Migration, Identity & Sovereignty

Migration, Identity & Sovereignty

Enquiry question 1: What are the impacts of globalisation on international migration?

8B.1 Globalisation has led to an increase in migration both within countries and among them

• Between 3 and 4% of the world population lives outside their native country, however this number varies widely between nations due to governmental regulations that influence international migration. Australia, Singapore, and Japan, for example, have laws governing international migration that are based on the degree of contribution immigrants make to the global economy

• Globalisation has altered economic systems on a worldwide scale as labour demand has shifted. This has fostered rural-to-urban movement, such as in China, as well as cross-national migration, such as from the United Kingdom to Australia

• Globalisation has resulted in enormous flows of capital, products, and people, influencing migration rates as well as conventional concepts of sovereignty

• International migration alters the ethnic makeup of populations, which, while increasing variety, alters views toward national identity

• Migrants to Australia are primarily skilled folks. They need 65 points under the points-based system, which considers the demand for a specific profession in Australia as well as a migrant's age, credentials, and English proficiency.

• Singapore's migration strategy is split into two categories: foreign employees and foreign talent. Workers are mostly unskilled migrants who work in construction and household services. People with talents are often those that have advanced degrees and are well-versed in their fields. With the growth of smugglers in recent years, migrants now require money to cross borders illegally. Smugglers only operate across rigorous international borders, such as the border between Mexico and the United States or the Mediterranean Sea (towards Europe).

8B.1 C The pattern of international migration is changing and will continue to change because environmental, economic and political events

Voluntary Economic Migration - People relocate to try to improve their wealth and quality of life. ● Often, an economic migrant’s family may follow them in the aim of joining their family

Refugees - People forced to relocate due to war, conflict, persecution

Asylum seekers - People fleeing for international protection

Environmental Refugees - People specifically relocating due to tectonic disaster, natural events (wildfires, flooding) or Climate Change’s impacts (desertification, sea level rise, etc.)

International Students - Within recent years, there has been a large increase in the volume of young people migrating to study elsewhere

Enquiry question 2: How are nation-states defined and how have they evolved in a globalising world?

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

8B.4 A,B&C

Cultural Unity:

• Within the same state, multiple languages, dialects, sports teams, music, and literature might exist. This can occur as a result of historical migration, such as in the United States, where descendants of European immigrants substantially outnumber descendants of indigenous tribes

• Alternatively, some governments have a single ethnic group (ethnic and cultural homogeneity) owing to geography (e.g., Iceland) or political forced isolation (e.g., North Korea - the government bans interactions with outside countries)

• National sovereignty states vary in their ethnic, cultural and linguistic unity and this results from the history of population growth, their isolation and the role of migration. If you were to compare two countries, such as Iceland and Singapore, the differences would be a result of variations in national sovereignty

Borders:

Natural borders - Can be formed by physical features such as lakes, mountains, or rivers. Because of their unarguable division, natural boundaries are frequently the most successful borders between governments. This might be because troops cannot cross these natural boundaries undetected, or because these natural borders form a strip of inhospitable territory that readily separates two governments without causing controversy over citizens' sovereignty

Colonial or political intervention – Borders are drawn by the sovereign state and may be impacted by previous empire expansion. Government-created borders may fail to account for variations between religious or ethnic groups, perhaps leading to conflict between social groups in the future. Such was the case in Rwanda, when conflicting ethnic groupings inside a single state erupted into the genocide of 800,000 Tutsis

Contested borders:
Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula - Crimea's population is made up of 58% ethnic Russians, 24% ethnic Ukrainians, and 12% Tartar Muslims. Russia annexed Crimea (added Crimea to Russia's state) from Ukraine in 2014, claiming that the majority of the population was ethnically Russian and that the Ukrainian government was unable to protect them. The international world criticised Russia's annexation and levied penalties on Russian commerce, but little progress has been achieved in resolving the issue and resolving the crisis within Crimea

Taiwan - Taiwan has been independent since 1950. However, China continues to assert sovereignty over Taiwan and considers it as a breakaway province. China says that no other nations should have links with Taiwan, yet this hasn't stopped Taiwan from becoming one of Asia's economic success stories through computer technology development

Iraq and Syria - The Sykes-Picot line, a boundary between French occupation and UK administration in the Middle East, may be a source of conflict in this region. This border has split large Kurdish, Shia, and Sunni populations, and extremist groups (such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda) have incited war amongst the social groups. The United Nations Security Council (mainly the United States and Russia) is active, with airstrikes against extremist organisations (perceived as terrorists)

Enquiry question 3: What are the impacts of global organisations on managing global issues and conflicts?

8B.7 Global organisations are not new but have been important in the post-1945 world

8B.7 A The united nations

The United Nations was the first post-war IGO to be established and its role has grown in importance, though there are challenges

The United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and China agreed on the UN's goals, organisation, and functions in 1944. (who form the only permanent members of the security council, along with France). Its objectives include the following:

• Keeping the worldwide peace and security

• Promoting long-term development

• Protecting human rights

• Maintaining international law 

• Providing humanitarian assistance

The Security Council (probably the most important part of the United Nations) meets to address threats to national and international security. The UN can impose economic sanctions on countries or engage in direct military intervention:

• Arms embargoes – banning weapons and military supplies

• Trade embargoes – banning certain imports and exports from and to certain countries

• Restrictions on loans

• Freezing assets

• Travel restrictions – for high profile people like politicians and business people

The success of the UN involvement has been varied. States can work together to prevent fatalities by sharing resources and information. The UN, on the other hand, has no hard-power mechanisms for policing countries. Countries are free to disregard UN suggestions. As an example, In its protracted confrontation with Ukraine, Russia disregards the counsel of the United Nations

8B.8 a IGOs established after the Second World War have controlled the rules of world trade and financial flows

The world bank and IMF:

• Both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) maintain offices in Washington, D.C. They were founded to try to stabilise global financial markets during the Great Depression and post-World War II, which led several nations to go bankrupt

• Many Western nations agreed to World Bank and IMF policies, such as a fixed exchange rate for any loans or financial aid based on the US dollar and gold

• The United States had disproportionate power at Bretton Woods (a 1944 meeting) on the establishment of the world economic system. This was due to the fact that only the United States was left with significant financial resources following the wars, whilst the United Kingdom and other European countries were nearly bankrupt. Because these institutions were founded and are governed by Western nations, they frequently favour rich countries over developing ones in terms of the assistance they provide

The impact of the world bank and IMF:

The IMF and World Bank agreed to assist suffering nations only provided they agreed to implement Structural Adjustment Policies (SAPS). SAPS are frequently rules that governments must follow in order to get a loan. They are intended to assist developing nations open up to commerce and manufacturing in order to build their economies and prosper. SAPS may include the following:

• Open up domestic markets to allow private investment

• Reduce the role of government by privatising industries and services

• Remove restrictions on capital so there are no limits on international investments

• Reduce government spending by cutting infrastructure and welfare spending

• Devalue currency to make exports cheaper

8B.8 b IGOs and world trade

Recent changes:

• The global mechanisms were boring capital had been affected in delivering growth to the developed world

• Membership of financial IGOs is the most universal and they are dominant

• Since the 1970s, however, tougher rules and strict conditions have been applied for larger scale lending, especially for developing countries

These rules and conditions have included SAPS and HIPC schemes:

• SAPS have made receiving countries follow specfic routes to development eg privatisation

• HIPC schemes had the aim of ensuring that no country faces a debt burden it cannot manage, countries must meet certain criteria, commit poverty reduction through policy changes, and demonstrate a good track record overtime

• The impact of SAPS and HIPC policies on the economies of the developing world is disputed however some say they exacerbate poverty

8B.8 c Regional trade blocs

• Many countries belong to regional trade blocs - EU, NAFTA, ASEAN

• They seek to have some form of free trade agreement an custom harmonisation and have facilitated closer political unity between member nations

• Some argue that they have removed a degree of economic sovereignty

8B.9 a,b&c IGOs have been formed to manage the environmental problems facing the world, with varying success

Many environmental agreements and conventions between nations have been started by IGOs throughout the previous few decades. This might be to conserve endangered species or landscapes, to limit greenhouse gas emissions, or to assert sovereignty over a state's surrounding seas

Climate change was initially addressed as a serious problem during the United Nations East Summit Conference in 1992. There has been uncertainty about the facts, as well as debates among governments about who should be held accountable for emissions. As a result, international collaboration on climate change has been extremely slow. Many commitments have been made (for example, the Montreal Protocol, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreements of 2012), with each gradually getting more member signatures and having stronger objectives established. However, detractors continue to argue that IGO accords do not go far enough and do not impose harsh enough penalties on states that fail to comply.

In addressing state conflicts over sea rights, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea has been more effective than Climate Change accords. The accord, which has been signed by 157 nations, states:

• Declares possession of a state's oceans within 20 nautical miles of its territory

• Allows landlocked countries access to oceans close to their borders, allowing them to trade

• The goal is to safeguard marine biodiversity and ocean habitats

Despite resolving most sea conflicts, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has raised tensions over disputes over newly discovered islands, which lay claim to undeveloped natural riches and military expansion opportunities. Many islands in the South China Sea are disputed by China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, while certain Arctic Islands are disputed by the United States, Denmark, Canada, and Russia because to their closeness to the Arctic

• Some IGOs work to address environmental concerns such as air and water pollution

• IGOs have contributed to the development of regulations for managing oceans, such as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and international rivers, such as the Helsinki Rules. These treaties encourage security, long-term sustainability, and peace

• IGO's responsibilities also include the administration of Antarctica as a continent of peace and security. The Antarctic Treaty System was established to protect governments from exploiting resources and destroying the pristine Antarctica. This promotes biodiversity and sustainability