MANILA -- For all practical purposes, the internal affairs in most countries have ceased to be purely domestic affairs. Whether we like it or not, one of the consequences of globalization has been the erosion of national sovereignty. In economic matters, national boundaries have long ceased to exist.

Politically, the traditional notion of sovereignty has been eroded. Today, domestic political developments in one state have ceased to be the exclusive domain of that state. The international community, and the big political powers that play a leading role in it, take an active interest in what is happening in other parts of the world. Today's world has become politically interdependent, and interventions have become the rule, not the exception.

This dramatic process is driven also by the proliferation of the international media, especially the global television channels and, more recently, the Internet. Within seconds, political developments in one part of the world are known in all other parts of the globe. In some cases, television pictures of gruesome events have forced governments to (re)act -- and intervene.