[MUSIC] >> Let's now take into account some examples of these known state actors and their role on the international scene. We could choose any kind of actors, of course, international, transnational media. We know the role played by CNN during, for instance, the Gulf War. We know also the role played by Al Jazeera in shaping the Arab Spring. And we can find also many other examples which are giving a clear evidence of the transnational role of this international, transnational media. We could also take the example of religious actors and churches, and religion entrepreneurs. But we have a special chapter devoted to religious issues and so I will be able to go back to this question. Let's consider now two important, predominant non-state actors, multinational corporations and NGOs. What is a multinational corporation? It's a firm which has multiple settings in different countries, but a strategic unity. We know that this multinational corporation have a turnover which is even bigger than a developed country GNP. Exxon has a turnover which is equivalent to the Denmark or Finland GNP. For these reasons and many others, multinational corporation have to be considered now as a non-state actors, as a predominant international and merit its transnational actors. First of all, because of its capacity of pressure on the governments. Second, because of the capacity of promoting their own participation in the international life, through negotiation with governments, for instance. You have also to take into account their capacity of ruling the areas they are using for their own production, like for instance, oil company in Africa. We have also to consider their capacity of shaping public policies, transforming international and global public policies. But I would like to stress on one aspect, which is probably the most surprising one. That's to say, the capacity of multinational corporation of treating as equal partners with sovereign state for sentencing, and also ordering them to pay in case of investment disputes. Let's consider the famous institution, which means international center for the settlement of investment dispute. This institution, which deepens on the World Bank, is equally composed of states, sovereign states, and multinational firms. And multinational firms are able to defeat states in very famous cases. I will give you some examples. First one, The Tobacco Company, made Uruguay, the state of Uruguay sentence to fine and pay damage, when the Uruguayan government decided to restrict tobacco consumption, a multinational corporation who defeat a state in its Sovereign decision. Another example is after the famous, well-known Argentinian collapse in 2001, 2002, 29 cases against Argentine, were registered by foreign investors who complained of damage caused by the economic measures adopted by the Argentinian government. That's to say in our global world now, the distinction between private and public actors is blurring. The distinction between state and non-state actors is blurring. The real meaning of sovereignty is fading. What is a sovereign state, when it can be condemned by a private actor? Now if we move to NGOs, that's to say non-governmental organization, we have first to take into account that since 1960, we have a number of NGOs which is multiplied by 10. In the meantime, all the NGOs, which are present and are created, in the United Nations, is growing from 15 just after the war, up to 3,000 now in the famous ECOSOC, where they are sitting, acting, playing a very, very important role. That's to say, NGOs are now considered as official as real international actors. And there are accomplishing many new functions, which are more and more crucial in the international present dynamics. I would take some example. First, NGOs are more and more structured and rooted in the different countries around the world. If you take into account, for instance, Amnesty International, Amnesty International is really rooted in more than 160 countries around the world. This is probably a new kind of diversification of this new actors everywhere around the world. Second function, the NGOs are playing a function of advocacy. That's to say, they are more and more appealing to the public opinion, to the international public opinion that I mentioned, giving information. And now thanks to the NGOs, public opinion is more and more informed about what is currently happening in the international arena. But it's also able by this advocacy function to push some protests, to push some demands, and to make pressure on government for transforming their own laws or for triggering new kinds of national public policies. Third function, the role played by NGOs for the international development. The role of NGOs in development is clearly substituted to the states, which are less and less keen to participate in the international effort for world development. Fourth function, participating in the international debate. NGOs are at the first round of this new international debate, when the state diplomacy leads nation states to be more discreet, or sometimes absent, in international forums and the international debates. Fifth function, which is the fact finding function. Fact finding function is something very important. That's to say because they are rooted, because they are structured, because they are involved international societies, NGOs are well-informed about the situation in every country around the world, and even in authoritarian societies and authoritarian nation states. And are able to transmit this information. If you take into account, for instance, the Amnesty International yearbook, you will find they're probably the most achieved, the most completed yearbook that we can find in the world for giving the present situation of human rights around the world. All the dictators are really fearing of this kind of publication and know that through this kind of publication, all the world are now aware of what their account are currently doing in their own country. And the last function, which is more and more important too, is writing norms. Writing norms means that international law is not only written by states, but are more and more written also by NGOs. If you take into account, for instance, the Rome Treaty, Rome Convention, which was creating the International Criminal Court. These things was partly written by some human rights NGOs, like Human Rights Watch or the International Federation of Human Rights, or also Amnesty International. If you take into account the famous Ottawa Convention on the anti-personnel mines, you will see that this text has been mainly written by Handicap International, which is as you know, a specialized NGO in this field. That's why now NGOs are playing the role which would be similar to the role played by bourgeoisie in the 18th century Europe, when appeared what Jurgen Habermas called public space. There is now, through this new activity of NGOs, a kind of international public space, which is organized by these private actors which are much more able to act freely than the states are. And that's why while the state diplomacy is not able to promote, more and more NGOs are able to do through their own action and through their own networks. That's why I would say that NGOs are now a kind of substitute state which are limited in their activity and their capacity. Of course, the situation is much more complex. And NGOs are limited in their actions by many constraints. NGOs are also structured by a kind of illegal key. Sometime this illegal key is very close to the states, and especially in the authoritarian regimes, governments are promoted, NGOs which are controlled by the political actors, and which are considered as GONGO, government oriented NGOs. That's to say, manipulated, instrumentalized by the political actors and by authoritarian regimes. Of course, there is also a frame of funding these NGOs. Who are those who are funding these NGOs? Are they free actors, or are they themselves controlled by a power, which would limit the power of these NGOs? But in any case, now we know that these kinds of actors have to be considered as one of the major players of the international arena. [MUSIC]
