Political Globalization (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what political globalization is, what it consists of and its characteristics. Also, examples, advantages, disadvantages and consequences of this type of globalization.

The UN is an international institution that contributes to political globalization.

What is political globalization?

political globalization is the existence of instruments for the coordination of global measures between the governments of different countries in the world. These instruments are the signing of agreements, the holding of conferences and deliberation forums, the creation of intergovernmental institutions and even the integration of countries into supranational communities.

Two characteristic examples of political globalization are the United Nations (UN), an institution that brings together most of the world's countries to resolve disputes or make joint decisions on issues of collective interest, and the European Union, a community of European states that have specific economic, political and social functions, but that do not override the governments of their member countries.

Political globalization also includes the activity of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with an international presence, which sometimes collaborate or exert pressure on national governments, such as Amnesty International or the World Wide Fund for Nature. The topics that international institutions and conferences usually discuss are international security, human rights, humanitarian crises, climate change and financial stability, among others.

Characteristics of political globalization

The characteristics of political globalization are the following:

It is a process of political integration between governments and other institutions in the world which is closely linked to other types of globalization, such as economic and technological globalization.
It is a relatively recent phenomenon which began to take shape after the Second World War (1939-1945), with the creation of the United Nations (UN), and deepened at the end of the 20th century, with advances in information technologies and communication, the end of the Cold War and the creation of the European Union.
Tends towards a kind of global governance as it involves deliberations between different governments on issues of common interest (such as climate change, sustainable development or the defense of democracy and human rights) and promotes the adoption of regulations or protocols for their collective compliance.
It is based on the creation of intergovernmental organizations such as the UN or the World Health Organization (WHO). In the particular case of Europe, it promoted the formation of a supranational community: the European Union. The main military alliance of the Western world is also part of this process: the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Encourages the activity of some NGOs with global reach and other forms of civil society participation, collaborating with governments or criticizing and lobbying on specific issues.
Originates new forms of military conflict that complement conventional war, such as the so-called “hybrid wars”, which involve the massive dissemination of fake news or the use of new technologies for espionage, sabotage and the destabilization of governments (cyber war).
It entails the challenge of global and decentralized activity of radicalized groups such as the case of organizations classified as terrorists, which carry out attacks in various cities around the world.

Examples of political globalization

Some examples of political globalization are the following:

intergovernmental institutions which bring together many countries and are responsible for promoting agreements and defining actions of global scope, mainly the UN (founded after the end of the Second World War with the objective of guaranteeing international peace and security) and other organizations that comprise it. , such as the World Health Organization (WHO) or the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Courts of justice of international scope mainly dedicated to judging war crimes and crimes against humanity, such as the tribunals created by the UN for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda or the International Criminal Court (ICC) that operates in the context of international humanitarian law.
International institutions aimed at economic and financial cooperation or assistance such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The supranational communities, like the European Union, made up of the majority of European countries, with its own parliament and its own authorities. This is also the case of economic and geopolitical groups or blocks such as the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the BRICS (alliance made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
Forums, conferences and international organizations dedicated to deliberating and reaching agreements or addressing political agendas on specific topics, such as the Conference of the Parties (COP) on climate, the G20 (Group of Twenty) on financial stability and sustainable development, or the Organization of States Americans (OAS) on security, sovereignty, democracy and human rights.
International NGOs who sometimes collaborate with national governments or international public bodies and sometimes carry out independent campaigns or lobby for policy, such as Amnesty International on human rights issues, World Wide Fund for Nature and Greenpeace on environmental issues, and Doctors Without Borders on medical assistance in humanitarian crisis situations.
The military intervention of coalitions in local or international conflicts such as the US-led coalition forces in the Gulf War (1990-1991) and the Iraq War (2003-2011), or NATO's involvement in the Bosnian (1992-1995) and Kosovo wars ( 1998-1999).
The global activity of radicalized organizations such as Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations with branches and cells in various parts of the world, responsible for important attacks in places such as New York and Washington (2001), Bali (2002), Istanbul (2003), Madrid (2004), London ( 2005) or Paris (2015).

Advantages of political globalization

Political globalization has multiple advantages and disadvantages. Its main advantages are:

Coordinated action between countries facilitated by international institutions or agreed upon in intergovernmental forums and conferences, in matters of international security, health, environment and development.
The frequent resolution of disputes between countries through peaceful and diplomatic means whether by mutual agreements, with the mediation of other countries or with the impetus of the UN.
Greater international visibility of complaints by actions such as the violation of human rights, which usually mobilize the global community through claims from civil society, NGOs, national governments and intergovernmental institutions.
The constitution of international courts of justice dedicated to judging war crimes and crimes against humanity, such as the International Criminal Court based in The Hague, which is framed in the norms of international humanitarian law.

Disadvantages of political globalization

The main disadvantages of political globalization are:

Greater interventionism by international institutions in the political and economic decisions of the governments of each country, which diminishes national sovereignty.
The predominance of great powers in international organizations such as the United States in NATO and the five countries that permanently make up the UN Security Council (the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France), which have the ability to veto any resolution that affects their interests .
The global coordination of radical groups both political and religious, that make use of new technologies to organize themselves into networks or cells and evade security mechanisms, such as, for example, radical Islamist organizations that carry out terrorist attacks in different cities around the world.
The existence of “hybrid wars” that combine conventional tactics and strategies with new practices, such as cyber warfare (the use of digital networks to infiltrate enemy computer systems, obtain confidential information, hinder communications or industrial operations, among others) and the dissemination of news false to defame the enemy government or create confusion among its citizens and the international community.

Consequences of political globalization

Some of the consequences of political globalization are the following:

Promotes the development of agendas on problems of global interest, such as climate change, sustainable development and international security, by allowing greater coordination and cooperation between governments, and between them and civil society organizations.
Promotes widespread attention to various conflicts in different parts of the world such as those that involve the violation of human rights, respect for democratic institutions, assistance to people affected by humanitarian crises and environmental challenges.
Generates greater political stability worldwide and greater access to international resources and support, although growing competition between some great powers and armed conflicts involving allied countries (such as the wars between Russia and Ukraine or between Gaza and Israel) threaten to make the world order more unstable.
Tends towards a certain global governance through cooperation between countries gathered in international institutions, although it does not currently abolish national borders or annul political or economic blocs that unite groups of countries with common interests.

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References

Hashemi-Pour, C and Lutkevich, B. (2023). Globalization. TechTarget. https://www.techtarget.com/
Lechner, F.J. (2009). Globalization. The Making of World Society. Wiley-Blackwell.
Osterhammel, J and Petersson, N. (2019). Brief history of globalization. From 1500 to the present day. 21st century.
Steger, M. B. (2020). Globalization. A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.