Topics related to the growth of NGOs, MNCs, free trade, and the spread of democracy within contemporary international politics are explainable by Liberalism’s core ideologies. Since Liberalism views anarchy as an effect of the players within the system and not a structure of the system, Liberalists believe that it can be eliminate through cooperation between players. Furthermore, Liberalists provide three ways to accomplish systematic harmony to include free trade within the economic system, player cooperation, to achieve various goals to include social topics by not limiting those who can affect and influence the system, and the development of organizations to supervise the actions of the international system and the interactions between states (Baylis et all 2011, 102-106, 252-253).
Understanding the difference in how the system is viewed between Liberalism and Structural Realism allows each theory to discuss different subjects within international topics, however from the end of the Cold War to the attacks on 9/11, Liberalists felt that their theory was dominant over Structural Realism. The time showed the growth of various players, the spread and advocacy of democracy, which eliminates potential threats to and from other democratic actors all working within a free market economic system (Walt 1998). Liberalism still feels that it is relevant in international politics today although it does face some challenges. It does not take into account the continued conflict between the stronger players as they continue to reach for more economic and technological power to gain influence over one another, or why transitional democratic players enter into internal conflict, limiting their role in the international system. While Str...
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... explain why the action is occurring.
Constructivism makes some strong claims for explaining the international system and the agents it envelops. It is a social theory that relies heavily on reflexivity as the structure for change to occur between the agent-structure system (Drulak 2001, 366-373). While Constructivism may provide insight on the causal reason for why change or action occurred within the system, it does not provide the ability to explain and predict the enduring consistencies within international politics (Baylis et all 2011, 164). As with Structural Realism, Constructivism also struggles with a system with differentiated units, as it describes the influence of change between individuals, agents, and the system continuously influencing one another but the agents within the system remain undifferentiated amongst on another (Drulak 2001, 375-376).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that liberalism's core ideologies explain the growth of ngos, mncs, free trade, and the spread of democracy within contemporary international politics.
- Analyzes the differences between liberalism and structural realism in how the system is viewed.
- Explains that constructivism draws its strength for explanatory power from the characteristics that define the theory, such as concern with the role of ideas in constructing social life.
- Explains that constructivism is a social theory that relies heavily on reflexivity as the structure for change to occur between the agent-structure system.
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- Neo-Realism and Liberalism: Comparing These Two Different Frameworks Used in International Relationscomparative essayThe theories of Neo-realism and Liberalism place strong emphasis on the structural level in order for a country in the international system to gain as much benefits as possible and prosper. Both theories believe interactions between countries will set them better off than an isolated country would, such as North Korea. Although Liberalism places a much higher emphasis on international organizations, institutions, and trade in order to promote peace than that of Neo-realism, Neo-realist also benefit from international organizations. “International organizations are frequent congenial institutions for weak states”(Keohane. 36). Third...
In this essay, the author
- Compares the theories of neo-realism and liberalism, which emphasize anarchy and the balance of power as a dominant factor to maintain hierarchy in international affairs.
- Explains neo-realism and liberalism's emphasis on the structural level in order for a country in the international system to gain as much benefits as possible.
- Compares neo-realist and liberal theories in how to gain what they want, but their ultimate goals are distinct.
- Explains that liberalism and neo-realism both can explain the causes of war, but their core belief on the distribution of power and security promote the idea of a war better than that of liberals.
- Concludes that neo-realism and liberalism provide adequate theories in explaining the causes of war, but the lack of collaboration with other states and balance of power among them presents a reasonable explanation.
1232 wordsRead More - Realism and the Significance of the Human Rights Normanalytical essayRealism is not only the pervasive approach in international relations literature but is accurate in describing and anticipating state actions. Constructivists need a genuine response to realism and, in order to do that, norms need to enter into the process of rational decision-making. This could take several forms including increasing costs of norm violation, introducing hegemonic power into the system, or redefining interests in terms other than material. Discussions in the literature analyze the impact of norms, regimes, ideas, or principles on international relations, but do not often take a critical enough look at what is at stake. Realist politics hinder progressive, humanitarian initiatives because of its marriage to power and material capabilitie...
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the human rights norm does not have a meaningful impact on policy, while admitting that it does exist in some form.
- Argues that realist politics hinders humanitarian initiatives because of its marriage to power and material capabilities as primary motivations.
- Proposes a deeper discussion of the internalization of norms and the necessary interaction between domestic and international politics to recognize the potential for real change.
- Explains the technical term ‘structural’ follows waltz’s conception of the international system in which he lays out the structural components: ordering principles, functional differentiation, and material capabilities.
- Analyzes how waltz's neoclassical structural realist conception is the dominant paradigm in international relations theory. they argue that constructivist contributions are not a full alternative to realism.
- Explains that constructivism suggests that there are factors at work that reconstitute interests and affect the structure of the system, without altering it in any drastic way.
- Argues that realism is steadfast in its analysis strictly on the system level as it maintains that the unit and individual are
- Explains that 'norms' are often used interchangeably with ideas, rules, principles, and institutions, even though the literature makes important distinctions.
- Defines regimes as sets of implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures around which actors’ expectations converge in a given area of international relations.
- Analyzes krasner's hierarchy of terms, stating that norms, principles, and decision-making procedures are subsets of regimes.
- Argues that a constructivist must prove norms and regimes are effective in directing policy and mitigating realism.
- Explains that the nuremberg war crimes trials symbolized moral outrage and a purely emotional response by the world.
- Explains that the 1966 international covenant on civil and political rights, the human rights committee, un commission, regional regimes, corollary conventions and treaties embody the human rights norm.
- Opines that there is no relevance to the work of watchdog groups in securing the release of political prisoners through their letter-writing campaigns.
- Explains that they will hold the human rights norm up to snyder's standard of being a structural modifier by examining instances of norm violation.
- Explains that the question of human rights norm violation is elusive because there is international consensus behind efforts to universalize and apply these rights in all countries, yet states act as if there are no such doctrines at all.
- Explains that china's most favored nation relationship with the us is the most glaring example of this contradiction.
- Explains that economic sanctions are thrown around when states are dissatisfied with the behavior of other states. sanctions on iraq and cuba are examples of their ineffectiveness.
- Analyzes how cuba's sanctions are remnants of obsolete cold war policy. they are manipulated by castro to vilify the west.
- Analyzes how the international movement to end apartheid in south africa is the poster-child for the constructivist response to realism.
- Analyzes klotz's view that the shift in us policy was still interest-based, except interests had been changed due to various pressures and costs introduced into the equation.
- Analyzes the implications of the us sanctions against south africa, but the conversation remains within the dominant view. the domestic civil rights movement and the transnational movement for racial equality did not convince the administration and congress that black south africans needed liberation.
- Opines that the interplay of domestic and international politics has been addressed in south africa, but needs further examination in many respects.
- Analyzes how neoclassical structural realism understands and explains international interaction as the relationships of states, without attention paid to the other two units of analysis.
- Argues that the institution of sovereignty is used as an excuse to justify many things, including human rights violations.
- Argues that the human rights norm's weakness allows for rampant violations in massive quantities to persist.
- Suggests a re-creation of the norm of racial equality superimposed on the human rights regime.
- Opines that the international human rights movement is revolutionary as it seeks to change the foundations upon which states define their interests.
- Opines that academicians writing about human rights culture from atop an ivory tower remain meaningless until it is disseminated to the masses that are directly affected by any violation or threat thereof.
- Analyzes how mark zacher proposes a stage-theory of norm development in discussing the norm of territorial integrity. jack donnelly describes the human rights norm's current state as one of promotion.
- Opines that the literature should be outwardly critical of the status quo until actual, forward movement has been determined.
- Cites amnesty international, usa section (aiusa), campaign against torture report issued july 16, 2003.
- Explains cardenas, sofia, norm collision: explaining the effects of international human rights pressure on state behavior.
- Explains that donnelly, jack. international human rights: a regime analysis, international organization, vol. 40, no. 3 (summer 1986).
- Explains grieco, joseph m., new thinking in international relations theory, and g. john ikenberry.
- Explains that klotz, audie, norms reconstituting interests: global racial equality and us sanctions against south africa.
- Explains krasner, stephen d., "structural causes and regimes consequences: regime as intervening variables." international organization.
- Explains snyder, glenn h., "process variables in neorealist theory." in frankel, benjamin. realism: restatement and renewals.
- States zacher, mark w., "the territorial integrity norm: international boundaries and the use of force."
4577 wordsRead More - A Review of Polities, Authority, Identities, and Changeanalytical essayPolities, Authority, Identities and Change yielded after more than 20 years of productive cooperation of Yale H. Ferguson and Richard W. Mansbach. Several years before publishing Policies, in their previous book The Elusive Quest: Theory and International Politics, Ferguson and Mansbach exposed the need for displaying an alternative approach to perceiving and interpreting relations among different polities, which served as a foundation for this book. (Ferguson & Mansbach, 1988). This fourth collaborative book came into light of the day as the reaction to the perceived increasing disparity between international relations academic knowledge (theory) and international relations practice (reality), which international relations theory aims to explicate. These noted scholars question the framework of the Westphalian model of territorially bounded sovereign nation-states and share the opinion that the lack of forceful opponent led to continuous supremacy of the realism as “grand theory”. This situation promoted the model of the world based on the mainstream European tradition of power politics with main focus on structural determinants and states-as-actors, which had many weak points. In both authors’ opinion, these flaws had erosive effect on academic knowledge of international relations. Hence, both authors share sceptical view on how contemporary essential issues in international relations might be presented in the light of realism view. Their concern was focused on the practitioners and their view of the world moulded by the dominant theory: “It is no exaggeration to suggest that ordinary citizens who follow the daily news may have a better picture of the way the world actually works than the vast majority of blinkered IR theorists"...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how ferguson and mansbach's polities, authority, identities and change emerged after more than 20 years of productive cooperation. they wanted to offer a new and improved theory of politics as an opposition to the dominant theories.
- Explains that the voluminous book of almost 500 pages is divided into three parts; introduction with theory, focal part with chosen practice and the end of the book is covered by a thirty-eight-page conclusion.
- Analyzes how ferguson and mansbach set an ambitious goal to discuss, restructure and augment methods and comprehensiveness of the international relations theories.
- Argues that ferguson and mansbach's approach to understanding politics is not a novelty. they argue that the list of disintegrating states challenges the implicit realist premise that history culminated in the european polity.
- Opines that reading this complex, ambitious, and large book is challenging, but one of the main strengths of this work is high degree of organization of material.
- States that ferguson, y. h., and mansbach, r. w. (1988). the elusive quest: theory and international politics.
1402 wordsRead More - The Welfare State and Government Responses to Economic Opennessanalytical essayRuggie, J. (1982). “International Regimes, Transactions, and Change: Embedded Liberalism in the Postwar Economic Order.” International Organization. 36(2). pp. 385
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the debate over globalization has resulted in a zero-sum game between the pursuit of economic openness and the maintenance of the welfare state.
- Explains that the balance between the welfare state and globalization is a struggle in which one gains at the expense of the other.
- Explains kapstein, e., "winners and losers in the global economy." international organization.
- Cites professor greg ander's lecture on the "compromise of embedded liberalism" at the university of alberta.
- Explains that deacon, b., "the governance and politics of global social policy."
- Argues that the relationship between the welfare state and globalization is a zero-sum game where gains in one will lead to concessions in another.
- Analyzes how the compromise of embedded liberalism is a political attempt to maximize the positive effects of economic globalization while lessening the negative effects by utilizing policy tools to provide their citizens with social safety nets.
- Argues that social welfare policy should expand from the domestic arena to the international stage to create a global social policy.
- Describes yeates, n., manning, and vickerstaff's contributions to globalization and social policy.
- Explains anderson, g., and ruggie, j. on the compromise of embedded liberalism, american trade remedy law and canadian softwood lumber.
1681 wordsRead More - The Obama Doctrine: Article Analysisanalytical essayRealism can be described as a theoretical approach used to analyze all international relations as the relation of states engaged in power (Baylis, Owens, Smith, 100). Although realism cannot accommodate non-state actors within its analysis. There are three types of realism which include classical (human
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the article the obama doctrine answers many questions about president obama's choices and problems he has had to face.
- Describes realism as a theoretical approach used to analyze all international relations as the relation of states engaged in power.
- Explains realism's three core values: statism, survival, and self-help. obama was able to follow this theory when questioned about ukraine being realistic or fatalistic.
- Explains that humanitarian intervention is the right or duty of the international community to intervene in states with certain causes. obama's decision not to bomb syria can be expressing in some key objections.
- Analyzes how obama used the key objective labeled intervention does not work to support his decision to invade iraq without a strong international support, which would only fan the flames of the middle east.
- Explains that humanitarian intervention intertwines with the principle of the responsibility to protect.
1016 wordsRead More - Liberalism And Democracy Essayanalytical essayLiberalism and democracy are closely tied together in international politics. They have a central bond which brings out the notion of democratic peace. Today much of Latin America and the European Union practices democracy. The chances of these nations getting into an armed conflict are very scarce in today’s standards. Liberalism promotes the idea of human security and equality and democracy reinforces that idea into the political framework of governing bodies and their higher authorities. Liberalism leads to democracy which promotes democratic peace preventing conflict between nations. This article will look at how liberalism leads to democratic peace through the process of creating democracy.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how liberalism leads to democracy, which in return creates democratic peace.
- Explains that the primordial nationalist perspective advocates identity as a cover for ideology.
- Explains how liberalism and democracy are closely tied together in international politics. liberalism promotes human security and equality and democratic peace prevents conflict between nations.
- Analyzes how owen defines liberal democracy as a state which promotes liberal ideas among the general public and where citizens have leverage or some sort of control of war decisions.
- Argues that political liberalism is the main factor in eliminating counter balancing. schultz conducted tests on democratic institutions from two different perspectives.
2782 wordsRead More - International Relations Essayanalytical essayThe 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).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the balance of power is one of the most influential theoretical ideas in international relations, but it has not yet been tested systematically in other international systems.
- Explains that there are many theories and concepts about balance of power (bop) and the link between international stability contexts.
- Explains that the study of international relations takes a wide range of theoretical approaches. some emerge from within the discipline, others have been imported, in whole or in part, from economics or sociology.
- Argues that "offensive realism" is eminently falsifiable, but it is also demonstrably false.
1095 wordsRead More - Liberalism Essayanalytical essayThere is a historical and ongoing feminist critique of liberalism on a variety of grounds. It would appear that feminists have been largely justified in their distrust of its ‘false universalisms’, its masculinist exclusions, its apparent disregard for social justice, and for promoting an equality that is merely formal rather than substantive.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that feminists have been largely justified in their distrust of its ‘false universalisms’, masculinist exclusions, its apparent disregard for social justice, and for promoting an equality that is merely formal rather than substantive.
- Analyzes how martha nussbaum insists on differentiating the diverse historical strands within the western tradition of liberalism. the idea of 'negative liberty' suggests that rights are primarily protections against state interference.
- Argues that freedom implies a choice of options, but the ability to choose itself depends on substantive conditions, which in turn require cultivation.
- Explains that there is another strand within liberalism, associated with john stuart mill and thomas hill green, that insists on an active role for the state in creating the material and institutional prerequisites of positive freedom.
- Analyzes how rawls' theory of justice has been the subject of feminist critique for presuming that ‘individuals’ are male household heads, and for assuming that justice prevails within the family.
- Explains the capability framework, outlined in the writings of amartya sen within the economics discipline and elaborated in philosophical terms by nussbaum, sets out to identify the basic constitutional principles that should be respected and implemented by governments of all nations.
- Explains that feminism is an orientation characterized by focused attention on the ways that women experience the world and have been treated in society.
- Argues that the predominance of heterosexuality as a norm of social relations and personal identification in modern societies is deeply intertwined with the endeavors of the feminist orientation.
- Opines that feminism acknowledges the 'fact' of patriarchy, which manifests male power and privilege. women face unequal life opportunities, levels of power, freedom, and independence in public and private life.
- Explains the themes raised by feminists from within the paradigm of liberal political philosophy, where theorists claim that the injustices faced by women are best captured by the principles justified in liberal theory.
- Explains that liberal feminism shares the commitment to freedom and equality basic to the liberal conception of justice and works to bring to light the various ways in which aspects of contemporary patriarchal societies violate them.
- Explains that liberal feminists work to develop interpretations of traditional liberal principles of justice in order to better accommodate the needs of women.
- Explains that corporate employment positions reflect the lifestyles and interests of men, and that discrimination in the workplace takes on different aspects when one takes seriously the experiences of women in a heterosexist culture.
- Argues that filling out principles of equality for women and men while taking into consideration aspects of gender difference raises vexing and complex kinds of problems for feminist theorists and policy makers.
- Explains that many feminists emphasize that the focal point of women's inequality lies in the structure of marriage and child-rearing arrangements.
- Argues that liberal egalitarianism makes way for a more nuanced approach to the concept of equal opportunity.
- Explains that feminists have claimed that liberal theories of justice can be amended to take into account likely differences in personal responsibilities in society between men and women. others disagree.
1728 wordsRead More - Liberalism Essayanalytical essayLiberalism as it has come to be presently understood in a general sense is an ideal born of the American spirit since its birth. Since its creation, the bureaucratic, social and commercial mechanisms hatched in the Newfoundland have been dedicated to attaining and preserving “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” for its people. As ideals, liberalism and democracy went hand in hand as democracy served as the “moral power of the majority” served to enhance these self-evident truths. That said, the rapid rise of the industrial revolution, modern technology advancements and explosive land and population growth with complete disregard for still evolving race relations, coupled with the expansion of material wealth has shaped the transformation of its denizens into a mass of politically splintered, apathetic persons with political power and direction reserved for the wealthy elite.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that liberalism is an ideal born of the american spirit since its birth. the industrial revolution, technological advancements, and explosive land and population growth have shaped the denizens into politically splintered, apathetic persons with political power reserved for the wealthy elite
- Explains that the mechanisms behind such developments began in absence of rigid social structures and hierarchy that existed in the old world. liberalism brought with it the freedom to establish a rule of the masses
- Analyzes how the guidelines of liberalism led to the establishment of a new hierarchy, overriding any hopes of true democracy pervading american history.
- Analyzes tocqueville's "democracy in america" and his eloquent rhetoric on the advancements of democratic thought in the united states.
- Analyzes how tocqueville's argument for a liberal society diminishes the power of democracy, while alexander solzhenitsyn makes the case in "a world split apart" that the western world had lost its civil courage.
- Analyzes solzhenitsyn's essay on democracy in regards to legalese as he critiques our societies' overwhelming willingness to follow terms of law over any other moral code which may have more merit.
- Analyzes how political thought has lagged as a national value in response to the comforts of capitalism, making americans more concerned with their personal wealth than the well-being and progress of our governing structure.
- Analyzes how liberalism transformed the american political essence into one of backseat democracy, with the masses subscribing to a rule while paying little attention to the boundaries of that growing power.
941 wordsRead More - Neo Liberalism Essayanalytical essay“Problems of (neo)Liberalism” Liberalism, in theory, is a political and economical philosophy or worldview grounded on ideas of liberty and equality. Unfortunately, this definition is a little distorted when countries and developing economies apply it as their worldview and governmental ideal. Since liberalism emphasizes the individual liberty and an open market as its main goals, some problems such as an extreme huge gap between social classes, exploitation of workers, and environmental issues may arise. But how can a country hold liberalism as its main ideal ,and still care about the world and benefit its inhabitants by keeping them at the same economical level? Liberalism, also known as market globalism, is stated by Steger in his book
In this essay, the author
- Explains that liberalism is a political and economic philosophy or worldview grounded on ideas of liberty and equality.
- Opines that a globalized economy needs to be profitable and beneficial for most people.
- Argues that liberalism is good for economic growth and peace, but the real problem is global poverty and inequality, and justice-based ideals need to be adopted.
756 wordsRead More