ABSTRACT
Contemporary transnational activism draws on a critique of the state and an assertion of the values of mobilization and participation, inspired to an important degree by the ideological ferment set in train in the 1960s. More recently, theories of globalization have led to the notion that the state is in terminal decline. Considerable political ramifications flow from this, if it is true. One is that statist models of governance have had their day. Another is that the transnational sphere has become the most salient level for political action. However, if, as I will argue, the end of statecentrism has been exaggerated, then the state, especially the Western state, retains considerable powers and resources.1 This means that transnational activists must take into account the question of state power when designing strategies and responding to opportunities.
