There is no doubt that in the past states were the building blocks of the international system because they had sovereignty in the political, security and social areas. However, with globalization, states are subject to external influences and it becomes questionable whether states are still the fundamental actors of the international system. Cooperation is becoming a key motivation in the international system nowadays. ()This implies that states may have to sacrifice their own policies to maintain universal living standards or international peace. Although states are still the ultimate source of power, it is important to accept that the idea of ​​sovereignty is changing with globalism. However, more than most weaker states, they are under the influence of these strong – national – states. policies are very important to consider to see the big picture. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the idea of ​​a sovereign state focused on creating the legitimacy of a single national authority (O'Neil and Rogowski 68). The government was expected to have total control over its internal affairs. Therefore, no state was expected to have the “right to intervene in the internal affairs of another” (O'Neil and Rogowski 69). The original idea of ​​statehood and sovereignty developed on the concept of a government exercising general political power over its territory. Security is one of the main missions that every state strives to achieve. Creveld specifically argues that the primary mission of the state is to fight and defend, because those who fail are “destined to disappear.” This is because nothing would matter if it didn't exist. US military spending is based on the assumption that states must cooperate to maintain international peace. ()Works Cited Branstetter, Lee. "Japan." The rise of Asian economies. Heinz College. October 13, 2013.Lecture.Creveld, Martin V. "The Fate of the State." Parameters (1996): 4-18. 27 August 199. Web. 21 January 2014."Obama calls for reduction of nuclear weapons." CNN.com/europe. CNN, April 5, 2009. Web.O'Neil, Patrick H. (2012). Essentials of Comparative Politics (4th ed.). New York: W. W. Norton and Co. O'Neil, P. H. and Rogowski, Ronald. Essential Readings in Comparative Politics, WW Norton& CompanyShah, Anup. “World military spending”. Global problems. 30 June 2013. Web. 27 February 2014.."UNODA - Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT)." United Nations News Center. United Nations and Web. 18 February. 2014.