If you were to walk down West Georgia Street and the average person and ask them “who holds the power in international politics?” you would probably get a standard answer. Most people are entrenched in the school of thought that nations such as the USA, Russia, and China are the most powerful actors in international politics. Although they are not incorrect, most people do not regard multinational corporations as power political agents. For the common person, they do not think of companies such as Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google as power-wielding political powers. However, when we analyze the processes of these corporations we see that they control global supply chains, sell mass amounts of products, directly influence global politics for personal or industrywide gain. With the exception of relationships such as Jeff Bezos and Donald Trump, the majority of high profile multinational corporations have a very positive working relationship with government agencies. This is evident through footloose tactics and tax dodging tactics. With that in mind, the question can be raised about which agents hold the most power in international politics.

In an analysis performed by The Economist, there was a comparison made on the valuation of corporations compared to states. Unsurprisingly, the top valuations were held by the likes of the US, China, Eurozone, and Japan.  However, there is an ample amount of corporations mixed in around the top of the list. For example, companies such as Berkshire Hathaway exceeded the valuation of states such as New Zealand, Australia, and Spain. According to the analysis chart, of the top 100 income producers, 71 of them were “nongovernmental” corporations. Another example of relations between governments and multinational corporations is that of Amazon and the US. In a publicly mixed relationship, Bezos and Trump have had aggressive comments towards each other and their intentions of power. However, Blue Origin, Bezos’s private company recently signed a $2 billion contract to supply rockets for the Pentagons satellite project. This is a fantastic highlight of how the world of politics and multinational corporations is not separate and rigid, it is a dynamic and transitioning to an ever related conglomerate.

It is difficult to argue against the facts that multinational corporations possess an enormous amount of political and economic power. As the distinction between politics and corporations continues to melt, there needs to be a sufficient amount of emphasis on regulation of political manipulation.

Sources:

Heemskerk, E., Fichtner, J., & Babic, M. (n.d.). Who is more powerful – states or corporations? Retrieved April 4, 2019, from http://theconversation.com/who-is-more-powerful-states-or-corporations-99616

Liberto, D. (n.d.). Jeff Bezos Says Amazon Will Support Pentagon. Retrieved April 4, 2019, from https://www.investopedia.com/news/jeff-bezos-says-amazon-will-support-pentagon/