International Integration

CHAPTER TEN

Dr. Clayton ThynePS 235-001: World Politics

Spring 2008

Goldstein & Pevehouse, International Relations, 8/e

Student notes version

Supernationalism

• Purpose of the chapter:

• Supranational: – United Nations – European Union

Integration Theory

• Definition: Refers to the process by …

– sovereignty: – Ultimate expression of integration:

– In practice: • • Most successful example:

International Theory

• Integration challenges realism – Answer to dilemma:

• Functionalism– Theory that discusses…

– Supranational structures’ response…

International Theory• Neofunctionalism

– Modification of functional theory by IR scholars that argues that…

– Econ integration (functionalism)

• Sense of community– Integration

– – Others trying to do the same:

• • •

International Theory

• Costs of integration• Harder to …

• Degradation of …

• Central theme of integration:

The European Union

• Created after WWII

• EU has gone through …

• EU has nearly 500 million citizens.

• EU nearly equals the…

The Vision of a United Europe

• Europe in 1945 –

• Functionalism in Europe– 1950 merger of …

– European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)– Six ECSC states signed treaty in 1952 to

create a European Defense Community• •

The Treaty of Rome

• Six states of the ECSC …– Extended coal and steel to:

• Euratom:

• European Economic Community (EEC):

The Treaty of Rome

4 steps towards European integration:

1. Free-trade areas:

2. Customs Union:

3. Common market:

4. Economic & monetary union (EMU):

Future steps…

Structure of the European Union

• Roots in …

• Eurocrats …

– Leaders have qualms about …

Structure of the European Union

• European Commission– Staff of 24,000– HQ in Brussels, Belgium– Commission has 27 individual

members – one from each member state

• Chosen for 4-year renewable terms

– Lacks formal autonomous power except for day-to-day EU operations

– Reports to, and implements policies of, the Council of Ministers

Structure of the European Union

• Council of Ministers– Meeting of the relevant ministers of each

member state – politicians who control the bureaucrats

– Reflects states’ resistance to yielding sovereignty

– Voting system is based on each state’s population, but in practice it operates by consensus on major policy issues.

– Has a rotating presidency (with limited power)

– European Council (1970s)

Structure of the European Union

• European Parliament– Falls somewhat short of a true

legislature passing laws for all of Europe

– At present, it operates partly as a watchdog over the Commission, but with some power to legislate.

– Must approve the Commission’s budget but no item by item control.

– Shares power with the Council under a “co-decision procedure.”

– Economic and Social Committee– European Court of Justice

(Luxembourg)

The Single European Act (1985)

• First major revision of the Treaty of Rome• Began a new phase of accelerated integration

– Europe 1992 due to target date set– Centered on 300 directives from the European

Commission– Push for European Central Bank– Moved economic integration into more political and

controversial areas– Didn’t deal w/ many issues of political or military

integration

The Maastricht Treaty

• Renamed the EC as the EU and committed it to further progress in three main areas:1. Monetary union:

2. Justice and home affairs:

3. Political and military integration:

• Controversial:

The Maastricht Treaty

• Ratification -

• Has begun to reshape political economy at …

• Political and military integration…– Struggle between …

– Failure to deal w/ …

Monetary Union

• A European currency, the euro, has replaced national currencies in 13 EU members, as mandated in the Maastricht process.– Came into full circulation in 2002– Difficulties: – Main solution …

Monetary Union

• Breaking the rules– Germany and France’s budget deficits over

those allowed by the rules– Greece falsified economic data needed to be

admitted

• Difficult birth, given it was the largest financial overhaul ever attempted in history, and in its first five years was deemed very successful.

Expanding the European Union

• Success has attracted neighboring states who wish to join.– EU has expanded from 15 members to 27 since 2004– Spain and Portugal, 1986 (11th and 12th members)– Austria, Sweden, and Finland (1995)– Norway applied to join and was accepted, but its

citizens voted down the idea in 1994.– Switzerland’s plans to join were halted by a popular

referendum in the early 1990s.

Expanding the European Union

• Current expansion guided by the 2000 Treaty of Nice– 10 new members joined in 2004

• Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, and Cyprus

– Expanded to 25 members• Without the five largest having two seats• New voting rules that move away from a requirement for consensus

– 2007, Romania and Bulgaria entered the EU, bringing the total to 27

– Turkey continues to seek membership• Would be the only Muslim country in the EU• Would bring workers, growth, bridge to the Middle East• Some fear immigration• Would be the poorest member• Cyprus

• Inner and outer layers

Figure 10.2

Expanding the European Union

• EU Constitution (late 2004 signed by 24 leaders)– To establish a stronger president of the EU, and a

foreign minister, to represent Europe as a global superpower in world affairs

– Rejected by France and the Netherlands, and the process was halted

– EU still functions under existing rules.

• Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE0)– Operates by consensus

Figure 10.3

The Power of Information

• Global telecommunications are …

• Technological advances are …

• Creation of new …

Connecting the World

• New international political possibilities arise from technological developments in the area of information dissemination.

• The media with the strongest political impact are:– – – –

TV and Radio• Nearly 2 billion TV sets and 3 billion radio receivers in

the world• Radio, and increasingly TV, reach the poorest rural

areas of the global South.• Peasants who cannot read can understand radio.

– Voice of America– British Broadcasting Corporation

• TV is especially powerful.• Frequencies

– Regulated by states• Satellite transmissions

– Bypass state control– Al Jazeera

Figure 10.4

Telephone and Internet

• Unlike TV and radio, …• Telephones make individuals international

actors.– Explosive growth

• Digital divide– Internet

Figure 10.5

Information as a Tool of Government

• Information has become …– Access to information– Coordination of information

• •

– Use of information to influence…•

– Ownership of media by …

Information as a Tool Against Government

• Information can be used against governments by foreign governments, NGAs, or domestic political opponents.

• Domestic use– Iran – Internet uncensored– China – tremendous use, but censored– Philippines – text messages/cell phones used to

sweep a president from office– Ghana – talk radio helped ordinary people throw out

the ruling party in 2000– Global peace demonstrations preceding the 2003 Iraq

War

Information as a Tool Against Government

• Government attempts to…

• Security implications of information technologies– Smart weapons– Empowerment of small

fringe groups– Hackers and viruses –

cyber attacks

Telecommunications and Global Culture

• Info revolution 2 contradictory forces:

1.

2.

• Also…– Increase international interdependence– Transparency in international relations

Telecommunications and Global Culture

• Strengthening of the identity principle– New sources and new avenues of …

• Transnational communities– –

• Cultural imperialism– Half of world’s 7000…– US dominates…– News stories are integrated, showing a common “world” theme

– http://www.mcdonalds.com/– http://www.princeton.edu/~ina/infographics/

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