Origins of Global Civil Society
The term of global civil society need to be defined thoroughly by the explanation of global society in it bases to be able to grasp the understandings. The term ‘Society’ in many senses used in many dimension, but it basically resemblance social relations. The term of society is a fundamental concept of sociology and can disseminate into wide range of definition, but to the sense of global society is too see that the world has transformed into a single society. Such transformation nevertheless exists by the process of globalization. Globalization has breaking the old sense of national society and to let world population to develop new form of idea of a plural society with multiple identities.
Then to explain how the global society integrated is by seeing the globalization process. The fact that systemic integration of global society has not been clearly visual, and some critics had said that the global society would be unlikely to produce certain common value and beliefs, as well as common agreed institutions. But there are growing facts that signify the growing cultural developments produced by globalizations which shaped the term of “global culture” as inter-cultural and inter economic processes happens between society inside states and become more easier and borderless. It means that in terms of diversity, variety, and richness of popular and local discourses, to realize that the image of globe as a single place and allows generative form of unity within which diversity can take place.
The perception of global society can lead into the awakening of realization of the global crisis existence that damaged the world. These crisis such as poverty, human rights issues, environmental issues, and many other crises. Such crises can be affecting inter-state relation and the conditions can became global. As the globe become one place in the perception of people, one’s problem may as well affect everyone.
Many global systemic development where borders of state has no longer limits, such as global communication system such as the fact of how media can broadcasts across globe, as well as global cultural system which consist of growing homogeneity of cultural norms and values across the globe. What also increases is the growing existence of global civil society which will be explained further on.
Global Civil Society
The term of civil society always differentiated to the definition of state and considered to be. Gramsci have seen civil society in terms of the way in which society outside the state organizes and represent itself, forming both source of pressure and the extension of the state and it constituted by institutions. Then how exactly global civil society can be existed? It has connection with greater worldwide recognition of global interdependence ever since Cold War ended in 1989. The interdependence introduce global consciousness that play great role in the awakening of global civil society. Global civil society also existed by the realizing that global crises were there to be fought and voiced out in order to solve it by act in society level, such as humanitarian crisis, injustice, environmental issues, etc.
Global civil society is coming into existence in an interdependent relationship with the state system. The increase of interaction between local and national societies with other socities abroad brings the connection between people getting closer. Therefore it is easy to come up with certain goal and interest which later on that large sum of people agreed to form an institution that accommodate idealistic idea of what’s good for the society and mostly against the status quo. Thus Global civil society represents social interests and principle which may contradictory of the state’s interest or those of the market’s. Therefore it may constitute certain pressure to state policy as well as status quo of market condition.
It is noted that because the increase of global civil society, transnational identity has becoming important for most of people in the world. Global civil society formed institutions which regularly called as International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) and it opens up branch and working group all around the world to gather support and increase awareness of general society. With this, although still not surpass the national identity, some individual has put their principle and vision that agreed transnationally into their identity. The growth is still undergone progressive phase.
Recently INGOs has started to play important role in determining the direction of international policies and has made its way to the negotiating table as United Nations, the biggest International Organizations that consists of states, let INGO participate into the discussion. Clark analyzes the substantive effect of INGO participation in United Nations world conference of Environment, Human Rights, and Women. It is noted that there’s no denying how the INGO’s presence and issues form an integral part of UN thematic conferences[1]. Furthermore, as the coming of 1990s, governmental perspective about INGOs had been realigned and their willingness to accommodate INGO participation has been increasing. The increase of NGO-to-NGO relations and cooperation also bolster the progress of vocal out their interest to world and narrowing distance on certain substantive issues.
Challenges and Limitations
The challenges would be that the perspective of state still, as Clark analyzes, calculating their interest instead of cultivating the NGO’s interests. It is true that the states’ responses corresponded with NGO’s mobilization, but such responsiveness does not mean acceptance.[2] To include and negotiate with NGOs, states still acts in incentive-motivated act, for example to appoint NGO to apply international agreement. While on the other hand NGO’s interest still remained imprisoned and limited, therefore the most challenges come from the traditional roles and priorities of international politics.
In another literature, Chandake explained the critics that becoming the limit of INGO. In the context of norms and value that most INGO brought to surface, criticized mostly by Third World countries and other critical thinkers, still reflect that narrow group of influential states in the international order.[3] This happens particularly in human rights issues, which are considered to be embedded in a set of norms and historical process specific to Western and the US. Yet again it is not the main issue as there are many of global civil societies that fought for certain privilege that still cannot be achieved by some people when it should all be given to all people.
The strength of global civil society comes from the will to reform certain injustice. In the context of capitalism, global civil society would assess protests and critics to increase awareness in order the stakeholder to humanize the capitalist system rather than think of another system that may be able to deliver justice and equity. Therefore it is also a big burden for global civil society to come up with good alternative and not just to spell out critics with no good advice and real actions.
Analysis
The development of global civil society follows the same pattern as what humankind witness of the state development and economical development in the world. Writer believes that the latter development has just reached its early phase and it is evident that the presence of global civil society is here to stay. As the global consciousness increased and awareness of global crises has become imminent, the presence of global civil society would be very important to accommodate certain aspiration and principle in which the state and common market do not perceive as important and beneficial. State are too political motivated in making policies and market tends to be profit-motivated in the process, therefore the presence of global civil society can bring balance to the arena.
Under the International Relations discipline context, the notion of global and transnational society that represents by NGO’s brings new dynamics. It certainly could enrich its perspective in viewing world phenomenon in a new way, not just far too dependent to the descriptions of the classics. Globalization and globalized awareness can certainly brings new dynamics to the reality, and as a science International Relations should have put the developments of reality into science, therefore new actor such as global civil society should be taken into account, proven by how significant the global civil society affects UN decisions and the directions of world’s policies.
The challenges that global civil society faced such as critics and limit for authority, existed as what the global civil societies can be overcome by consistency in voicing out the critics and awareness for state and regular society of crises and issues that happened in the world. Interconnection between global civil societies can be a way to consolidate power and leverage against other contending actors. The high number of participants, donor, and sympathy from society can give global civil society leverage. After all, state or government as we know it; is existed by the will of its people, therefore state shall be obliged to hear and consider what their people’s thoughts and need.
[1] Clark, Ann Marie, Friedman, and K. Hochstetler, “The Sovereign Limits of Global Civil Society: A Comparison of NGO Participation in UN World Conferences on Environment, Human Rights, and Women”, in World Politics, vol. 51, no.1, 1998, p.1-35.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Chandake Neera, The Limits of Global Civil Society.