Non-State Actors, Essay Example

The role of non-state actors in global affairs has increased in recent years. Non-state actors are influential groups of people who share communications and informations and who seek to influence economic and political processes to forward a common agenda. Jessica Mathews in her article “Power Shift” (1997) remarks that non-state actors come in many varieties. She writes that non-state actors can be “businesses, citizens organizations, ethnic

groups, and crime cartels” (Mathews, 1997, p.52). The adoption of leading-edge technologies, such as the Internet and social networking, by non-government actors has also helped to increase their scope and power in the twenty-first century.

The main functions of all non-state actors are similar and include, as noted by Mathews, the idea of spreading new ideas. She writes of non-state actors that “They breed new ideas; advocate, protest, and mobilize public support; do legal, scientific, technical, and policy analysis; provide services […] and change institutions and norms” (Mathews, 1997, p.53). The purposes of non-government actors may vary widely, but their emphasis on exerting a strong influence over processes and institutions remains the same.

One of the most important influence over the rise of non-state actors in modern times is technology. The computer and the use of international communication through various popular media forms has changed the basic scope of non-state actors. Mathews notes that “the most powerful engine of change in the relative decline of states and the rise of nonstate actors is the computer and telecommunications revolution…” This is because the rise of relatively cheap communications and information technology has fundamentally challenged the state-centered power-structure of the past. Mathews insists that “affordable technology has broken governments’ monopoly on the collection and management of large amounts of information” (Mathews, 1997, p.51) which she equates with political and economic power.

In regard to international relations, the rise of the non-state actor has influenced the way that governments approach everything from treaties to the conduct of economics and war. Mathews notes that due to the power of non-state actors, the increased manifestation of ‘soft power” has become a major issue in modern global politics. Mathews writes that “Soft law” in the form of guidelines, international institutions recommended practices, nonbinding resolutions, and the like is also rapidly expanding” (Mathews, 1997, p. 59). This indicates that non-state actors have tremendous influence over international politics. Because they also carry just as a significant influence over international economics, non-state actors can actually be considered more influential in regard to international relations than governments themselves.A non-state actor is often able to be more effective at creating change or reform in its favor than an actual government. Non-state actors are often more focused on micro-issues and can therefore bring all of their power to a single point of assertion and concentration. The use of telecommunication technology and networking allows non-state actors to reach across national, cultural, and racial boundaries when necessary in order to unify diverse individuals behind a shared ideal or goal. because so many non-state actors are organizations that are composed of people who share ideals and interests, the level loyalty and commitment is often higher in non-state actors than in governments. The disadvantages of non-state actors include the fact that non-state actors represent specific special interests and so their proliferation may incite a higher degree of world-conflict. Another disadvantage is that non-state actors “have limited capacity for large-scale endeavors, and as they grow, the need to sustain growing budgets can compromise the independence of mind and approach that is their greatest asset” (Mathews, 1997, p.64). This shows that both the level of power and integrity that a non-state actor has directly influences its real-world effectiveness.

Reference

Mathews, Jessica T. (1997) “Power Shift” Foreign Affairs Vol. 76, No. 1; 50-66.