ABSTRACT
A key issue in this chapter is the extent to which transnational actors (TNAs) have challenged the centrality of the state as the most important actor in international relations. The transnational corporation (TNC), for example, has proven to be a durable instrument of both economic power and financial weakness, as evidenced by the 2008-09 global financial crisis (GFC). Equally, non-government organizations’ (NGOs) impact upon issue areas as varied as trade, investment, poverty and climate change has, arguably, grown measurably over the last decade. Realists, such as Mearsheimer (1995: 9-11), argue that TNAs and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) are second-tier actors; they are merely ‘intervening variables in their ability to change state behaviour’. Conversely, some liberal and radical perspectives assert that TNAs are an integral part of the structure of international politics, advancing interests as diverse as transnational capital, secessionist movements, women and children’s rights, and the environment. According to these analyses, TNAs can redefine the boundaries of political community.
