States are territorially defined political units that exercise ultimate internal authority and that recognize no legitimate external authority over them. Most people identify themselves politically by the state to which they belong. All states share the following characteristics: sovereignty, territory, population, diplomatic recognition, internal organization, and domestic support.
Does living in a democratic state give you assurance that war will never reach our shores? Is it possible for other countries around the world to adhere to the democratic ideal? Is it necessary that they do? Some of the activities in this chapter will help you assess the importance and validity of the traditional structure of the state.
Examine your knowledge of the origins of states by identifying various historical movements. |
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Understand various types of interests in determining international activity toward building peace by posting your opinions in a survey. How much does McDonald's contribute to world peace? |
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Analyze how standards of democracy can be measured by an index of economic freedom. Are the standards of measurement legitimate? |
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Understand the distribution of methods of governance by examining a map of global political systems. |
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Review the populations of the world in a table in order to understand the impact population density might have on democratic issues. |
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Examine other aspects of the traditional state by visiting some selected Web sites. |