Interdependence and Responsibility
| Published date | 01 May 2015 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12190 |
| Date | 01 May 2015 |
| Author | Javier Solana |
Interdependence and Responsibility
Javier Solana*
ESADE Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics
Today’s world is radically different from the one we lived
in a quarter of a century ago. Twenty-five years ago,
what defined our world views and our actions were bor-
ders. Then the Wall came down, and people danced on
its rubble. Today, it is not borders that define us –it is
connections. We –the citizens of the world –are linked
through thousands and millions of invisible threads: the
threads of interdependence.
The forces that unite us, often collected under the sig-
nature ‘globalization’, have brought great progress and
prosperity. They have also, however, created new dan-
gers. In this interconnected world, which is changing at
lightning speed, we may feel safe in our clean, small vil-
lages and towns, in our thriving cities. But in truth, in the
state of interdependence, we are on a constant search:
the search for responsibility. For, as I will argue, as inter-
dependence grows, so must responsibility. One can quite
simply not come without the other: it would lead to
disaster and chaos.
Within our web of interdependence commences, thus,
the quest for responsibility. In the following, I will begin
by examining how responsibility was constructed in the
past. Thereafter, I will turn to the present, analyzing the
threats and problems we are facing today. Finally, I will
address the crux of the issue, namely: how can and
should we construct responsibility in order to tackle the
challenges we face today?
The world we live in today
The raw state of affairs is the following: today, we are
still formally divided by state borders. These borders
were the delimiting elements in the traditional Westpha-
lian order that originated back in 1648. For centuries in
the west, Max Weber seemed infallible. His definition of
the state as holding the monopoly of the legitimate use
of physical force within a given territory held true.
Circumstances have clearly changed. Yet neither gov-
ernments nor their peoples have not accepted these
momentous shifts. We remain attached to our nation
states and our borders. Some behave as if each country
were still an impenetrable block acting on its own. The
truth is that Weber would no longer recognize the world
today. Things are no longer so neat and tidy.
Increased interdependence requires more
responsibility
Globalization has penetrated the state. It has changed its
very nature, beyond recognition of the Westphalian
founding fathers. Barriers and perceptions have crum-
bled. The forces of the global economy permeate every
single border on this planet. Lehman brothers showed
very clearly and very painfully that no single country is
an island today. For Lehman’s collapse did not just cause
ripples: it caused tsunamis, which hit the shores of every
country on earth.
Today, some are claiming globalization is in retreat. I
believe this is neither desirable, nor likely. Globalization
has brought us great progress. It has also turned our
world from a collection of monolithic, solid states to an
incredibly fast-moving and dense web of interdependent
actors. We are all nodes, in this huge net. And everything
we do –or do not do –percolates immediately through-
out the entire net. This is the condition of interdepen-
dence, which some will say took us by surprise on the
eve of the global financial and economic crisis.
To me, it is crystal clear: when interdependence is so
high, and any action or inaction has immediate effects
across the globe, there is only one way to maintain sta-
bility and prosperity –that is for states and all actors to
assume their full global responsibility. This is not a
choice. It is a necessity.
Today’s security crises, brought closer by
interdependence
Of the need for states to take up active, responsible
roles, there can be no doubt. At the United Nations (UN)
General Assembly in September, President Obama took
the stand and called for collective responsibility. He
*This commentary was first presented in Berlin, at the Richard
von Weizs€
acker Lecture at the American Academy. The speech
was given on 2 October 2014, on the eve of the Day of German
Unity. The content of this article is based on interpretations of
contemporary politics at the time of writing in November 2014.
©2015 University of Durham and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Global Policy (2015) 6:2 doi: 10.1111/1758-5899.12190
Global Policy Volume 6 . Issue 2 . May 2015
158
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