Political Cooperation
Being more of a concept than a term, political cooperation broadly denotes the governments of differing states working together toward a common goal. This cooperation can occur in areas like military alliances, economic affairs, and the deciding of territorial boundaries.
Probably one of the most famous examples of political cooperation is the United Nations. Formed after World War II, the United Nations is an intergovernmental organization tasked with the job of promoting and maintaining political cooperation among the world's nations.
When speaking of political cooperation, it often comes by way of treaties. Again, speaking rather broadly, a treaty is formally approved agreement between two states. One of the world's most famous modern day treaties was the Treaty of Versailles, which signaled the end of World War I. Speaking of war, let's move into the idea of military alliances between states.
Military Alliance
Again, being more of a concept than a clear term, military alliances can be loosely described as collaborations between the armed forces of two states. Adding to this, it can also denote agreements between states surrounding the use of sanctioned force. Probably one of the best examples of military alliance occurred during World War II, as countries like the US, Britain, and France stood together fighting side by side against Nazi Germany.
Interestingly, military alliances don't just take place during times of war. Many times, military cooperation exists almost as a promise to come to the aid of another country should the need arise, sort of a 'we've got your back' kind of situation. One of the world's strongest examples of this can be found in US and British relations. Almost sounding like high-schoolers dating, the term for this close alliance is actually termed the special relationship, or the exceptionally close political, military, and economic relations that exists between nations. Historically, this terminology is used in reference to the US and the United Kingdom.
Economic Alliance
With this, we now come to economic alliances between states. Again, being very general, economic alliances concern collaborations between states in the areas of money, resources, and wealth. Stating it really simply, it's how states cooperate when dealing with their wallets. Since the onset of economic globalization, the financial integration and interdependence of economies across the world, economic alliances have reached new heights.
A great example of an economic alliance is NAFTA, the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement, which removed many tariffs between the three countries of Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Jumping across the Atlantic, another example of an economic alliance can be found in the European Union. Often referred to simply as the EU, this is a group of European countries which have agreed to recognize the Euro as an official currency.
Lesson Summary
A state is an autonomous political unit, including many communities within its territories, over which it has legitimate centralized power. A state is a sovereign entity holding supreme rule over its territory.
Throughout history, many states have chosen to partake in political cooperation, the governments of differing states working together toward a common goal. A great example of this is the United Nations an intergovernmental organization tasked with the job of promoting and maintaining political cooperation among the world's nations.
Political cooperation often takes place via treaties, which are formally approved agreements between two states. It also takes place through military alliances, collaborations between the armed forces of two states or agreements between states surrounding the use of sanctioned force.
Political cooperation also takes the form of economic alliances, collaborations between states in the area of money, resources, and wealth. Economic alliances have boomed since the onset of economic globalization, the financial integration and interdependence of economies across the world.
Learning Outcomes
View this lesson in preparation to:
- Provide the definition of a state
- Understand what is meant by political cooperation is and recall examples
- Consider the impact of military alliances
- Discuss economic alliances such as NAFTA and the European Union
