the book “Beyond Sovereignty”

The fundamental premise of Casimano Love's book "Beyond Sovereignty" is a critique of state-centrism. The critique of the concept of state-centrism is useful for reconstructing relations that have spread to a wider scope, even to international levels. It is the origin of global transformation thinking. The critique of state-centrism is also predicated on the premise that a territorial order exists; modernism, for example, fought for the idea that the state contains its societies (Love 2010, p.2). Modern social ties, on the other hand, have a global dimension.  If the social sciences sideline the idea of incorporating the aspects of modernity, moving forward international relation and social sciences will not be able to embrace the shift from the national to the international. The ability to look at a society from an international point of view as opposed to a local point of view will provide a better understanding of the current socio-spatial transformation. Therefore, understanding the problems that face us globally, we need to undertake a keen analysis on the circumstances that are trans-border and how the trans-border relations affect the nations from the some modernity aspects discussed in the book (Love 2010, p.26). This book therefore looks at the problems that affect us globally not giving keen interest in the sovereignty but more focus on the nature of problems and the solutions.



Summary

In this book, sovereignty understanding is key as it cuts across the whole text and from sovereignty other factors arise. Challenges that face the nations these days go beyond sovereignty and there comes a question as to whether focusing so much on attaining sovereignty is of importance in handling globalization issues, or issue that surpass or go beyond transnational things (Love 2010, p.120).

Globalization being the rapid and interdependence of open societies, open technology and infrastructure, and open economy. The speed of globalization, the impact, the cost, the influence, the reach, and the intensities of globalization keep changing over time. Bearing this in mind, Transsovereign problem that arises because of the interrelationship of globalization is its own downfall. The problems of globalization cannot be singly solve by a single country or sovereign state, hence the emergence of multiple Non-Governmental Organizations, Intergovernmental Organizations and Multinational Organizations (Love 2010, p.129). This notwithstanding, challenges on terror and illicit crime cartels arise because of globalization. Globalization problems are therefore full of irony much as the globalization is not the core reason for the challenges that arise globalization has fueled the challenges.

A sovereign state is said to have exclusivity in the totalitarian jurisdiction over a territory, resources and the population within the territory. A sovereign state has a population, territory, and control by a government over a territory and recognition internationally. The first thee are negotiable unlike the last one which is a fundamental requirement for a one to be called a sovereign state. A nation on the other hand, is a group of people with a common ethnic, racial, cultural, and religious identity.

The main idea therefore is the concern on how the globalization problem concern can be solve. There is a perception that the problems need not be addressed through engaging of Non-governmental Organizations, Intergovernmental Organizations or through Multinational Organization since through this it is clearly signifying insignificance of the state to handle things on its own hence dilution of power (Love 2010, p.313). This notwithstanding, there is still need of collaboration among sovereign states, IGOs, NGOs, MNC and nations to be able to solve the problems amicably as the globalization problem is universal and cannot be tackled by a single state.

Critique

In “Beyond Sovereignty”, there are striking things that are worthy of notice. Sovereignty and its genesis differ largely to the way it was attain in the medieval times and presently. Initially there was political authority with overlapping jurisdictions and no clear hierarchy. As a result, claim to authority by then was through the personal ties that one had. Affiliations to the bishop, the king, the emperor, dukes, prince, and lords gave people power and jurisdiction (Love 2010, p.119). Political power and personal agreements and ties were as personal property and possession that made succession a problem in case the successors in power do not agree.

With time, the struggle for power between the Pope and the Roman Empire led to the development of other forms of organizations (Love 2010, p.218). Other feudal systems failed like the power streaming from ties and saw the birth of sovereign states. This was because of the emergence of the mercantilist economic system. Moreover, with the advent of trade, consistent measure of private property, time, and weight was required. Unfortunately, however much there were changes and adaptation made, they were not enough to bring rise to life the sovereign state.

Sovereignty from the beginning found its basis on a social compact, and that not all the states had the same resources and power. Sovereignty therefore meant that other sovereigns only could have a standing on agreements internationally. This notion by the European was take up as the basis for sovereignty. Sovereignty is a concept that fronts equalization. Internally, governments can be organize as monarchs, theocrats, autocrats, however externally; a state only needs cognition as a sovereign state.

This book has accomplished to explain in detail the genesis of sovereignty and why sovereignty pose a challenge to solving problems that arise because of globalization. It is a persuasive book because it begins with the background and history of sovereignty from the feudal system, the evolution to the current understanding of sovereignty.

The author’s arguments, approaches, or assumptions make sense. Globalization is a historical process that has been in development over time: In terms of the changes in technology circumstances, impact, and influence. According to Love (1999, p.314), much as globalization can be seen from a historical perspective and changes over time, a challenge is to analyze basing on the emergent geographies.



Application

An enhanced understanding of current public policy issues has been cultivated. This is in terms of taking the nation from a perspective of the global as opposed to sate-centrism. This is because a nation cannot ignore outwards pressures from the global world. An understanding of Globalization, and sovereignty and how they relate will enable nations to solve the globalization problems that arise much as there are benefits that accrue out of globalization. The authors’ information can be use in forming and maintaining a strong foreign policy through the knowledge of how sovereigns relate, how nations relate and what part globalization has to pay in all this.



Policy Review

In globalization, vices such as drug trafficking, human trafficking escalate and only through sovereign state working together can some of these vices be solved. Though there is globalization, there are drug policies in the European Union put in place. Drugs policy affects the society through, the social cost, stability of the government, public safety deterioration, and labor productivity (Love 2010, p.315). This policy implementation therefore need to have a global perspective in working other sovereign states vices of drug abuse and drug trafficking wick opens up avenues for human trafficking can be contained. Drug policy will yield results if the sovereign state, nations IGOs, NGOs, and MNC work together.

Conclusion

Globalization therefore as much as it has the positives, it also has the downsides. Sovereignty on the other hand is a key concept that affects the ease with which problem that are global are solve. Though other organizations such as NGOs, MNCs and IGO can be helpful in the curbing of the globalization problems, the sovereign state that asks for help from these organization is perceived to be losing power and sovereignty to the organization. This perception is a negative perception since these organizations are more effective in solving globalization problems because; they are independent and they use independent infrastructures, they can use government infrastructures as well. These organizations have flexibility, efficiency in use of resources, and more resources in terms of specialty in dealing with global problems.

Therefore, “Beyond Sovereignty” seeks to analyze state-centrism and show the need of considering globalization and showing the incapability of a state to solve global problems on its own in a rapidly growing global world. Sovereignty also comes out clearly as an impediment towards solving of globalization problems. It is only in collaborating of sovereign state, nations and other organizations that the global problems can be solves.



Reference List

Love, Maryann Cusimano. Beyond sovereignty: issues for a global agenda. Cengage Learning, 2010.