The defense of sovereignty has always entailed a conflict relationship with the international community, interpreted as political will of isolation and an exacerbated concept of self-determination. In a globalize world ethnic-political-cultural-economic-religious defense may lead to conflicts of large scale with a devastating impact on their citizens and neighbor countries. That is why is so important to search for channels of conciliation and harmonization on a global perspective but with the focus on each individuality of people and countries. Is in this sense, that integration among countries becomes key to eradicate poverty, increase rates on economic growth, strengthen financial stability, effective and fast emergency aid and environmental protection.

The recent global financial crisis supposes an overwhelming negative impact that swept away basic pillars of sovereignty. In fact, governments are meant to protect their citizens at all levels, delivering basic needs as: food, shelter, health, education and security. However, crisis makes governments fail in their role for a proper defense of sovereignty internally because of external factors, in which globalization plays a poor role. At the end, it results on high rates of unemployment, more people below poverty line, decreased allocation of resources for health and education, as well as the own economic consequences arising from financial fall down. And this is just for developed countries, as in developing we need to add scarcity of resources, extreme poverty and very low levels of resilience development.

But what´s wrong in defending sovereignty? Wield an economical and political agenda with their own priorities and rules at it´s own pace, preserve culture and defend their economy are all actions good for integration. Integration process should not be there to kill this valued individuality, but to shape and support on the process to be more open to others markets and cultures. The guided principle should be of tolerance, the more fluid communication is, the better we could understand and respect other cultures. Is indeed a condition to preserve national sovereignty to be integrated stronger and better in a globalize world. If not, we condemn entire societies to isolation, with the disempowerment element that involves.

In current times we get to a critical point in which global political interconnections also determinate access to humanitarian aid and it´s in emergency situations when it becomes more evident and tragic. This is not fair, humanitarian aid should´t be a matter of politic mechanisms but part of a system in which countries cooperate one to each other without conditionality and in a coordinated pacific action. International Red Cross has shown how is possible to collaborate without interfering in the sovereignty of each country. By keeping away from political aspects and respecting cultures, it has delivered aid effectively even in the most political extreme tension situations. The exercise of three of their principles: impartiality, universal and unity make them a reliable platform in which Mediation becomes one of their main roles. These principles could be also served as guidelines for an effective integration and should be the main goal on any initiative that tends to link countries and their economies around the world.

Is the balance between cultures that makes a globalize model effective at all levels and is in this sense that sovereignty remains protected and in harmony with a world too much linked to finance and economy.

Globalization tends to the standardization of values, habits and general consumption that leads to culture conflicts. The key for a correct balance between sovereignty and globalization is internationalization in which there is not financial predominance but a more balanced structure on cultural, financial and economical integration. Although with the same principle of free movements of goods, people and capital but without compromise national identity. That is a better model of international relationships in which financial dependence and geopolitical cession becomes the epicentre of the current system.

Globalization must be a tool for integration and cooperation, commercial, financial and culturally and not an arm against national sovereignty. If it´s so the system fail in confidence aspects and it´s normal to create resistance or even aggressive reactions against it, building political, commercial and mental barriers.

More and more the world needs integration precisely to defend national sovereignty. Sovereignty is not a matter of isolation and barriers against a global world, but strengthening relationships among countries, in a cooperative and open system. On the path for more resilient mechanisms financially and economical, new models of international relationships are needed, and the current model has widely demonstrated being unable to give effective solutions. An internalization model is the one that fulfill all the requirements in the reconstruction´s process that the world desperately needs for restoring post-crisis economies, eradicate poverty, reduce inequality and build resilience against climate change. Only with a reshaped and flexible model with a philosophy framework on integration is that we could face the challenges of an increasingly more demanded and uncertain world.

*Picture: house in Drina river, Serbia.