The Evolution of International Society part II

THE EVOLUTION OF INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY
7th Journal of November 3rd, 2008
In the world politics especially in the scope of international society, one nation mush have to lice side y side with other nations as so called neighboring states. Because in the perspective of globalization, a nation is not inclined neither to live alone by himself nor isolated. Therefore, a nation inclined to make relations with its neighboring states. Some of these circumstances may generate problems while some can result to building good understanding. According to Robert H Jackson, this relation potentially leads to two directions.
First, would lead nation with terms of coalition, cultural change, communication, recognition, and thus soon called positive relation. Second would lead nation to form of competition, disputes, threats, intimidation, intervention, invasion and others, called negative impacts brought by the contact among neighboring states. However, dispute the negative and positive effects emerged among state and neighboring state, those relations between states has established the first origin international society.
International society means peaceful settlement in which nations feel comfortable and therefore conflicts must be minimalized and friendship must be conducted. Neighboring nations must realize the presence of international law which manages their relationship. However, there’s high significance to uphold international laws. In the international society there are cores have to be considered important, those are the respect of territory, the core of sovereignty, self determination and other universal core. A nation may form alliance in order to feel valuable than others, while other can be independent of not possessing any needs to ally.
And therefore, in establishing international society there are obligations to serve those international values and norm.
I. Origins and Definitions of International Society
In order to give brief definitions about international society I would then firstly state several definitions brought by different perspective.
a. The first origin is certainly starting when people began to settle down on the land and form themselves into separate territory based on political communities (Robert H Jackson
b. International relations as historically and conventionally understood are relations of territorially based and delaminated political groups
c. International society is described as relations between politically organized human groupings which occupy distinctive territories and enjoy and exercise a measure of independence from each other
d. Hedley Bull (1977) states that international society as a society of states, conscious of certain common interest and common values form a society in the sense that they conceive themselves to be bound by common set of rules in their relations with one another, and share in the working of common institutions.
While from above brief explanations, I would say that the origin of international relations settled down when that nation is first established (born) declared its sovereignty together at the same time will arise needs to form international relations in order to be granted in advance of international role in the perspective of global politics.
However, the shape of international society will depend on how those relations will grow and contribute to establishing and maintaining the stability of international politics.
The latter, international society can be considered as politically organized human groups who settle on the land of distinctive territories based on political boundary which possesses independence from each other. These societies can work together in the field they share in common or otherwise in which they are unable to accommodate any work together and thus lots of time would neither generate latent conflict nor conflicting problems.
However, addition to that we should note that those international societies actually share the same commons on its core values. International society is supported by values and norms based on independence, self-determination, non-intervention, right of self defense, furthermore diplomacy and international laws. To be granted fully in its membership, the member must have to maintain the presence of those values respectably.
The next discussion will take a place of how the example of international society would be more likely is. We take example that political empire is the prevalent of group relations that establishes the first origin of international society. The ancient Greece constructed the first international society that last for several long years, in a surrounding environment consisting of polis. While in the Far East, there raised the greatest empire of Chinese that lasted for more than a millennium.
Empire was the most evident example of perform of international society and international politics in which Roman Empire ruled most of European continent for many years. While in the medieval, Renaissance of Italy took part in constructing small region of international society until then the first modern international society was introduced. And the latter is what we today call the global international society. Later on will be discussed the example of first international society from ancient Greece and Renaissance of Italy.
II. Ancient Greece and Renaissance Italy
In order to understand the evolution of international society, we are dealing with large historical accounts forming the international society itself. International society believed consists of several parts derived from the independent states of city states of Greece, the state system of Renaissance Italy, the anti-hegemonies of Westphalia, the concert of Europe, the globalization of the European state-system, the era of superpowers, and today international society.
However, above all here are only two points can be explained further in order to illustrate the understanding of international society at that time and moment? Because have we understood about international society today will be lots more different with the past understanding.
The first form of international society in ancient Greece is known as Hellas. Hellas comprised the Lower Peninsula of Balkan and islands surrounding Aegean, Adriatic and Mediterranean seas. The society of Hellas, rather than based political communities, it was based on the same basic cultural communities. They shared language, religion, and way of life. This was a distinctive measurement so they then differed themselves more civilized than those neighbors who didn’t posses it—called “Barbarians”.
The society among city-state are formed based on relations between traditions, religion, customs, ceremonies, oracle and political entities such political arrangements and politics. The diplomacy of ancient Greece aimed to smooth relations between them. Although, they didn’t possess an institution of diplomacy based on resident ambassadors as Italian renaissance had, however, they had developed quite similar diplomacy institution namely PROXENY which served the same basic core to maintain relations between cities of Greek.
The idea that ancient Greece performed already the shape of international society was defy able since there was no clear evidence that ancient Greece applied international laws. As we have known that in order to belong/ called member of international society, we must share international society values as such international law. Because of this idea, Hedley Bull than stated that the concept of ancient Greece is the first example of international society soon disputed.
The answer to that is “justifiable”, because ancient Greece society was not based on any political communities and political entities. Their life based on rights and obligations in relations with other cities had become the norm reflecting the core of international law. The idea of international laws were pictured in the relations of God that God had already dictated rules to maintain relations between city states of Hellas. Therefore as Harold Nicolson argued that all rules applied were all the tokens of Zeus the God of the Gods. And their punishments inclined to contain religious sanction and any similar to that.
Previously, international society must have equal concepts of sovereignty; in addition to that, ancient Greece did not even have any equal concept of sovereignty because there were some cities more equal than others. As we would see that Athens and Sparta were predominant ones, while other cities trapped in between their term of alliance, wars, and coalition
Although Athens was considered as one of the famous and yet powerful city in the Greece, it is eventually overruled by imperial Macedonia. Then Empire of Romanian soon displaced the Macedonian and even developed greater empire and ruled most of Europe and partly of North Africa.
Roman Empire had lived based on political community; however, it was not based on equal concept of nations, instead of dialogue, diplomacy and reconciliation. The primitive law was only “obedience” or “revolt”.
After some decades, the empire of Roman disintegrated in two. First the latin Christendom and the roman Constantinople known as Byzantium. Together with the raising Islam of Ottoman Empire had brought Europe to conflict relations and not anymore based on international society or sovereignty concept.
Medieval Europe in the west, 500-1500 had been a joint venture under universal society based on religious authority and political authority. The theoretical paractive was that international society was no longer leaned on cultural identity such as language and territory; but international society was aimed to live based on one universal religious under Christian rules.
However, the experience did not go along with the theory so well. On the medieval Europe was dominated by feudal community, the loyalty to the king; while church had predominant rules as well in the judging between sovereign states or example the division of conquered terror between Spain and Portugal.
The type of international society as experienced by ancient Greece, generally is the action of diplomatic course held for years among city states. However, I would argue that ancient Greece was not meant the only international society we can take as example, because there was another international society had been developed as well (far more sophisticated) is the Empire China that was believed older than ancient Greece. I think we must include another study about China in this topic.
The second noteworthy historical view of the international society was Italy Renaissance. The reflecting of international society due to Italy Renaissance 1400-1500 was experienced by most prominent cities in Italy, those are Venice, Florence, Milan and The papal states. The republic of Venice, as predominant trading states of that era, generated many diplomatic institutions and practices of international society from having acquired political and trading relations with The Empire of Byzantium. The contribution invented by Italy renaissance were the building of social institutions based on diplomatic dialogue and the balancing power for maintaining international order among themselves. However, at the end the form of Italian city states were too small, too weak, and too divided to defend themselves. In the sixteenth century they were all then overwhelmed by the Austro-Spanish Habsburg empire.
Italian international society was based on the strato and the strong urban identities and rivalries of renaissances Italian. From above, we can conclude that even a small international society has possibility to be overruled by hegemonic neighboring powers.
The international society conducted during the Italy renaissance perhaps has been the remarkable first modern international society consists of small regions. However, this type of international society was prone as further year, it had been easy to be captured by neighboring state. Thus means the hegemony of neighboring states entail threats and revolts.

III. European International society
The shape of European international society is type of society that was derivative of Italian renaissance and the protestant reformation. The Italian renaissance that is based on strato, the art of statecraft; while the protestant reformation suggest to disengage between religious made and state system (political elements) and thus promote the term of secular politics among international society in Europe.
In the meantime, there were elaborations to liberate political communities from moral inhibition and religious constraints. Thus created today relations in which international relations are based on the mere political elements.
Because Europe had experienced badly due to its medieval Christian (religious) domination, that had generated wars between the joint Catholic Habsburg opposed some Protestant, the idea of secular state system within European international society then raised as fundamental core in shaping its society.
According to historical facts of western community the first international society fully established as the agreement of Westphalia (1618-1648) been issued to overcome problem between western/ European empires: French, British, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Spanish, Holland and the rest of European community. The Westphalia agreement suggests the absence of hegemony throughout Europe in order to devise peaceful settlement. In addition to that, Westphalia also serves the international core laws managing how nation interact each other in peace means. Later, the recent years which brought to the age of imperialism and colonialism had made this core of international society and laws spread out to nations out of European continent. Some nations may admit this core of international society some others may not.
IV. Globalization of International Society
The widespread of European political control beyond Europe had begun in the late 15th century. Through the movement of classic imperialism and thus urge colony to choose alternative solution, that was to accept the political power and become colonized or to abandon its political power and raise chaos, struggle for freedom of any colonization.
In the global world, each country/ nation of European tries to penetrate and control economically some other parts of the world. Somehow this will generate wars outside European region. However, not all non-Western would fall under the political power urged by European/ Western. Some of the nations who had been free or liberated from any type of colonization somehow will have to still obey the rules of international laws or follow the diplomatic practices in the international relations.
For example, the Ottoman Empire did not favor any of international laws proposed by western although its territory is closely related with European territory. Furthermore, the Ottoman had its own view to picture how international society was. That was based on its Moslem views (Islamic laws).
Globalization society, it is hard to conduct globalization society with same basic values and norms since not all nations formed based on the same and identical history, language, cultures, and others. The age of imperialism and colonialism directly or indirectly had derived these norms into other states. However, nations also have rights to whether or not adapt these norms. And therefore the term of globalization society shall rely on nations’ independence and self determination itself whether or not to join into the scope of international relations.
V. Problems of Global International Society
The norms and values of today contemporary global society is international peace and security; state sovereignty, self determination, non-intervention, non-violation, and generally …, integrity and non discrimination despite the type of their government, culture, language, and political communities. Those are the pictures of today global society referred to state sovereignty.

Problems faced by the global international society
1. Norms and values shared in common on the age of Christian or European civilization may not always be admitted by other vital member of international society. For example the basis culture of Christian that has shape today European international society could not be admitted by nations relying on Islamic laws.
2. If the global society created, its norms and values must bear the interest and concerns of all members of current international society. Most members may bear the same interest and concerns as global society proposed, while others may remain disagree.
3. There are diversities embedded in nations outside Europe and therefore the core norms and values cannot be hampered by norms and cultures of particular region.
4. Aftermath of 1945, the term of sovereignty within states had been a sanctifying idea. While this remarkable events were common practices of historical European international society, the struggle for self determination then…
5. International society does not support trusteeship form failed states due to trusteeship created was usually designed for colony interest rather than its independent countries.
6. The global international society supposedly to address relations based on formally equal sovereign state, but the fact is global international society is unable to bridge between ich state with poorest asian, African and third World countries.
7. The contemporary concept of today global society has been significantly different from previous years, decade, or centuries. Therefore, there is possibility that future definition of international will bring much more differences than our today global society that we posses recently.

International society is a society comprised of human groups living in distinctive territory, furthermore international society is defined by the presence of political elements and political boundary that relied on the same common global norms. Those global norms are composed by self-determination, non-intervention, independence, right of self defense, the practice of diplomacy etc. According to the literature given, ancient Greece and Italy renaissance are tow of brightest example of many practices of international society. Ancient Greece international society was identified by the practice of diplomacy among city states on the age of Hellenes. This type of international society was known at that moment as the most solid international society because it lasted for many years. in addition to that, i would purpose that international society practices were started/noted back on the age of empirium China, compared for I have previously stated, China Emperors had reigned a major of Asian Land for more than a milenium. as the civilization developed and grew, there was the presence of modern type of international society. this type was introduced at the time Italy renaissance arised. this international society actually was derivative of binding both secularism and Christian reformation. The weakness of Italy international society was based on small states and divisions within it's states. thus made it prone to outside encroachment. furthermore, it's not easy to develop a peaceful settlement as the basic core of international society due to nations uniqueness. this difficulties are hard to reconcile and at the end raised global problems as the result of possibilities that nations may not willingly join any internal society, and they do not voluntarily follow and obey any core values and norms shaping international society. for instance, the Israel nuclear possession does not obey the international law that he has to join neither the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty and IAEA, on the other hand Iran questions UN policy towards that issue.

Reference
Bull, Hedley and Watson, Adam (eds.) The Expansion of International Society. Oxford: Clarendon Press 1984)
Jackson, Robert H. 2002. The Globalization of World Politics: The Evolution of International Society. London: Oxford University Press.
Brian C Scmidt. 2002. The Globalization of World Politics. London: Oxford University Press.

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