International relations: at a Glance - Essay Example

? International Relations: at a Glance A Political Response Paper International Relations: at a Glance Introduction From the point of view of great powers, alliances can provide them with a strategic advantage with respect to their potential or actual enemies.1 There are varied reasons why countries form alliances, one of the usual reasons why states do so according to realists is based on their national interests.2 On the contrary, liberal internationalists deemed that alliances are the source of conflict between states.3 In the speech presented by Vice President Joseph Biden when he visited China, the International Relations between the United States of America and China were given emphasis. International politics also known as International Relations is the domain of scholarship that examines political behavior outside of or across domestic political borders.4 Its sub-fields typically encompass peace and conflict, international security, foreign policy analysis, international political economy, global organization and international law among others.5 The usual theme among all these areas is that they involve international exchange and do not operate solely at the domestic level.6 This paper endeavors to explore international relations in lieu of the speech of Vice President Joseph Biden. However, before discussing the speech of Vice President Joseph Biden, it is fitting to first define a variety of terms related to international relations. A theory of international politics performs two crucial yet distinct functions.7 Initially, a theory provides the concepts essential to understand the phenomena in question, that is, a theory provides individuals with the tools they need to examine, explain and critically evaluate global events.8 Second, a theory provides an explanation for global political outcomes.9 On the contrary, some theories are said to perform a third function and that is, prescription or policy advocacy.10 A prescriptive theory goes beyond explanation and offers solutions to world problems.11 Finally, a significant feature of theory is parsimony which refers to theoretical brevity and elegance.12 In other words, a parsimonious theory tackles a large dependent variable such as war and peace with few independent variables.13 Speech Synopsis Vice President Joseph Biden commenced his speech by recognizing the hospitality that the people of China had shown him during his visits to the country. He also recognized the presence of another authoritative figure named Gary Locke who will serve as the ambassador of China for United States of America. Moreover, his speech also presented his visits to China since the time that he became a senator in the United States of America. Vice President Joseph Biden stressed that he viewed China as a country which is on the cusp for a remarkable transformation. He gave emphasis on how changes where transpiring in China and that he was glad about the changes happening for he believes that it will not only benefit China and the United States of America being its ally but also the world in general. He also recognized that the positive developments happening in China will fuel economic growth and prosperity which in turn will provide the opportunity to create alliances with the United States of America as their partner in meeting global predicaments together. He also gave emphasis on foreign policies. He stressed that such policies were grounded on cooperation and understanding between countries. He added that such policies provide the chance for countries in agreement to better understand each other. Furthermore, it also allows the countries to clearly determine or identify their interests with specific goals in consideration. Vice President Joseph Biden believed that transparency between two countries will prevent mistrust from occurring, for getting a clear picture of what each country endeavors to acquire or fulfill aids in preventing miscommunication and misconceptions. With the goal of establishing a cooperative partnership between the United States of America and China, frequent dialogues were conducted as reiterated by Vice President Joseph Biden. This was done so that they will have the chance to discuss issues that matter to both the aforementioned countries. The security issues were also given focus in the mentioned speech. The means that both countries utilized and exerted in maintaining peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region were highlighted. The economy was also given regard in the speech and how each country was influencing each other in terms of economic aspect. The different programs imbibed by both countries were also mentioned. After mentioning the wide array of programs and policies shared by both countries. The speech also allotted statements praising the qualities of China which were accountable for its development such as industriousness, talent and leadership of the Chinese people. However, he added that this will not be possible if no international architecture was employed which promoted the stability and prosperity of the country as well as the upward mobility of other countries. The speech also explored the differences of the two countries in terms of policies and laws in economics. He mentioned that China followed a different path to economic and political prosperity by enhancing several aspects of the free-market system while resisting political openness and maintaining the state's deep involvement in economic affairs. However, he stressed that it is a decision that China has freedom to make. He also gave some points regarding how the United States of America is still the number one destination for migrants all over the world since he believes that the country is still the wealthiest nation in the world. This fact was stated because he believes the United States of America has a stable program with regards to prosperity and development. Human rights and freedom were also given focus in the speech. It implied that the United States of America valued such in a larger context that sometimes they are viewed as a country with no moral advocacy. Conversely, he uttered the qualities why the United States of America is the most prosperous country in the world such as openness, free exchange of ideas, free enterprise and liberty. Lastly, after enumerating the programs of the United States of America, the speech was ended with the remark that he looks forward in strengthening the bond between China and the United States of America. Speech Reaction and Response With the speech presented by Vice President Joseph Biden, the tradition of liberalism is evident. Liberalism is an example of conscious ideologies for the reason that they are easily identifiable; other examples include conservatism, socialism, feminism, ecologism and even vegetarianism.14 The body of theory typically known as liberalism at present went by the term idealism for most of the twentieth century.15 Idealist theory is rooted in the more general liberal tradition, which holds that humans are moral beings, that they have free agency and that public institutions moderate their behavior.16 The crucial tenets of liberalism in international politics which was implied in the speech of Vice President Joseph Biden include: humans have a capacity for good, which was evident when he enumerated the good qualities of Chinese people which were accountable for their prosperity and development; selfish and violent behaviors come not from human nature but from institutions that promote such behavior, this was evident upon discussing security policies in maintaining peace and stability and why the United States of America opposed the creation of nuclear weapons by other countries such as Korea and Iraq; the primary public institution leading to war is the state, because it promotes nationalism and selfishness over global welfare, that is why they are against those countries opting for war; and multilateral action and institutions are needed to combat war, that is why they are encouraging an alliance with China in maintaining peace and stability throughout the Asia Pacific region.17 In the speech, the point that the pursuit of global peace and the appeal to humanity's nature could generate a less violent world which is the idea embraced by liberal tradition.18 The views regarding morality were also cited in the speech which is a usual issue in the liberal tradition.19 The speech also presented that the aims mentioned were for someone and for something which gives a clear perspective on what the two countries desire for their own interests.20 However, the speech implied the array of assumptions grounded on Liberalism such as: a positive view of human nature, a conviction that international relations can be cooperative rather than conflicting and a belief in progress.21 Such assumptions were apparent in different parts of the speech specifically when the Vice President mentioned about the efforts in maintaining the alliance between China and the United States of America. Overall, upon looking further into the speech it is remarkably evident that the strategy utilized by Vice President Joseph Biden is of the tenets of the liberal tradition focusing on humanity, morals, cooperation between states, avoidance of conflicts as much as possible, liberty, forming alliances and goals toward progress.22 Works Cited Anderson, Sheldon, Jeanne A.K. Hey, Mark Allen Peterson and Stanley W. Toops. International Studies: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Global Issues. United States of America: Westview Press, 2008. Beitz, Charles R. Political Theory and International Relations. United States of America: Princeton University Press, 1999. Daddow, Oliver. International Relations Theory. London: SAGE Publications Ltd., 2009. Griffiths, Martin, Terry O' Callaghan and Steven C. Roach. International Relations: The Key Concepts. United States of America: Routledge, 2008. Jackson, Robert H. and Georg Sorensen. Introduction to International Relations: Theories and Approaches. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Neufeld, Mark A. The Restructuring of International Relations Theory. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Weber, Cynthia. International Relations Theory: a Critical Introduction. United States of America: Routledge, 2010. Read More