Problems of the Idea of Citizenship in Modern Globalized World - Coursework Example

Running Header: Introduction to Politics Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission: Introduction to Politics In classical forms, principle of sovereignty is used to describe a world where the supreme power is being exercises within a certain territorial unit. This essay shall discuss the problems of the idea of citizenship in modern globalized world1. It shall then seek to justify whether state should interfere with the liberty of an individual. State is governed through a constitution. The essay shall seek to identify how important a constitution is in making a sovereign state legitimate. It shall then seek to identify whether politic is a science or an art. Citizenship describes the procedural legal relationship between an individual or person and the policy. For a very long time, the theories of citizenship have been based on the idea of politically independent and self-governing policies2 .The relationship between citizenship and politics forms source of most problems associated with citizenship. Citizenship is conceived from political institutions which are liberated to act according to the will, interest of authority over their citizens. The rank of citizenship in democratic societies is often regarded as legal. It often intended to be associated with the progressive projects which are of broad concept of membership in the community. At the same time it is difficult in such a community to assume that every member has equal rights. Some members will enjoy more privileges than others, due to the status and hierarchy they are in the society. Formal equalities like travel and voting rights, economic positions and social cultural fall short for different citizens enjoying the same membership. This inequality also results to the notion of having second-class citizens. Citizenship should not discriminate on gender, class or race, but should be neutral to all the people. However, positions taken by different people and groups within the states globally, have allowed discriminations in to take sides in these areas. It is evident throughout the ages the membership of citizenship has experienced challenges over time. Globalization then accelerates the tension of citizenship in the concept of equality based on the membership3. Globalization puts emphasis on different identities of the membership custom. This makes it harder to utilize a citizenship as singular notion or as a single legal status that links directly to nation state which is the centre of domestic and international law. While it is supposed to identify citizens’ responsibilities and rights by the virtue of legal citizenship, its social, political and legal rights are determined through other alternatives that are based on the framework of the state. Responsibilities like voting, political rights and representation in the democratic systems, mobility, travel and social rights are some of the rights infringed in this case. In defining citizenship, the definition is linked to nationality and the international law. The international law affirms that the country or the state can determine who is to be considered the citizen of that state and who should not be4. In domestic laws, the law concerning who will and who will not be determined to be a citizen of a country vary from one country to another. This leads to many people acquiring different nationality and even in some situations some may acquire more than citizenship in different countries just by fulfilling formal requirements. Most of the problems associated with citizenship are due to states government. The liberty of the citizens is held by this state organ. Whether the state is justified to interfere with the liberty of the people is a question whose answer is depends on the environment within which the citizens live5. The state holds the authority or power over the members in the country. The most conspicuous feature in this case is the struggle between authority and liberty of the citizen. The likings and disliking of the society is the main thing that determines the rules that are laid down to be observed generally by everyone in the country. Then the executive or the legislative power that is of private conduct, independent of the individuals represents the government in most cases with interests opposite to those of the public6. Majority of the citizens do not feel the power in their government which is their power. When they do so this is where their liberty is at risk of being invaded by the government. . Whenever government interferes on basic laws, personal safety and orders then the liberty is compromised. Liberty of the people needs to be maximized. The level to which the government interferes with the liberty of the people is identified with the organization that the government is involved with to serve the citizen. A government which basis its legislations on policies that are clearly defined would lose its ability currently enjoyed by other governments of any opinion to act by chance. The governments should operate on clear and precisely defined policies that would become a judge of the policy7. Otherwise, these policies should not be used as origin of the arbitrary law. This would alter the legislative process to the level of enhancing better relationship between the citizens and the government. In this case the government departments and functions shall only be answerable to the principle of their actions that can be easily verifiable by the citizens. This way the government or the state shall have maximized the liberty of the citizens by almost 100 percent. Citizens should not be governed by majority or dictators but by the principles that guarantees zero or minimal oppression, maximum protection and as a result maximum overall liberty. For this to happen, the government should be provided with this platform by the constitution. Constitution serves as an important function of peace and development building in any state. Countries lacking a good constitution often lack peace and even the effort of peace building becomes very hard. It is at these points that such a country focuses on operational limitations and unintended negative results of international help. Constitution forms the basis of the strategy of operating a country8. Most critical problems would arise in situations where it is not available since there shall be no knowledge or agreed procedures of building the state. It matter on the content of the constitution and the process that was involved in making it. The constitution can transform conflicts to peace. It sets the government framework that regulates access to resources and power which are the key reasons why most countries have internal conflicts. It also puts in place institutions and mechanisms that shall be used to resolve future conflicts in the society and how they can be managed without any violence. An appropriate structure of governance framework may not ensure sustainable peace and democracy however a good constitution would. Whether politics is an art or science depends on how you interpret it. Politics is mostly considered to belong to the dominion of science since it is involved with regulation and control. Politics, like science is involved with measurable concepts9. Art is concerned with infinite or immeasurable concepts. Artists strive to show the immeasurable and the indefinable. Art is also associated with one individual as the sole creator of something. In contrast to art, politics is mostly concerned with groups of people and perhaps, communities. One would argue that art comes while practicing politics since election winning is a matter of expression, imagery, persuasion and emotion of which all these are elements of art. However, politics is a science since it involves the study of human being and how they interrelate with one another. Collective data is used in science so as to come up with rational facts. These collective data is obtained by carrying observation and carrying out experiments. In political science, different methodologies are used to determine facts about the interactions of the human beings and the forces which regulate all of them10. Since politics uses methods of science, art naturally comes out but is not forced. People are forced to earn money therefore they enter politics. Moreover, politics uses scientific methods in setting hypothesis and gathering of facts. In conclusion many problems are associated with the citizenship in global world. This is more so due to the fact that each country controls its things in its own way. Different governments have different organization structures. The relationship between citizenship and politics forms the roots of the problems associated with citizenship in modern global world11. The fact that the two cannot be isolated since none can be independent of the other makes it hard to find a permanent solution to the problems. Citizenship is interfered by politics through the governments of the countries or the state. More so, most governments interferes with the liberty of the people especially in situations where policies governing the state are not laid down properly to ensure the liberty of the citizens is maximized. States should aim to lay out the best policies in their constitutions. The constitution is very important in making sovereign state legitimate. It is the single most important document that ensures that peace is maintained in the state. How well a constitution serves the people depends on the process which it was made. Involvement of politics in the process is very important. Politics is a science since it involves measurements and combinations of variables12. However it uses art naturally comes out of it but it is not forced. Bibliography Adler, D & Rubenstein, K. ‘International citizenship: The future of nationality in a globalized world’, Indian Journal of Global Legal Studies, vol 7. Issue 2. 2008. Pp 512-621. Berns, L. History of Political Philosophy, University of Chicago Press, 1987. Michael, & Wolff, J (eds.), Political Thought, Oxford University Press, 1999. Scgerer, G. ‘Corporate citizenship in a globalized world’. Journal on global corporate citizenship, vol 6. Issue 3. 2010. Pp 97-167 Schneier, E. ‘The role of constitution-building process in democratization’, Journal on democracy building and conflict management, vol 3. Issue 23. 2005. Pp 37-118. The Art of Good Government, Protection, Oppression and Liberty, < http://www.theartofgoodgovernment.org/g2howmgov.html (accessed 21 July 2011> Read More