Description:
Examines how information technologies may be shifting power and authority away from the state.
Returning to the fundamentals of political science, namely power and governance, this book studies the relationship between information technologies and global politics. Key issue-areas are carefully examined: security (including information warfare and terrorism); global consumption and production; international telecommunications; culture and identity formation; human rights; humanitarian assistance; the environment; and biotechnology. Each demonstrates the validity of the view now prevalent within international relations research-the shifting of power and the locus of authority away from the state. Three major conclusions are offered. First, the nation-state must now confront, support, or coexist with other international actors: non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations; multinational corporations; transnational social movements; and individuals. Second, our understanding of instrumental and structural powers must be reconfigured to account for digital information technologies. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, information technologies are now reconstituting actor identities and issues.
Brief description: J. P. Singh is Assistant Professor at the School of International Service, American University.
Review Quotes:
"This is the most authoritative academic volume now available on the speculative interface between information technologies and global politics. It provides teachers with a valuable tool to stimulate students without imposing a dogmatic view of this emergent subject matter." -- Richard A. Falk, author of Human Rights Horizons: The Pursuit of Justice in a Globalizing World
"The book makes an important contribution to understanding the broader implications of the developments in information technologies for global politics and global governance." -- Phil Williams, Matthew B. Ridgeway Center for International Security Studies, University of Pittsburgh