Non-governmental Organizations, Terrorism, the Role of the US in the International System - Assignment Example

International Government Question # 1: Since the end of the Cold War, the US has become one of the most powerful states. What role should the US take in the international system? One of leader? Police? Friend? Discuss. After the Cold War ended, with the disintegration of the USSR, the United States of America came to be accepted as the largest power on the earth. As a result of this, it has assumed a greater role in the lives of the common man of every country on the earth. It has a great influence on the policies of other countries as well, both diplomatic and foreign. There has been a great debate upon the role that America has assumed vis-à-vis other countries and what its role should be. America, with its large financial and natural resources, would be able to reach out to countries that are impoverished. It would be able to alleviate poverty in countries which are plagued by poverty and starvation. This could also lead to spreading awareness in these countries regarding different problems that would be a part of these countries, such as HIV, literacy rates, mortality and natality rates and so on and so forth. In the case of violations of human rights in countries where the people are unable to defend themselves, America could intervene after procuring the approval of the international community. America should thus act as a friend to the international community. Question # 2: Now that you've become familiar with some theoretical lenses through which to view the world, which one do you think best describes reality? Explain your answer. Policymakers also use lenses, even if they don't consciously acknowledge using them. Which perspective do you think the Obama team use? The economic reality of a nation can best be described using the model of the welfare state that combines in it elements of both the laissez faire state and the communist state. This is seen in most centre-leaning states that seek to actively intervene in the economic health of its people while at the same time, allowing adequate freedom to its entrepreneurs to ensure that their businesses flourish. This does not impose the restrictions that an authoritarian state does on its people and neither does it leave out the welfare of everybody out of its agenda as a strictly capitalist state would. The policies that Barack Obama has followed confirm these tenets. Following the global economic meltdown, his policy that involved the bailing out of several enterprises that were cash-strapped has helped to revive the American economy that is now on the path to recovery (Kuhnhenn, 2012). While following the former policies of social security that has ensured the welfare of the weaker and the marginalized sections of the society, Obama and his team have also ensured that the economic firms of the country are able to weather crises effectively and they thus can be called proponents of a right leaning centrist government. Reference List Kuhnhenn,J., 2012. “Bright spots, dark clouds _ Obama seeks right tone”. Associated Press [Online]Available at http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i6FbhcrIGShObafnczZAoIO7VgmQ?docI d=5f736bda483e453da131c30b09c77072 [Accessed January 1st, 2012] Question # 3: How would you define terrorism? How have terrorists in the past justified their actions? Is terrorism ever justified? Why or why not? What are the most effective ways to combat terrorism? Terrorism may be defined as a form of warfare that involves the spread of terror in the minds of the civilian population of the enemy as a weapon. This is a popular form of warfare in many parts of the world and is mostly employed by weaker countries and groups against stronger ones. Terrorists have often justified their actions using a variety of reasons. These involve liberty for a certain group, religion, an oppressive regime and so on and so forth. The variety of reasons that are laid out can be seen as a proof of the spread of the phenomenon. These reasons may not always be real; however, they succeed in attracting people, especially youth, to the cause. The reasons are in most cases, a façade to delude youth into joining these movements. Terrorism can be combated in a number of ways. Since terrorists mostly adopt guerrilla methods of warfare, it is difficult to use massive force to tackle it. This may also prove to be counterproductive. A combination of force and efforts to improve the quality of living in areas from where youth are recruited to become terrorists would produce the best results and also build confidence among the suffering civilian population. Question # 4: What are NGO’s? Are they important to the international global community? What is soft power and how do they rely on soft power to their benefit? NGOs (Non-governmental Organizations) are organizations that mostly work with funding from donations from people who are interested in the causes that these organizations support. These organizations are mostly involved in activities that seek to make the society a better place to live in. They mostly have an ideology or a cause which they fight for actively. Climate change, animal welfare and awareness regarding certain diseases are among many, the causes that are actively advocated by NGOs around the world. The visibility that these causes receive in the public depends to a great extent, on the work that is done by these organizations and thus is important to the international global community since the issues that these organizations work for are those that need to be highlighted for the benefit of the international community. Soft power is the employment of coercion for the purpose of reaping benefits that may not be easy or possible to achieve through force. These are employed by many elements in the political structure of a state (Nye, 2004). NGOs have to rely on soft power to achieve their ends, since in most cases, there is no compulsion on an opposing party to perform a certain action and force would not work in these situations. Reference List Nye, J.S.J., 2004. “The Decline of America’s Soft Power ”. Foreign Affairs [Online]. Available at http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/59888/joseph-s-nye-jr/the-decline-of-americas-soft- power [Accessed January 1st, 2012] Question # 5: Is global warming, health issues, and transnational crime an international governance problem? Does it violate state sovereignty? How should the US approach such issues? Global warming, health issues and transnational crime are issues of global importance because of their spread and importance to the human species as a whole. All these issues pose dangers to the future of mankind as a whole and do not affect a single community or nation alone. Moreover, it is only the cooperation of the international community that would lead to a solution for these problems. A crime like transnational crime violates the sovereignty of a nation, since violence from a member of a country should be the responsibility of that country and the violation of the victimized country’s sovereignty should be recognized. An infection like bird flu, which is a global issue because of the loss of lives and money that it causes does not, however, violate the sovereignty of any nation (Nettleman, 2011). Similarly, global warming too does not affect the sovereignty of a nation. How the international community deals with these problems, however, may throw up questions of sovereignty. On occasions, an unfair share of the responsibility of countering these problems may be placed on a certain country, which may conflict with its right to take decisions for its development. America can become an effective mediator in ensuring that these problems are solved and world peace and the continuance of the human race are ensured. Reference list Nettleman, M.D., 2011. “Bird Flu (Avian Influenza, Avian Flu)”. MedicineNet.com [Online] Available at http://www.medicinenet.com/bird_flu/article.htm Read More