Alternative Centres of Power - NCERT

1 OVERVIEWA fter the end of the bipolarstructure of world politics in theearly 1990s, it became clear thatalternative Centres of political andeconomic Power could limitAmerica s dominance. Thus, inEurope, the European Union (EU)and, in Asia, the association ofSouth east asian nations ( asean ),have emerged as forces to reckonwith. While evolving regionalsolutions to their historicalenmities and weaknesses, both theEU and the asean have developedalternative institutions andconventions that build a morepeaceful and cooperative regionalorder and have transformed thecountries in the region intoprosperous economies. Theeconomic rise of China has madea dramatic impact on worldpolitics. In this chapter, we take alook at some of these emergingalternative Centres of Power andassess their possible role in 4 Alternative Centresof PowerThe two images here represent two phases of the history ofChina.

2 The red poster The Socialist Road is the Broadest ofAll represents the ideology that guided China during itsearly phase after the Revolution. The photograph below isthat of the city of Shanghai, the symbol of China s neweconomic World Politics52 EUROPEAN UNIONAs the Second World War came toan end, many of Europe s leadersgrappled with the Question ofEurope . Should Europe beallowed to revert to its old rivalriesor be reconstructed on principlesand institutions that wouldcontribute to a positive conceptionof international relations? TheSecond World War shattered manyof the assumptions and structureson which the European states hadbased their relations. In 1945, theEuropean states confronted theruin of their economies and thedestruction of the assumptionsand structures on which Europehad been integration after1945 was aided by the Cold extended massivefinancial help for revivingEurope s economy under whatwas called the Marshall Plan.

3 The US also created a newcollective security structureunder NATO. Under the MarshallPlan, the Organisation forEuropean Economic Cooperation(OEEC) was established in 1948to channel aid to the westEuropean states. It became aforum where the westernEuropean states began tocooperate on trade andeconomic issues. The Council ofEurope, established in 1949,was another step forward inpolitical cooperation. Theprocess of economic integrationof European capitalist countriesproceeded step by step (seeTimeline of European Integration)leading to the formation of theEuropean Economic Communityin 1957. This process acquireda political dimension with thecreation of the EuropeanParliament. The collapse of theSoviet bloc put Europe on a fasttrack and resulted in theestablishment of the EuropeanUnion in 1992.

4 The foundationwas thus laid for a commonforeign and security policy,cooperation on justice andhome affairs, and the creationof a single European Union hasevolved over time from aneconomic union to anincreasingly political one. The EUhas started to act more as anation state. While the attemptsto have a Constitution for the EUhave failed, it has its own flag,anthem, founding date, andcurrency. It also has some formof a common foreign and securitypolicy in its dealings with othernations. The European Unionhas tried to expand areas ofcooperation while acquiring newThe European Union FlagThe circle of gold stars stands for solidarity and harmony betweenthe peoples of Europe. It has twelve stars, as the number twelve istraditionally the symbol of perfection, completeness and : Centres of Powermembers, especially from theerstwhile Soviet bloc.

5 The processhas not proved easy, for peoplein many countries are not veryenthusiastic in giving the EUpowers that were exercised by thegovernment of their are also reservations aboutincluding some new countrieswithin the EU has economic, politicaland diplomatic, and militaryinfluence. The EU is the world ssecond biggest economy with aGDP of more than $17 trillion in2016, next to that of the UnitedStates of America. Its currency,the euro, can pose a threat to thedominance of the US dollar. Itsshare of world trade is much largerthan that of the United Statesallowing it to be more assertive intrade disputes with the US andChina. Its economic Power givesit influence over its closestneighbours as well as in Asia andAfrica. It also functions as animportant bloc in internationalOh, now I know what aSchengen visa means!

6 Under the Schengenagreement, you have toget a visa from just oneof the EU countries andthat allows you entry inmost of the otherEuropean UNION MAPI relandUnitedKingdomPortugalSpainFranceLu xembourgBelgiumGermanyItalyNetherlandsDe nmarkSwedenFinlandEstoniaLatviaLithuania PolandCzechRepublicSlovakiaHungarySloven iaAustriaCyprusMaltaGreeceOlder MembersNew MembersCroatiaRomaniaBulgaria2022-23 Contemporary World Politics54of the EU, France, holds permanentseat on the UN Security EU includes several non-permanent members of the has enabled the EU toinfluence some US policies such asthe current US positionon Iran s nuclear programme. Itsuse of diplomacy, economicinvestments, and negotiationsrather than coercion and militaryforce has been effective as in thecase of its dialogue with China onhuman rights and , the EU s combinedarmed forces are the secondlargest in the world.

7 Its totalspending on defence is secondafter the US. One EU memberstate, France, also has nucleararsenals of approximately 335nuclear warheads. It is also theworld s second most importantsource of space andcommunications a supranational organi-sation, the EU is able to intervenein economic, political and socialareas. But in many areas itsmember states have their ownforeign relations and defencepolicies that are often at oddswith each other. Thus, Britain sPrime Minister Tony Blair wasAmerica s partner in the Iraqinvasion, and many of the EU snewer members made up the US-led coalition of the willing whereas Germany and Franceopposed American policy. Thereis also a deep-seated Euro-skepticism in some parts 1951 April: Six west European countries, France, WestGermany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourgsign the Treaty of Paris establishing the European Coal andSteel Community (ECSC).

8 1957 March 25: These six countries sign the Treaties of Romeestablishing the European Economic Community (EEC) andthe European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).1973 January: Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdomjoin the European Community (EC).1979 June: First direct elections to the European Parliament1981 January: Greece joins the June: The Schengen Agreement abolishes bordercontrols among the EC January: Spain and Portugal join the October: Unification of February 7: The Treaty of Maastricht was signedestablishing the European Union (EU).1993 January: The single market was January: Austria, Finland and Sweden join the January: Euro, the new currency, was introduced inthe 12 EU May: Ten new members, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakiaand Slovenia join the January: Bulgaria and Romania join the adopts the December: The Lisbon Treaty came into : The EU is awarded the Nobel Peace : Croatia becomes the 28th member of the : Referendum in Britain, per cent voters decidethat Britain exit (Brexit) from the organisations such asthe World Trade Organisation(WTO).

9 The EU also has political anddiplomatic influence. One member2022-2355 Alternative Centres of Powerof Europe about the EU sintegrationist agenda. Thus, forexample, Britain s former primeminister, Margaret Thatcher,kept the UK out of the EuropeanMarket. Denmark and Swedenhave resisted the MaastrichtTreaty and the adoption of theeuro, the common Europeancurrency. This limits the abilityof the EU to act in matters offoreign relations and OF SOUTHEAST asian nations ( asean )Take a look at the political map ofthe world. Which countries wouldyou say fall in the southeasternImagine what wouldhappen if they havea European Unionfootball team!region of Asia? Before and duringthe Second World War, this regionof Asia suffered the economic andpolitical consequences ofrepeated colonialisms, bothEuropean and Japanese.

10 At theend of the war, it confrontedproblems of nation-building, theravages of poverty and economicbackwardness and the pressureto align with one great Power oranother during the Cold War. Thiswas a recipe for conflict, whichthe countries of Southeast Asiacould ill afford. Efforts at Asianand Third World unity, such asthe Bandung Conference and theNon-Aligned Movement, wereineffective in establishing theconventions for informalcooperation and , the Southeast AsianThe cartoon appeared in 2003 when the European Union s initiative to draft acommon Constitution failed. Why does the cartoonist use the image of the shipTitanic to represent EU? Ares, Cagle Cartoons World Politics56alternative by establishing theAssociation of south east AsianNations ( asean ).