Transnational Public Sphere as Conduit

Transnational Public Sphere as Conduit

In the days of feudalism, and even after the Peace of Westphalia created the modern state, the fields of International Relations were primarily concerned with the competitive aspects of the economy and war. Today, however, the modern world has concerns that bring the community together instead of focusing on competition. Some of these concerns include the environment, human rights, and war and peace. These issues have fostered a new world community specifically in that they affect the world as a whole. In the form of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs), and Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) specialty groups have organized around these issues and are attempting to form a global community to address them and change them. Often, this is called the global civil society -- a united, international society concerned with achieving common goals. The Cosmopolitan theorists have modified this idea to come up with the theory of the transnational public sphere. An explanation and exploration of this idea, followed by its comparison with current trends in globalization, will allow readers to evaluate for themselves the applicability of the theory. Regardless of where scholars stand on the theory, its existence offers several important questions about the global sphere: has the global or international realm really changed, or are new issues simply hiding tired policies? In what ways have social justice and special interests come to replace the policies of competition and economics, if they have at all. How will the world transition if this theory is true? How will the facets of competition and war be reconciled with the facets of social justice and peace in the modern world? Finally, what implications does this have for policymaking, organizations, government types, and international relations.

According to Kohler, the transnational public sphere is similar, and some would say identical to, what some call the global civil society. A group that values common international goals and characteristics over national ties, the transnational public sphere is identified more by their place in the human race than by their ethnicity or residency. But the new persuasion of international politics is not a transnational public sphere in itself. Instead, the transnational public sphere is recognizable not only for its ability to realign individuals, but also for the networking and action that it allows. Kohler identifies the transnational public sphere as a conduit through which "through which social interest groups are able to participate in international affairs beyond the traditional limits of state-confined politics" (232). Though Kohler goes on to qualify his statement by identifying the degree to which the transnational public sphere allows this interaction, it is clear that the primary objective and benefit from this type of public sphere is the amount of international work that can be done via non-traditional groups. For instance, special interest groups like Doctors without Boarders, Greenpeace, and Amnesty International can affect their societal causes in ways never before imaginable because the transnational public sphere allows them free passage throughout the nations.

Although the transnational public sphere is conceived as an entity without boarders, or that at least stretches boarders, Kohler goes on to argue that this type of public sphere is by default dependent on the national sphere (233). The national and international are directly related through a matrix of power. As the transnational public sphere grows, this puts pressure on the national government's sovereignty. A prime example of this is the case of Troy Davis, a Georgian inmate on death row whose status was challenged by Amnesty International. The United States' government, which had sent Davis to death row, experienced the pressure from a transnational network, which called into question the state's authority to determine the punishments for its criminals.

Thus, the transnational public sphere is an entity that can be appreciated both for its own beauty in addition to its function. Made up of a global civil society whose allegiances have shifted from primarily individual nations and ethnicities to the shared problems of the world, the attitudes fostered by the transnational public sphere allows for the free movement of special interest organizations, which can breach the boarder limitations to accomplish international goals.