Losing Control?

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What determines the flow of labor and capital in the global information economy? Who can coordinate this system and bring order? What happens to territoriality and sovereignty, key principles of the modern state, and who gains or loses rights? This work examines the rise of private transnational legal codes and supranational institutions like the World Trade Organization and universal human rights covenants. It argues that while sovereignty remains vital, it is no longer exclusive to the nation-state; other actors are gaining rights and a form of sovereignty by establishing rules traditionally reserved for states. The author tracks the emergence of transformations in today's world, including the partial denationalization of national territory. Two key arenas emerge in the new spatial and economic order: the global capital market and the expanding international human rights regime. These quasi-legal realms now possess the power to demand accountability from national governments, ironically relying on the state for enforcement. From the economic shifts triggered by the Mexico debt crisis to ongoing conflicts over immigration and refugees, this analysis incisively explores events that have dramatically reshaped governance in an increasingly globalized era.