Fundamental Concepts of Politics

Sovereignty can be defined as control over a territory. In current usage and application, it refers to control over a given area in a legal sense. This control now includes defined borders.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau went even further in the refinement of this ideal of the arrangement between the rulers and the ruled that came to be known as social contract (social compact). He maintained that citizens had the right as sovereigns to create their own government.

State has become a legal term usually ratified by international law. State is related to the concept of sovereignty as sovereignty is understood to occupy a defined territory where the state exercises jurisdiction

A nation is group of people of a common culture derived from a feeling of unity based on customs and beliefs. If a nation lacks treaty recognition but occupies a defined territory, it can be called a country. Dagestan, for example, is a country actually designated as a republic within the Russian Federation. Since Dagestan occupies a territory but is not recognized as having sole authority within its borders, it is simply a country

Currently, nation-states are the most common political entities. They have a combination of international recognition of authority within defined borders and have a population of one or more dominant or charter groups with the same language, religion, culture, and tradition

Often, a previously dominant group can have its cultural patterns challenged. The United States, for example, has been built upon immigration. Therefore, the US has termed itself a melting pot as immigrants adopt a common language and adhere to other culture patterns. Recently, the term has been replaced by salad bowl as assimilation to original immigrants from the British Isles (in terms of language, religion, and other customs) does not happen on a regular basis.

The desire to unite all members of a group in one state is called irredentism (Fellman et al., 2007: 429-430)

Legitimacy, in the political science context, can be defined as recognition of the right of rulers to govern.

A constitution can be defined as a set of laws or legal provisions that outline the rights of citizens and the duties of government.

The central aspect of constitutionalism is that government is limited by fundamental law (such as the constitution) and by the procedures that are prescribed by it. With due respect to law, government officials cannot act in an arbitrary manner (McKay, Hill, and Buckler, 2003: 548-550)

In the case of the United Kingdom, the movement toward protecting the rights of citizens began with the Magna Carta (Great Charter) in 1215 describing the concept of trial by jury.

The most dominant concept of government lies in the allied notions of power and authority. In terms of the scope of governance and public affairs, power is the concept that allows a government or its officials the right to direct the activities of others in areas that may involve a wide range of activities, including the distribution of resources. The related concept of authority is the right derived from an appointed or designated position to direct the activities of others. Power can be exercised in many ways that range from persuasion to coercion. Authority, in contrast, is determined by the responsibilities that come from an appointed position

Nationalism can be defined as an ideology that people use to develop unity within the group. It seizes on linguistic, cultural, historical, and sometimes kinship commonalities.

Historically, nationalism has come about as a result of increasing literacy, mass transportation, mass mobilization, mass communication, and mass media. These cultural and technological transformations have developed a feeling of identity that reinforces a broader sense of commonality, which often overcomes class, religious, and other differences.

The related concept that all men were entitled to life, liberty, and property was later replaced by pursuit of happiness (in place of property to be more inclusive) after the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, and the American constitution.

The concept of nationalism had some negative consequences for societies in Asia and Africa. The expansion of European as well as the U.S. and Japanese power and influence were based on a combination of trade and missionary goals. Countries now justified rule outside of their homelands and domination of other peoples on the grounds of national prestige. Overseas empires were to be captive markets for new industrial goods which also wiped out traditional Asian and African crafts. Raw materials found in Africa and Asia were used for imperial use.

Globalization and its main effect, globalism, can be viewed as a process through which all parts of the world has become interconnected in terms of society, culture, politics, and economics.

It has been the cumulative result of the reduction of the time-space continuum due to technology, mass transportation, mass communication, global and regional political, military, and economic organizations. Because of the world wide web, international trade, mass media, satellite technology, and supersonic transport as well as instantaneous wire contacts through financial institutions, more sinister developments such as weapons of mass destruction and missiles, very few areas in the globe are isolated. This has become truly a “small world” and promises to become even smaller

The modern phase of globalization and the deification of globalism began before the end of World War II.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is the economic pact among the US, Canada, and Mexico.