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Año 12 N° 34  
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Tercera Época  
Maracaibo-Venezuela  
REVISTA DE LA UNIVERSIDAD DEL ZULIA. 3ª época. Año 12 N° 34, 2021  
Anton A. Evsuykov // The role of transnational companies in the reality of the new world, 97-105  
The role of transnational companies in the reality of the new world  
Anton A. Evsuykov *  
ABSTRACT  
The purpose of the study is to analyze the problem of determining the status of transnational  
corporations in the system of global governance, in revealing the transition of transnational  
corporations from an economic subject of international relations to understanding it as a  
political actor in the system of international relations. The article covers a range of issues  
related to attempts to regulate foreign TNCs by national states, It also touches upon the issue  
of changing the positions of leading TNCs in the ratings compiled by authoritative  
publications over the past decade, an analysis of the influence of transnational corporations  
as non-state actors in world politics is carried out. Research methodology. Analysis of  
published survey reports of international organizations and individual leading transnational  
corporations. One of the most pressing issues in the study of the role and place of  
transnational corporations in world politics is the problem of determining the status of  
transnational corporations in the global governance system. As a result, we find that  
transnational corporations act in the global governance system as tools and as institutions,  
which requires the development of new scientific approaches that reflect the dynamics of the  
introduction of these actors into the system of world politics.  
*
Postgraduate student for the Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher  
Education "Russian Peoples' Friendship University", Moscow, Russia. ORCID:  
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9599-1465. SPIN: 3747-3590. Author ID: 873469. E-mail:  
3448149@gmail.com  
Recibido: 04/06/2021  
Aceptado: 29/07/2021  
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Anton A. Evsuykov // The role of transnational companies in the reality of the new world, 97-105  
El papel de las empresas transnacionales en la realidad del nuevo  
mundo  
RESUMEN  
El objetivo del estudio es analizar el estatus de las empresas transnacionales en el sistema de  
gobernanza global, donde se observa la transición de las empresas transnacionales de un  
sujeto económico de las relaciones internacionales a un actor político en el sistema de  
relaciones internacionales. El artículo abarca una serie de cuestiones relacionadas con los  
intentos de regular las empresas trasnacionales extranjeras por parte de los Estados  
nacionales. Metodología de investigación. Análisis de informes de encuestas publicados de  
organizaciones internacionales y empresas transnacionales líderes individuales. Uno de los  
temas más urgentes en el estudio del papel y el lugar de las corporaciones transnacionales en  
la política mundial es el problema de determinar el estatus de las corporaciones  
transnacionales en el sistema de gobernanza global. Como resultado, encontramos que las  
empresas transnacionales actúan en el sistema de gobernanza global como herramientas y  
como instituciones, lo que requiere el desarrollo de nuevos enfoques científicos que reflejen  
la dinámica de la introducción de estos actores en el sistema de la política mundial.  
PALABRAS CLAVE: empresas transnacionales; gestión empresarial; relaciones  
internacionales; Ciencia política; Economía; política internacional; seguridad internacional;  
cooperación internacional; Globalización.  
Introduction  
The relevance of this topic is due, firstly, to the growing role of transnational  
corporations (TNCs) in the development of world geopolitical and geo-civilizational  
phenomena and processes in order to realize the interests of the world's leading actors, and  
secondly, to the aggravation of the competitive geopolitical struggle for the influence of  
TNCs on the economic development of national economies and the security of host countries.  
The purpose of the study is to analyze the problem of determining the status of TNCs  
in the system of global governance, in revealing the transition of TNCs from an economic  
subject of international relations to understanding it as a political actor in the system of  
international relations.  
The objectives of the study were: a brief analysis of the activities and characteristics  
of transnational non-state actors; consideration of the activities of TNCs from the point of  
view of their own interests both as instruments and as institutions for influencing world  
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processes; substantiation of the massive "invasion" of TNCs into world politics, under the  
influence of which the role of TNCs as a subject of the world political process is changing.  
One of the most pointed issues in the research of the role and place of TNCs in world politics  
is the problem of determining the status of TNCs in the global governance system. Many  
scientists and experts specializing in the research of the problems and perspective of global  
governance argue that the world, lead by globalization, is moving towards precisely this form  
of regulation of relations between all participants in world political and economic relations;  
at the same time, TNCs act in the system of global governance both as instruments and as  
institutions.  
1
. Methodology  
The research methodology is based on the use of: a systemic method that allows a  
multifactorial and comprehensive study of the place, role and interests of TNCs as an  
international actor realizing their interests in the geopolitical space; the method of  
geopolitical analysis, which substantively studies the geopolitical "cut" of international  
relations, geopolitical processes, conflicts, fundamental value foundations, "internal springs"  
of events, phenomena occurring at the borders of contacting states as a result of the activities  
of TNCs; and also on the use of the spatial-contextual method, which implies that the  
phenomenon develops and is studied not by itself, but in the context of the sequential  
development of processes separated in time and space, which allows a deeper understanding  
of the phenomenon under study, the causes of the events being studied, with the possibility  
of a deeper penetration into their essence and the formation of forecasts for the development  
of processes.  
2
. Results and Discussion  
One of the most pressing issues in the study of the role and place of TNCs in world  
politics is the problem of determining the status of TNCs in the global governance system.  
Many scholars and experts specializing in the study of the problems and prospects of global  
governance argue that the world, guided by globalization, is moving towards precisely this  
form of regulation of relations between all participants in world political and economic  
relations; at the same time, TNCs act in the global governance system both as instruments  
and as institutions. A wide range of actors is involved in global governance, there is a greater  
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number of connections and interactions, all types of political strategies known to mankind  
are applied. An increasing number of newactors, the overwhelming majority of whom do not  
belong to states and IGIO that do not have sovereignty and international legal personality in  
its traditional sense. The activity of non-state actors, to which TNCs can be ranked, often  
leads to the fact that such areas as social, economic, industrial and security spheres “leave”  
the state. which have always originally belonged to him. As Ilyin noted, when there is a  
general inability of traditional actors (meaning the state) of international relations to  
stabilize the situation on a global scale and develop solutions with an adequate response to  
modern challenges and threats, “non-state actors begin to interfere in this process, striving  
to intercept the functions of global regulation and management. from nation-states and  
international organizations (Ilyin, 2011). Possessing significant resources of influence on  
world politics (not only material ones), transnational non-state actors (such as TNCs and  
IGIOs) generate “non-systemic phenomena” in it, which is facilitated by the increasing  
transparency of borders and the erosion of the sovereignty of national states, indirectly  
associated with global world political processes. Having a highly dynamic scientific,  
production and market potential, TNCs operating through their branches and subsidiaries  
in many countries have formed the so-called. "Think tanks" that form a monetary and  
financial strategy that is beneficial for them, contributing to their dynamic accelerated  
development (Shurahbil, 2017). As a result, according to Kenichi Ohmae, the state in the  
modern world is retreating, freeing up the field not only for capital, but also for the political  
activity of such subjects as "individuals, firms and markets" (Ohmae K, 1990). And TNCs  
began to play an important role in this process. Do not forget that TNCs, pursuing their own  
interests and acting within the framework of their own strategies, try to bypass local  
legislation and often ignore the interests of the host country, which becomes the cause of  
contradictions between TNCs and the governments of host states.  
At the present stage of development, TNCs begin to function like states. In this regard,  
it is interesting that, for example, the American corporation IBM has its own diplomatic  
personnel to establish business relations with potential clients (Krivenko, 2016). Indeed, the  
influence of TNCs on global processes is very great. The ratings of the largest TNCs, regularly  
conducted by the American business magazine Forbes, have demonstrated their influence on  
the current world position of countries. So, in 2016, the magazine published a rating of the  
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two thousand largest and most influential companies in the world. In this rating “companies  
from 62 countries of the world were represented. Including 515 companies - from the USA,  
210 - from Japan, 113 - from China, 56 - from India, 62 - from Canada” (Krivenko, 2016).  
According to the Forbes rating, “the most influential transnational company in the world at  
that time was the American bank JP Morgan Chase. The top five also included General  
Electric, Bank of America, the American oil and gas corporation Exxon Mobil and the  
Chinese bank ICBC ”(Corporations that rule the world, 2011). As a result, a new criterion for  
assessing state sovereignty arose - efficiency (by the way, the same criterion is the main one  
in assessing the activities of TNCs). But, already in 2020, according to the rating, the TNCs  
of China took the leading positions, ahead of the US corporations (Ranking of the world's  
largest technology companies, 2018).  
The place occupied by TNCs in the rating and the influence of TNCs on the world  
market are interconnected, which also plays a significant role in the status of a state in  
international relations. As a result of the activities of TNCs, the import of institutions is  
carried out - those "rules of the game" (labor and antitrust laws, principles of taxation,  
contracting practices, etc.) that have formed in developed countries. TNCs objectively  
increase the influence of the countries exporting capital on the countries importing them.  
For example, German firms in the 1990s subjugated almost all Czech business, as a result of  
which, according to some experts, Germany established much more effective control over the  
Czech economy than in 1938-1944, when Czechoslovakia was seized by Nazi Germany. The  
economy of Mexico and many other countries of Latin America is controlled by American  
capital in a similar way.  
Corporations have a number of objectively important characteristics as members of  
international relations. These include the presence of territories for the implementation of  
activities, the existence of subdivisions and branches for the sale of products without  
customs duties, as well as the involved human, natural, scientific resources of foreign states  
(
Shurahbil, 2017; Mikryukov, 2021). That is, at the present stage of development, TNCs  
occupy positions of active participants in the international division of labor and cooperation  
and distribute world resources.  
Assessment of the influence of TNCs on the economic development of national  
economies and the security of host countries is currently rather ambiguous. On the one hand,  
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TNCs are viewed as the main structural element of the economy of most countries, the  
leading force of their economies, economic processes are associated with their motives to  
defend their interests. On the other hand, their activities can provoke negative consequences  
for the political regime of states. In the scientific literature, there is also a purely negative  
attitude towards TNCs and the role they play in world and national politics. So, for example,  
back in the 90s, RI Zimenkov noted that TNCs negatively affect the economy of the third  
world countries and their activities lead to the destruction of political mechanisms operating  
in society, as well as to the loss of the state's main functions in the field economic regulation  
(
Zimenkov, 1990).  
At present, one can notice that he is not only paying attention to the states of the  
third world". sanctions policy pursued by the United States and European countries, but it  
"
is in solidarity with the activities of TNCs. Transnational corporations, as noted by A.I.  
Podberezkin, “will strive to exert more influence on the conduct of the government course of  
their states and use state resources to achieve their goals in the international arena; at the  
same time, an increase in the total number of TNCs and their resources of influence in key  
countries of the world will most likely lead to a mutual balancing of their conflicting  
aspirations ”; that is why "the degree of influence of TNCs on the politics of leading states  
will depend on their ability to create coalitions of interests with the participation of other  
TNCs." (Podberezkina and Aleksandrova, 2016). This is a balanced, conservative point of  
view on the role of TNCs in world politics and the nature of their influence on the sovereign  
policy of national states. This point of view can hardly be disputed - for criticism it seems to  
be very cautious. At the same time, outside the framework of this position, there are  
qualitative changes taking place in the entire world politics as a whole: under the influence  
of the massive "invasion" of TNCs into world politics, the role of TNCs as a subject of the  
world political process is changing.  
A very clear example of significant problems in world politics and in the free trade  
market is associated with the sanctions policy of the United States and the Chinese company  
Huawei. As a global company, Huawei is opposed to protectionism and prioritizes business  
compliance above its own commercial and national interests. The growing ambitions of  
China, supported by the growing importance of digitalization, (Kayin Fu, 2020) which lays  
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the foundations of the intellectual world, is of concern primarily to the United States, which  
sees in China not only a potential competitor, but also a threat to its national security.  
Politicians in the United States, regardless of their views on domestic issues, agree  
that China should not be given priority. Regardless of who is in the White House, China's  
containment strategy will not change significantly. Therefore, the introduction of the  
sanctions regime is de facto the use of brute, unlimited force, which should break the Chinese  
corporation. This means that this is not a matter of Huawei's agreements with anyone, but a  
big problem in world politics. A state of emergency was introduced by presidential decree of  
May 16, 2019, which allows companies to be included in the list of national threats. On the  
same day, the US Department of Commerce listed both Huawei and all of its subsidiaries.  
The blackmail pretext used to attack Huawei is serious, but any accusation requires at least  
minimal evidence, no evidence has been presented. As a result, even the closest allies of the  
United States, for example, the United Kingdom and Germany, did not abandon Huawei in  
their plans to deploy 5G networks, but only tightened conditions and focused on security.  
On August 2, 2017, the President of the United States signed the Countering America's  
Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (H.R. 3364), approved by the US Senate and House of  
Representatives. The lawis a political document aimed at strengthening the sanctions regime  
against Iran, Russia and North Korea and limiting the powers of the US President to lift  
sanctions that have already entered into force without the approval of the US Congress.  
As far as the Russian Federation is concerned, the document contains an assessment  
of Russia's foreign policy and a list of political, military and economic countermeasures aimed  
at destabilizing the Russian economy and putting pressure on the functioning of the Russian  
fuel and energy complex. The introduction of the sanctions restrictions regime has set new  
challenges for the current and long-term development for the key Russian oil and gas  
companies.  
Сonclusion  
Summing up, we can conclude that the global competitive confrontation is escalating  
in the field of international relations, threatening peace, stability and international security,  
which in a certain way leaves an imprint on the role and political significance of TNCs. TNCs  
need to expand their political influence and their own political space, it is pointless to  
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restrain them in this movement. Meanwhile, the field of world politics is occupied by  
traditional actors - nation-states, which are wary of the invasion of their sphere by non-state  
actors, in particular, such as TNCs. However, this does not stop TNCs: in their rivalry with  
nation-states for spheres of influence, they give rise to such a phenomenon as "privatization  
of world politics", which, by its very existence, completely changes the established ideas  
about the role of traditional and non-traditional actors in the global political process. The  
study of the role and place of TNCs in world politics requires the development of new  
scientific approaches that reflect the high dynamics of the implementation of these actors  
outside of sovereignty into the system of relations between states and interstate entities.  
Acknowledgment  
PhD Antcev Georgii Vladimirovich Radar-MMS.  
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