Reading Assignment 3:Political Globalization(ZHANG BINGYI)

1) Summarize the materials:

Political globalization is a major dimension of globalization, alongside economic globalization and cultural globalization. It is reflected in the deepening of global political relations, the rise of global multilateralism, and the formation of a global governance system. It is characterized by the gradual weakening of national sovereignty, the rise of global institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, and the emergence of transnational advocacy networks. The impact of political globalization is reflected in international diplomatic relations, membership of international organizations, participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations, and signing of international treaties.

Political globalization has promoted the formation of a global civil society, but it has also raised concerns about the gradual erosion of national sovereignty. Some scholars believe that political globalization may lead to a global democratic model similar to world government, but this view has been criticized as being too idealistic. The debate over the relationship between political globalization and nation-states is fierce: hyper-globalists believe that national borders are disappearing, while skeptics insist that nation-states remain the dominant force in international relations.

Furthermore, changes in the global order are often described as a cyclical process, with each cycle lasting approximately 100 years and involving stages such as global war, the rise of world powers, legitimacy crises, and dispersion of power. Historically, global hegemony has experienced changes in Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States, and may face challenges from countries such as China in the future.

Although political globalization is complex and evolving, it has reshaped global governance systems while challenging national sovereignty and promoting the development of transnational networks and global civil society.

2) Interesting things learned:

Global order cycle theory: The change of global hegemony is a cyclical process. This view reveals the long-term regularity in historical development and provides a reference framework for understanding the future global power structure.

Global Civil Society: Political globalization not only changes the relationship between countries, but also promotes the formation of transnational networks and civil society to provide broader solutions to global problems.

The opposition between hyperglobalism and skepticism: This academic debate demonstrates the understanding and predictions of globalization by different scholars, providing inspiration for further exploration of possible paths of globalization.

3) Questions and discussion angles:

Question: Does global governance lead to unequal distribution of power?

Although political globalization has promoted multilateralism, whether the power of global institutions is too concentrated in the hands of a few developed countries may deserve further discussion.

Focus: How does political globalization balance national sovereignty and global cooperation?

Whether the weakening of national sovereignty will trigger conflicts of national interests and how to achieve cooperation on global issues such as climate change and international security is a key question.

Discussion perspective: Is the development of global civil society sufficient to address global challenges?

Can transnational networks and civil society effectively promote solutions to global problems in practice, such as promoting global democracy and addressing inequality.