Connection is Key: International Relations Intertwined
Ancient Greece is responsible for many contemporary ideologies for philosophy and politics.
Combining the two creates a whole intertwined web of thought and circumstance. Philosophy is the
study of basic concepts such as existence and freedom, however, philosophy does extend on to other
concepts. Politics is the ideology and practice of governing a group. Both the concepts of philosophy
and politics are evident and connected between three separate works of literature, which are “The
Melian Dialogue” by Thucydides, “Six Principles of Political Realism” by Morgenthau, and “The
Anarchic Structure of World Politics” by Waltz.
“The Melian Dialogue” covers a dispute of nations' futures goes on between two Ancient Greek
states known as Athens and Melos. The “Six Principles of Political Realism” explains how
international politics (politics in general) are objective to be interpreted by one's own understanding of
the six statements, while “The Anarchic Structure of World Politics” discuss the nature of anarchy, and
how it would be applied on a global scale. All three of these 'articles' are related and intertwined with
each other, giving validation and connection of material.
In Thucydides report of the issues between Athens and Melos, the Athenians are wanting the
Melians to become a part of their empire, while the Melians which to remain independent. Athens had
been in many wars and conquest previous to this encounter allowing their wealth, territory, and
influence to increase the capabilities of their state. This quick rise in power is an example of a
systematic unipolar system derived from the Relative Choice Theory. The Melians wished to be
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...he powers of a country's own government extends only to
the borders of that country, which is the idea of sovereignty. Unfortunately, this “law” isn't always
followed, and a nation extends pass their own borders usually for their country's personal gain; their
relative gain of capabilities.
Breaking the “law” mentioned above would be considered immoral by other states, which
reflects the fourth principle of politic realism which is described and played out in the argument
between the states of Athens and Melos, therefore, connecting all three articles. In philosophy, it is said
that most things do not happen on accident, and that things can have even the slightest connection if
you really think and look for it. There is a reason for those three articles to be placed consecutively in
the book, and the answer has been stated above; connection is key.
Borders: A Very Short Introduction, by Alexander C. Diener and Joshua Hagen, is a brief the history of geographic borders and their implications on the world throughout history. Diener and Hagen make the argument that borders, as commonly understood today, are a relatively new phenomenon and as humanity moves forward borders modern boarders will no longer be possible. The writers maintain as globalization continues to make the world a smaller place or as they say, “make the world flat”, the notion of the formal state border is slowly coming to an end. Acknowledging that borders as they are understood today will not vanish overnight and will be here for the foreseeable future but in time they must change is central to their argument (Diener & Hagen, 2012). In making their case they give the reader a brief history of geographic boarders and how the modern nation state came about.
In this paper, I will first extract Thucydides views from the Melian Dialogue and then analyze whether or not these views are well founded. Thucydides believed that the Athenians had the stronger argument. Proof of this lies in the way Thucydides picked the arguments for each side. For the moment, we will disregard the actual content of the arguments, and look at argumentation forms and the flow of the debate. The Melians argued using consequences of an Athenian take over.
Athens government and military is considerably different from their neighbors. According to Pericles, Athens government is not a copy of our neighbors...
In ancient Greece, Aeschylus sought to define for the people of Athens the part of
...ssert that it is just to expand their empire because they are stronger, and it has always been established that the weaker are to be ruled by the stronger. Those with power to use force, "have no need to go to law," and the weaker must give in to the stronger. The Athenians felt that their intentions were just, and according to Thrasymachus, they were.
Zacher, Mark W. “The Territorial Integrity Norm: International Boundaries and the Use of Force.” International Organization. Vol. 55, No. 2 (Spring 2001), 215-250.
their power to reinforce their dominant position and impede the ability of powerless groups to
... weaker state will remain neutral from a military strength. Melians’ loss reaffirms the absolute power of imperial conquests and nationalism in theories of realism. Since the Melians were allied with the Spartans and failed to cooperate, it is justifiable that the Athenians had the right to want to rule and invade the Melians as means to protect their own strengths.
To begin with, anarchy refers to the world as a whole having no government. Individual states have varying degrees of supreme power or authority in their own land, but no single state may create laws for the whole world. However, while the theories discussed in this essay accept that the world is in a state of anarchy, what separates these two theories is how the government should deal with this problem. This essay tries to give an overview on the main assumptions of liberalism and realism and provide explanations of how they relate to one another as well as coexist, yet are opposite in theory. (IN TEXT)
In Thucydides’ recount of “The Melian Debate”, the context is the sixteenth year of the Peloponnesian War (415 BC) on the isle of Melos. This time period falls during the Second Peloponnesian War (between the Spartans and Athenians), a time historians recount as more aggressive and violent than the First War. In addition, during this time span, both Sparta and Athens were major Greek powers with mighty armies and navies. Therefore, this document is important because, although Athenian written, it gives modern times an insight to the thoughts and actions of these two groups during the war. Leading off
The belief of a nation running their own state is a right for most of us. However, this is only a new conviction. The right for one to sovereign their own nation has come due with hard work. Illicit imperialism has stricken humanity for numerous years. Due to the aspiration of power certain nations today do not self-govern their own state. But why would there be a desire for this power? Some of the main items include natural resources, increased assets, and military expansion. Ideally this is great if this is voluntary external rule, but when it’s no longer voluntary this is when the boundary has been crossed. This is why every nation should have control over their own state if they desire.
The Melian Dialogue bears a host of political interpretations as the Melians and Athenians negotiate the reality of power and rights of countries on the scale of empires. Though Cleomedes eventually relied on the heavy handed realist course of action in the Peloponnesian War, ideally, he could have cultivated a healthy respect for differing universal truths of political theories and the fluidity of interpretation in every text available to us today.
5. POWELL, Anton, Athens & Sparta: Constructing Greek Political & Social History From 478 B.C, Routledge, London, 1993
The study of international relations takes a wide range of theoretical approaches. Some emerge from within the discipline itself others have been imported, in whole or in part, from disciplines such as economics or sociology. Indeed, few social scientific theories have not been applied to the study of relations amongst nations. Many theories of international relations are internally and externally contested, and few scholars believe only in one or another. In spite of this diversity, several major schools of thought are discernable, differentiated principally by the variables they emphasize on military power, material interests, or ideological beliefs. International Relations thinking have evolved in stages that are marked by specific debates between groups of scholars. The first major debate is between utopian liberalism and realism, the second debate is on method, between traditional approaches and behavioralism. The third debate is between neorealism/neoliberalism and neo-Marxism, and an emerging fourth debate is between established traditions and post-positivist alternatives (Jackson, 2007).
The word “philosophy” is derived from two roots that are “philo” and “Sophia.” Philo means love whereas Sophia means wisdom. Therefore, philosophy means the love of wisdom. In actual practice, philosophy entails study of, pursuit, and enquiry into wisdom. A good number of great philosophers have referred to philosophy as the art of thinking. Others have only defined it as the systematic study of human feelings and thoughts.