Besides nation states, and international organisations, there are other players that have power in the international system. Multinational corporations can influence, even force countrie's economic and political policies. We can see this in the globalisation of production, where large companies have moved production to underdeveloped nations where manufacturing is cheaper. (Viotti & kauppi, 1987 pp 351) These nations often have to go out of their way to accommodate these companies. .
Are there any other forces that have international power? A case could be made that international movements have real and growing power. These movements, often political or religious in nature, may not be organised or centrally controlled in the same way that NGO's are, but they can still put pressure on national governments. For example, in recent years the Chinese authorities have cracked down on members of the Fulan Gong religious sect. In previous decades this may well have gone unnoticed, especially in countries outside the immediate region. However, now there are Fulan Gong movements worldwide trying to influence world opinion. Other, more powerful movements include the anti capitalist movement, militant Islam, and political movements such as the freedom for Palestine pressure group.
This seems like an extremely complex, organic system - but how did this all come about? The international system as we know it was a long time coming, starting from very humble beginnings thousands of years ago. Probably the beginnings could be traced back to the very first tribes of Homo Sapiens that roamed the earth, trading and more than likely warring with the other tribes, but realistically perhaps we see the first signs of a true international system a bit more recently than that. These are some moments through history that have had significant effects on the development of this system:.
The formation of the Greek city-states.
