Non state Actors

Non state Actors

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  Definition Non-state actors areindividuals or organizations that have powerful economic, political or social power and are able to influence at a national and sometimes international level but do not belong to or allied themselves to any particular country or state. Types of Non-state Actors and Their Roles 1: Sub-state Actors Sub-state actors are groups of people or individuals with similar interests not beyond the states that areable to effect the state’s foreign policy. They are also known as domestic actors. They are politically assembled to influence policies through interest groups, lobbying, donating to political candidates or parties, swaying public opinion on certain issues, and other means. Some examplesof sub-state actors arethetradeunion (British English) / labour union (Canadian English) labour union (American English). Trade union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals such as protecting the integrity of its trade, achieving higher pay, increasing the number of employees an employer hires, and better working conditions. They are able to influence the decisions made regarding their state’s laws in order to protect the rights of employees. 2: Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) IGOs areorganizations whosemembers consistof threeor morenations-states. IGOs arecreated and joined by states to solveshared problems which givethem authority to make collective decisions to manage problems on the global agenda. In these organizations, the states’ representatives gather to discuss issues that are of mutual interests to the member states. There are two main types of IGOs,theglobal IGOs and theregionalIGOs. Global IGOs are organizations having universal or nearly universal membership which means every state is a member like the United Nations (UN), World Trade Organization (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and many more. Regional IGOs are a subset of states as members based on a particular interest or region,such asthe Associationof SoutheastAsianNations (ASEAN),European Union (EU) and many others.
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  States need tocorrespond with each other and oversee other states to ensure that they are honouring their commitments to acknowledge many of the problems.Asan example, in thecaseof freetrade,the WorldTradeOrganization (WTO) was formed to coordinate the negotiation of tariffs and to provide a mechanism for resolving disputes. Some of these tasks might be more complicated and expensive to execute without the IGOs. Some examples of IGOs and their purposes: i: United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization that aims to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations.It is the largest, most familiar, most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organization in the world. The UN is headquartered on international territory in New York City; other main offices are in Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna and The Hague. ii: World Trade Organization (WTO) The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that is concerned with the regulation of international trade between nations. The WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement, signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948. It is the largest international economic organization in the world. iii: World Bank The World Bank (French: Banque mondiale) is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of poorer countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. It comprises two institutions: the InternationalBank forReconstruction and Development (IBRD), and the International Development Association (IDA). The World Bank is a component of the World Bank Group. iv: International Monetary Fund (IMF) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 189 countries working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic
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  growth, and reducepoverty around the world while periodically depending on the World Bank for its resources.[1] Formed in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference primarily by the ideas of Harry Dexter White and John Maynard Keynes,[6] it came into formal existence in 1945 with 29 member countries and the goal of reconstructing the international payment system. It now plays a central role in the management of balance of payments difficulties and international financial crises.[7] Countries contribute funds to a pool through a quota systemfromwhich countriesexperiencing balance of paymentsproblems can borrow money. 3: Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) NGOs are private international actors whose members are not states, but are volunteersfrompopulations of 2 or morestates whohaveformed organizations to promote their shared interests and ideals in order to influence the policies of state governments and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs). NGOs tackle many global problems and seek changes in the world for causes such as disarmament, environmental protection, human rights and many more. Most pursueobjectives that are highly respected and constructive, and therefore do not provoke any controversy or arouse much opposition. NGOs interact with states, sub-state actors, MNCs, and other NGOs. NGOs are increasingly being recognized in the UN and other forums, as legitimate actors along with states but is not equal to them. Some of the groups have a political purpose,somea humanitarian one, somean economic or a technical one. There are times where NGOs combine efforts through transnational advocacy networks.Byjoining NGOs, many peoplefound thatthey could participatein the global system and lobby to influence international organizations. Some examples of NGOs: One of the NGOs that fight for human rights is Amnesty International. Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. They conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated. Some of the issues that has been campaign are armed conflict issues and protection of civilians, basic welfare of children, LGBT rights, rights of people
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  with AIDS, women'srights, disability rights, human impact of pollution and environmental degradation, freedom of the press and many more. Conclusion Although states remains as the most important actors in the global system, the non-state actors in today’s world have an increasing influence and power in IR. One of the largest MNCs has revenues that even surpasses someof the poorer states shows their increasing influences. As the world continues to globalize, it will be difficult for us to distinguish corporations, countries and other actors in an era of collapsing states and re-emerging nations.