I would like to further our class discussion on the significance of a national event to world politics, such as we were discussing with the Washington DC riot of 1968. The summer before the USA had experienced the race riots of Detroit. The civil rights, feminist and anti-Vietnam movements were in full swing throughout the sixties. These racial tensions and proactive movements were not isolated in America alone. College students in France staged anti-Vietnam protests, while Simone Beauvoir rallied women across the world with her writing.
I don't believe that all national events/local concerns link themselves directly to world politics; however, many movements (more each day with the help of globalization) cut across borders and affect many countries. When one country acts, either to accommodate or hinder a movement this action can easily set a precedent, cause further conflict, or upset whatever system that movement is currently operating within. When the consequences do rebound across that country's borders a "world politics" situation is created.
International movements have their own momentum and authority that while locally subjected to a nation-state's rules, as a whole carries some power in the global political playground. This power varies greatly from movement to movement but I don't believe it can be wholly disregarded as one more player to complicate the world politics network.
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