Lessons for the 21st Century Considering sovereign Security Thinking in an Era of Unprecedented Globalization and Global Threats Lessons for the 21st Century

Conceptualizing the Problem at a Glance This paper is systematically considering the concepts of globalization, transnational crime and sovereign security thinking, which are critical and complex interacting social issues modern societies are confronted with. In order to better understand the interacting processes of the issues, at least, a brief description of the issues under consideration are important so that you can have an idea how I am thinking about them.

Conceptualizing Globalization at a Glance As a concept, globalization is a multifaceted and multidimensional phenomenon encompasses social, economic, political, technological, cultural, and legal forces. Globalization is a process of shifting autonomous economies into the global market - the systematic integration of autonomous economies into global trading environment. It involves the creation of global market in which increasingly all nations participate. The key elements include the interconnection of sovereign nations through trade and capital flows, harmonization of the relationship between these sovereign nations. The dominant conception of globalization is that it is basically the intensification of the interconnection and interdependence between all parts of the world, particularly at the levels of the economy, communications, politics and socio-cultural relations.

Conceptualizing Transnational Crime at a Glance When an offense against the laws of a state occurs but whose inception, proportion, and direct and indirect impacts involve more than one country and has economic motive, we talk about transnational crime. To be clear, an offence is transnational in nature if it is committed in more than one country or it is committed in one country but a substantial part of its preparation, planning, direction or control takes place in another country or it is committed in one country but involves a criminal element or group that engages in criminal activities in more than one country or it is committed in one country but has effects in another country. In this paper, globalization is conceptualized as a phenomenon which is the prime mover in the development and growth of newer transnational crime groups. Note that globalization of crime is not a new phenomenon. However, in the present global environment, there has been unprecedented dramatic increase in the magnitude of newer transnational crime organizations with serious threats and challenges to internal and international peace and security.

Conceptualizing Sovereign Security Thinking at a Glance Sovereign security thinking is the focal issue of this paper. It is in line with the view that a nation by itself can adequately and effectively address its national security challenges of global dimension, for example, the newer waves of transnational crime threats posed by the unprecedented processes of globalization. Cases in point that inform this paper have currency in the current 2016 presidential campaign in the United States. They cases in question are some of the pronouncements made by the Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump which suggest that the United States under his leadership can by itself adequately and effectively address global security challenges. Such views raise serious issues and questions that might be too important and costly to ignore.

Serious Issues and Questions About Sovereign Security Thinking Can national security threats posed by the newer waves of transnational crime activities in the unprecedented processes of globalization be effectively and adequately contain with a sovereign security thinking in the United States of America as suggested by Donald Trump? If so how so and if not why not? Can Trump make America great again and by extension the world as a whole by embarking on such views? If so how so and if not why not?

Sovereign Security Thinking as a Fault Line War In his brilliant book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Samuel P. Huntington identifies what he aptly calls the “dynamics of fault line wars”. The “dynamics of fault line wars” phrase has to do with the roles identity groups (such as religious, ethnic, and states) played which led to serious conflict and/or violent that are longer and more difficulty to resolved than conventional warfare The “dynamics of fault line sovereign security thinking in response to the challenges of transnational crime activities in the unprecedented 21st century globalized environment” The question then is, what would it be like in a situation where most nations of the world would have little or nothing to do with the US as relates to the threats and challenges of transnational crime activities?

Conclusion and Recommendation In the final analysis, in this new environment of the 21st century, the problems of transnational crime cannot be comprehensively and systematically controlled unless governments coordinate the strategies and policies at the national level with the strategies, policies and regulations formulated at the international level. The problems of transnational crime cannot be adequately solved unless states enter the agenda of the global system or, at least, the agenda of regional groups of countries. To put a problem in the agenda of the global system or that of a regional system means to make that problem the object of specific rules of international law and/or the object of the creation of competent international institutions and/or the attribution of competence and to strengthening the already existing international institutions in that regard.