Maximizing Naitonal Security Through Foreign Policy

The realist normative tradition illustrates international relations as a condition of international anarchy (sociological terms); the rationalist normative tradition illustrates international relations as a condition of international society (teleological terms); and the revolutionist normative tradition illustrates international relations as a condition of harmony or single utopia in the world (ethical and prescriptive terms). Realism prioritizes national interest and security over ideology, moral concerns and social reconstructions. Realists arrived at basic condition of anarchy because there are no general measures which all countries can utilize to guide their conduct (Donnelly,2000). But, a state must constantly be alert of the activities of the states around it and use a realistic approach to resolve the problems. The development of modern warfare and depletion of resources also consolidate the fundamentals of realism.

In other words, conflict and war a... ... middle of paper ... ...uction to International Relations: Theories and Approaches. New York: Oxford Machiavelli, Niccolo (1957) The Prince and the Discourses. Translated by Luigi Ricci. Revised by E.R.P Vincent New York: Modern Library.Mienecke, Friedrich.Machiavellism: The Doctrine of Raison d’état and its place in Modern History. Translated by D.Scott.

In particular, opening up the ‘black box’ of the state whilst maintaining the importance of systemic pressures gives Neo-Classical Realism a much wider context of motivations and variables from which to explain state behaviour, and consequently overcome the limitation of classical realism which makes no claim to explain specific events or foreign policy . However, the theory’s core assumptions are in themselves problematic when looked at from outside of the Realist paradigm, constructivism in particular presents a nu... ... middle of paper ... ...ed by David W. Lesch (Westiview Press 2007) Wohlforth, William, ‘The elusive balance, power and perceptions during the Cold war’ (CUP 1993) Journals: Sterling-Folker, Jennifer, ‘Realist Environment, Liberl process, and Domestic-Level Variables’ (International Studies Quaterly vol.41 1997) Parasiliti, Andrew, ‘The causes and timing of Iraq’s Wars: A power cycle Assessment’ (International Political Science Review vol.24, no.1, Jan 2003) Rose, Gideon ‘Neo-Classical Realism and theories of Foreign Policy’ (World Politics, vol.51 no.1 Oct 1998) Wendt, Alexander, ‘Anarchy is what states make of it’ (International Organizations, vol.46, no.2, 1992) Websites: ‘Another Crisis for the Shah’ Time, Nov 13, 1878. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,946149,00.html US National Security Archives: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB28/summary.pdf

The Two-Level Game According to Hagan (1995), the politics of international relations can be understood as a two-level game. At the national level, local groups pursue their interest by compelling the government to adopt favorable policies, whereas officials seek power by establishing alliances among these groups. At the international level, the national government endeavors to satisfy domestic requirements at the same time it attempts to lessen the adve... ... middle of paper ... ...onal security and economic prosperity, they are also keen at protecting their political power. The meaning of national interest can vary from one state to another. Nevertheless, national interest is inevitably at the core of domestic and international policies.

Finally, the success of the US and the defeat of the USSR allowed testing international relations theories and reconfiguring the world order in terms of power. This essay will analyze why Western states favor the realist approach to address security concerns. The document will present the United States of America (US) as the icon of the modern Western world. In the same way, the content will be examined under the scope of its politics and military power. To begin with, it is necessary to highlight that one ruling principle of realism supports the argument that, ‘states exist in an international system that is characterized by competition and war’ .

But for many states, whether their foreign policy objectives assume the form of possession goals or milieu goals, the pursuit and execution of these goals are often constrained by the powers of domestic politics. And in the case of American foreign policy, the Constitution of the United States as well as recent history provides compelling support to this claim. American foreig... ... middle of paper ... ...reted without reference to domestic politics or leadership. Realists argue that the interests of states transcend domestic politics and leadership change because that the broad orientation of foreign and defense policies are unchanging. Although the realist model may be most appropriate for analyzing actions when vital interests are at stake such as in times of crises, it seems to have little explanatory power for national security policy making in times without crisis.

88-95. Williams, M. C. 2004. Why ideas matter in international relations: Hans Morgenthau, classical realism, and the moral construction of power politics. International Organization, pp. 633-665.

And states seek security through balancing the distribution of power. Second, polarity, which is determined by distribution of, has a significant impact on the choice of balancing behavior of states. And consistent with the history, this theory suggests that states are more likely to go to war under multipolarity while a bipolar system is relatively stable because of security dilemma between two great powers. After this, I will discuss two liberal critiques of the theory and further explain why realist theory best explain the onsets of these events. First, both liberals and realists agree that international system is anarchic and survival of the state is the primary interests (Marten 9/19/2011).

The book, The Lesser Evil, is a chilling realization focused at the policy makers that respond to terrorism. The ultimate question Michael Ignatieff attempts to ask is whether democracies are strong enough to handle the dangers that threaten these institutions and whether or not they are absolutely committed to defend them. Ignatieff begins his book by telling the readers that democracy’s answer to defeating terrorism not only requires violence, but may also require coercion, deception, secrecy, and violation of rights. He then asks how can democracies resort to these conclusions without destroying those values, which that nation stands for. The first section of this book attempts to draw a line between a wholesome libertarian position maintaining that the abuses of human rights can never be justified and a solely pragmatic perspective that judges antiterrorist measures by their efficiency.

The American School believes that economic policy should protect... ... middle of paper ... ...- Los Angeles Times. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jun/06/business/fi-protect6 International trade and finance: New frontiers for research: Essays in honor of Peter B. Kenen Cohen, Benjamin J, ed. Cambridge; New York and Melbourne: Cambridge University Press, 1997. The modern world economy: Theories and policies Overbeek, Johannes.