
NSA: City
Jerusalem
- symbolic
- influencial
- can shape behaviour of State: religious value, States compete
NSA: NGOs (Amnesty International)
- Founded in 1961, HQ in London
- NGO focused on HR advocacy
- Works through reports, campaigns, lobbying, media pressure
- Holds UN consultative status (influence in international bodies)
- Relies on membership, donations (not states) → independent
EG. Amnesty & Apartheid South Africa
- Documented human rights abuses under apartheid
- Mobilized international campaigns → sanctions, boycott movements
- Helped increase global pressure that isolated the regime and contributed to reform
NSA: IGOs (World Bank)
An entity created by two or more states through a formal treaty or agreement to pursue common interests and coordinate actions on international issues. IGOs operate based on international law and have permanent structures.
- Founded in 1944 (Bretton Woods), HQ in Washington D.C.
- Composed of 189 member states, but acts as an international financial institution
- Provides loans, grants, technical assistance for development projects
- Focus: poverty reduction, infrastructure, education, health
- Strong influence on state policies via conditional lending
- IGO general power: normative / political power (international standards and norms), legal power (ICJ - limited bc States dont have to comply), agenda setting (which global issues are most important at time)
NSA: Insurgent Group
- Emerged in 1990s Afghanistan, Islamist guerrilla movement
- Initially gained power in 1996, ruled most of Afghanistan until 2001
- Funded through opium trade, donations, taxation in controlled areas
- Uses guerrilla tactics & insurgency against state and foreign forces
EG. Taliban in Afghanistan
- After 2001 US invasion, regrouped as an insurgent guerrilla force
- Controlled rural areas, undermining Afghan government authority
- In 2021, retook Kabul → now de facto government, but still widely seen as a non-state armed actor in international politics
Definition /Explanation Power Diffusion
Joseph Nye
Power is increasingly spreading away from the traditional State to NSA due to globalisation, technological advancements, and information revolution.
> information revolution = acceleration in technology, computing, communications
How Power Diffusion affects Westphalian System specific NSA
WS: Established 1648, based on state sovereignty → states are the main actors, control within borders, non-interference
- NGOs: Undermine state monopoly on human rights narratives, “name & shame” governments, lobby at UN → influence without sovereignty
- IGOs: Impose conditionalities on state policies → limit full autonomy
- MNCs: Economic power rivaling states; can bargain for tax breaks, shift capital, or threaten relocation.
- Guerrilla groups: Directly undermine state sovereignty by controlling territory, challenging monopoly on violence
- Terrorist Groups: Cross border threats = sov. cannot guarentee security
Overall effect NSAs on Power Diffusion
- Erosion of absolute sovereignty → states must share authority, legitimacy, and power with NSAs
- Power is diffused both upwards (to IGOs, supranational bodies) and sideways (to NGOs, MNCs, guerrillas)
- This creates a more complex international order where the Westphalian principle of exclusive state control is weakened
Power transition definition/explanation
The shift in global power when a rising state approaches or reaches parity (equality) with the dominant state, creating a situation where the BoP is challenged.
How power transition affects Westphalian Principles
- Power transition = power shifts between states (e.g. US → China) → changes hierarchies but keeps states central (sovereignty as a principle remains)
- transition = horizontal shift of power between states
- changes stability of Westphalian system
-> Rising power may challenge status quo
-> Declining power may resist, leading to rivalry and conflict - Destabilises international order, competition leads to spheres of influence, reducing universal respect for sovereignty and non-intervention
Who are the Rohingyas?
- Muslim minority living in Myanmar (Rakhine State, bodering Bangladesh)
- present in region since 13th/14th century
- approx. 1 million (mostly Muslin, small Hindu minority)
- Not officially reconigsed as one of Myanmars 135 ethinc groups within 8 national races
Challenges / Threats Rohingyas face: Citizenship
1982 Citizenship law
- full citizenship based upon “national races” (considered by state to have settled in Myanmar before 1824 -> first occupation of British)
- Rohingya not considered part of official indigenous races therefore effectively excluded from full citizenship
- restricted movement, limited access to jobs and education
Challenges / Threats Rohingyas face: Persecution and violence
- targetted by army and police with harrasment, killings, forced displacement
- UN called them one of “most prosectued minorities in the world”
Challenges / Threats Rohingyas face: Refugee Crisis
- approx. 700,000 displaced since 2017 political crackdown
- hundred thousands fled to Bangladesh and other countries (in refugee camps, under poor conditions)
Challenges / Threats Rohingyas face: Social & Political Exclusion
- denied civil service jobs, public education, property rights
- heavily restricted freedom of movement
Root causes Rohingya Crisis
- Rohigya (Muslim) vs. majority Bamar population (Buddhist)
- Military and Buddhist nationalist groups portray them as “foreigners” or “illegal immigrants” from Bangladesh
- excluding Rohingya -> amplifies Myanmar as a Buddhist nation
- instability, weak democratic institutionts allow persecution to continue eg. limited Rule of Law, poor protection of minority rights
IRL example How power diffusion effects westphalian principles
WikiLeaks (2010)
- Non-state actor published secret U.S. diplomatic cables.
- Exposed how one group could undermine a state’s control over information.
➡ Erodes sovereignty and secrecy, central to Westphalian independence.
IRL example How power transition effects westphalian principles
U.S.–China Rivalry (21st century)
- China’s rise in trade, tech, and military power challenges U.S. global dominance.
- Competing spheres: South China Sea, Belt and Road vs. U.S. alliances.
➡ Weakens equality of states and threatens existing global order.
