Global Civil Society

Terms I.  Civil Society:  intermediate realm between family and state, where an individual becomes a public person through the membership in different institutions (Hegel)  the realm of culture, ideology and political debate (Gramsci)  society based on social contract among individuals: it is a process through which individuals argue, negotiate, struggle against or agree with each other and with the centers of political and economic authority, through voluntary associations, movements, parties, unions, the individual is able to act publicly (Kaldor)

Terms II.  Globalism  state of world involving networks of interdependence with multicontinental distance – linkages occur through flows of goods, capital, information, ideas, people and forces  type of interdependence: 1. refers to networks of relations (not one linkage); 2. network to be considered global must include multicontinantal distance;  types: economic/ military/ environmental/ social and cultural/ (Keohane/Nye)

Terms III.  Globalization  increase or decline in globalism (Keohane/Nye)  the development of an increasingly integrated global economy, it is marked by free trade, free flow of capital and the tapping of cheaper foreign labor markets (Merriam Webster Dictionary)  often perceived through institutions such as IMF, WTO, WB  is the process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas and other cultural aspects

Global Civil Society  It refers to a vast, sprawling non-governmental constellation of many institutionalized structures, associations and functionally interdependent groups  Society of societies, it is bigger and weightier than individual actor or organization  It is a highly complex ensemble of differently sized, overlapping forms of structured social actions  It has interactive, dynamic and interesting social dynamics

Civil Society – Global scale  evolution : first concern was freedom from fear, in 19. Century political rights of bourgeoisie and in 20. Century workers movements desiring social and economic emancipation  new content after 1989 – emergence of civil society at two continents at the same time with no relations  if civil society is public activity of individual within state, how would you define the global civil society?  two terms: international society vs. global civil society

Global civil society  3 meanings /periods of formation  new social movements: back in late 1960s – concerns over peace, women, human rights, environment/ in 1990s issues as landmines, HIV/AIDS, climate change, human rights  new policy agenda set by institutions in the West: NGOs as a key agents – social movements against slavery, for universal right to vote, labor movements, etc.  post-modern version: new religions and ethnic movements  the emergence of system of global governance

Influence on state  state looses monopoly on adopting regulations – agencies on sub-state and supra-state level influence decisions of state’s government + the role of NGO’s operating across borders – some of them directly participate on the process of formulating and adopting policies  different organizations – formation of global identity (people are loosing state based identity)  the issue of states sovereignty and the role of state in the life of individual  level of democracy? how to describe it? who actually decides?

Human Rights  definition: inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being  generations: 1. civil and political; 2. economic, social and cultural; 3. solidarity rights  documents: Universal Declaration on Human Rights – UN Human Rights council  substantive rights: right to life, freedom from torture, freedom from slavery, right to fair trial, freedom of speech, freedom of though, conscience and religion,

Amnesty International  purpose : protection of human rights all over the world  membership: individuals, groups  how they act: send experts to talk with victims/observe trials/interview local officials/liaise with human rights activists/monitor global and local media/publish detailed reports/inform the news media/ publicize our concerns in documents, leaflets, posters, advertisements, newsletters and websites/public demonstrations/direct lobbying/partnerships with local campaigning groups  projects: from Arms control to abolishment of death penalty

Human Rights Watch  purpose: protecting the human rights of people around the world  membership: individuals  how: making detailed recommendations to governments, rebel groups, international institutions, corporations, policymakers, and the press to adopt reforms  projects: help from individuals to group of people