| This dissertation presents a twofold argument: first, that there are a multitude of actors and actor-types participating in and significantly impacting the global political system. The vision of the international political system grounded in the notion of a single type of actor—the state—and the subsequent depiction of the state as a rational, unitary actor is singularly unproductive as a tool for understanding that system. The second facet of the argument is a re-evaluation of the ‘political system’. I suggest that the global political system is best explored as a social system, one comprised of a domain, structure, and agency and, further, that explanatory capability stems from understanding all three components and how they converge. The study builds upon the work of two branches of scholars, melding the constructivist worldview to a particular set of problems, that of how actors (and particularly non-state actors (NSAs)) enter an arena and entrench themselves in the practices and identity of that realm. In this fashion, the study draws upon the strengths of both critical theory and substantive analysis, thus suggesting one approach for better understanding the dynamics that lead to NSA participation in the global political arena and for furthering our knowledge of ideas “in action.” This approach holds particular relevance for the study of NSAs, raising questions of whether they can become relevant players in the global political arena, how this may be accomplished, and the implications for system dynamics. The two case studies—the Antarctic Treaty System and the Third World Debt Crisis—were chosen for both their diversity and for their commonality. The environment and the economy are sectors in which states are quite obviously extremely active; they are also the areas where the impact of technological advances is most strongly experienced. As the studies demonstrate, both are areas into which NSAs have visibly encroached, particularly ideationally-motivated NSAs such as epistemic communities and advocacy networks. The study examines the processes through which these actors have become relevant actors in the system and are significantly influencing system governance. |
