Contemporary challenges to state sovereignty

• Transnational cooperations - TNC's

  Example 1: Shell in Nigeria

  • In 1956 substantials oil reserves were discovered in Nigeria which appeals Shell, an oil extraction industry
  • Small minority ethnic groups such as the Ogoni suffer exploitation by TNC's.
  • Ogoni protests have been violently suppressed by the government
  • 9 million barrels of oil spilt in the Niger Delta
  • Gas flaring is common which contributes to large amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere
• Transnational cooperations - TNC's

  Example 2: Apple in China

  • A Foxconn workforce of 500,000 in China contributed $6 billion to apple's profit
  • However, workers work overtime breaking workplace regulations and are paid as little as £ 5.20/day
  • This has led to a high number of suicides across Apple factories in China
  • In May of 2011, 7 Chinese workers producing apple products took their lives, which prompted an investigation into the working conditions of Foxconn
  • The factories have put in anti-suicide nets
  • 30% of Foxconn factories have broken rules on wages and benefits in China
• How do TNC's erode state sovereignty?

  • Decisions of investment, which affects the lives of many people, are taken outside the host country by the TNC. This indicates a lack of government control and ability to protect its citizens
  • Human rights abuse by some TNC's questions the absolute power of the government as they are not protecting their citizens within their own territory
  • Over-dependence from LIDC on the social and economic benefits from TNC's investment indicates a loss of government control
• Supranational Organisations

  Example 1: The EU

  • The EU aims to avoid conflict between member states through encouraging economic interdependence between 27 member states
  • The EU brings benefits to member states through no trade tariffs and freedom of movement between states
  • Member states have to implement EU laws even if they do not vote for them eg. the Common Fisheries Policy which sets limits to the number of fish caught by member states and allows equal access to EU fishing waters
• Supranational Organisations

  Example 2: The UN

  • 193 member states
  • UN Security Council is responsible for maintaining peace and security - it has the right to allow intervention in a country even without consent of its government
• How do Supranational Organisations erode state sovereignty?

  • S.O's have greater power than a single state > members hold independence and territorial integrity but are bound to the treaties they sign within the organisation
  • AC's hold more power than LIDC's within S.O's - can lead to an imbalance between those who benefit from membership and those who lose elements of their sovereignty
  • Any intervention can be seen as challenging the concept of sovereignty - it challenges the absolute power of a government as well as a states territorial integrity
• Separatist Movements: Basque Nation

  • Due to its mountainous terrain separating regions across the country > there are strong regional identities across Spain > building a national Spanish identity has been attempted since the marriage of the Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon > furthered in 20th century under Franco's dictatorship when regional languages, Euskara + cultural aspects of identity, Sardana dance, were banned > because the Spanish government viewed Basque independence as a threat to their sovereign power
• Separatist Movements: Basque Nation

  • A violent separatist movement grew - ETA > carried out a campaign of bombing, assassinations and kidnappings > with the aim of gaining independence > they called a ceasefire in 2011 but continue to undertake peaceful protests
• Separatist Movements: Basque Nation

  The Basque nation is an autonomous region that straddles Northern Spain and Southwest France, with its largest city being Bilbao
• Autonomous

  Having freedom to govern itself
• Transnational Organisations

  Firms with operations in more than one country
• Supranational Organisations

  • A union composed of multiple countries that give up a degree of sovereignty to achieve common goals and make decisions collectively.
  • They operate above the national level and can influence or regulate activities across member states.
  • Thy aim to foster cooperation on issues like trade, security, environmental protection, and human rights, which promotes greater economic and political integration among member countries

  Examples: EU and UN
• Separatist movements

  • A political and social movement by a group within a country that seeks to achieve independence or greater autonomy from the central government
  • These movements often arise from cultural, ethnic or religious differences and are driven by the desire for self-determination and control over their own affairs
  • Separatist movements can manifest in various forms, ranging from peaceful advocacy and political negotiation to violent conflict and insurgency.

  Example: Spanish Separatist Movement - Basque Nation
• How do separatist movements erode state sovereignty?

  • The Basque country has now achieved political autonomy and has a Basque parliament. Some Basque nationalists have demanded the right to full self determination and want full independence from France and Spain
  • This challenges Spain's territorial integrity as it has separatist movements within the country who desire full independence
  • Violent outbreaks in the Basque country by the ETA challenges the Spanish states absolute power and ability to protect its citizens
• Current Political Boundaries

  Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea

  • Due to ethnolinguistic divisions in Ukraine, pro-Russian separatist groups have established dominance in Donetsk and Luhansk
  • Crimea is a peninsula in Southern Ukraine. Due to its proximity to Russia and the history of the Soviet Union, 77% of Crimean citizens speak Russian and identify strongly with a Russian national identity. In 2014 Russia annexed Crimea directly challenging Ukraine's territorial integrity
• How does Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea erode state sovereignty?

  • Russia contesting Ukraine's borders and invading undermines Ukraine's territorial integrity
  • By questioning and violating Ukraine's borders, Russia is challenging Ukraine's state sovereignty
• outsourcing


  Jobs going outside of the TNC's place of origin eg. Apple hiring workers in China to manufacturers Iphones.
• Global shift


  The relocation of manufacturing production on a global scale from AC's to LIDC's or EDC's
• Transnational Cooperations - TNC's

  Example 3: Rana Plaza

  • The garment industry is significant in Bangladesh: 4 million people being employed + accounts for 80% of exports
  • 2013: Rana Plaza factory collapsed - an 8 story building with 5 garment factories inside
  • Majority of people inside the building worked in the garment industry, resulting in 1100 deaths and many injured
  • ILO - International Labour Organisation - are working to increase the number of factory safety investigations + encourage financial compensation for workers and their families
  • However many similar incidents have occurred since
• How does the Rana Plaza challenge state sovereignty?

  • Bangladesh government failed to protect its citizens from the poor safety standards of TNC's in factories - they are dependent on the ILO for enforcing protection of their citizens and economic benfits.
  • The state fails to regulate the actions of TNC's on their territory
• Threats to state sovereignty

  External threats:

  • Supranational Organisations
  • TNC's

  Internal threats:

  • Separatist movements
  • Dominance of ethnic groups