International realation study guide - Assignment Example

International Relations Study Guide Human activity creates reality, where societal members collectively invent the world’s properties. Social constructivists believe that reality cannot be discovered since it does not exist before its social invention. Social constructivism also assumes that knowledge come about because of human activity. The society and culture develop knowledge. As individuals interact among themselves and with the surroundings, they create meaning. Furthermore, the theory holds that learning is a social process. It neither occur only within a particular person nor is it passive creation of behaviors that are controlled by external factors. Learning takes place when individuals take part in social activities. 2 Sterling Folker argues that liberal and constructivist theories do not have substantial differences between them. He says that constructivism does not provide an alternative to the liberal theory since it applies the same functional causal understanding. It also tends to replicate liberal claims, predictions, and conclusions. Barkin argues that social construction approach and realism are not necessarily incompatible with each other. He says that constructivism could complement classical realism and balance the focus of realism on power with an emphasis on ideas and norms as morality. 3 Natural moral laws are more general than specific norms guiding a community. They justified leaders to intervene and bring moral wrongdoers into books in order to defend the innocent. The idea of Common Morality, stemming from the natural law, offers a comprehensive basis for human intervention. It asserts that human beings have rights as members of the human community above a particular community. Ferdinand Teson acknowledges the fact that international law does not promote the use of force. However, he agrees that humanitarian intervention is necessary for serious violations of international laws. A state should protect its people against violations. However, in the event of state failure or unwillingness to halt or avert internal war, insurgency and repression, the principle of non-intervention surrenders to the international responsibility to offer protection. 4 The United States asserts that a state has the responsibility of protecting its citizens from mass violations of human rights. If the state is not able to offer protection to its population, it should seek assistance from the international community. The international community should provide peaceful measures. In case the friendly talks fails, it should provide the state with technical help. The international community can engage in war and military actions against the perpetrators of violence in case everything else fails. 5 Walzer argues that the occasions need to be extreme for them to justify the application of force to an international territory. He says that the need for a quick response to evil doings contributed to the unilateralism of humanitarian intervention. However, he implicitly assumes a nation may not have enough ability to deal with a situation that does arise from human evildoing. The agents or anyone should only act when no one else is doing so. Walzer agrees that agents should apply force to be successful in defeating the perpetrators of human genocides. Walzer further claims that when it comes to the ending of the intervention, the aim of the agents should purely be stopping the killings. Richard Falk claims that it is unhelpful to give a green light to interventionist diplomacy that air out humanitarian goals. Neither is it helpful to give a red light that makes absolute the norm of non-intervention that restricts an encroachment of humanitarian on sovereignty. He asserts that first it is beneficial to recognize the adverse effect of permitting intervention to go ahead under the banner of humanitarian. Then the recognition of the corresponding danger of non-intervention in times of humanitarian urgencies is necessary. 6 The current Nuclear Regime at the global level is a significantly developed example of the international law. Existing multinational institutions have witnessed several success stories. However, they have not succeeded in preventing states such as Pakistan, India, and North Korea from going nuclear. It also seems unable to check Iran and possible threats from non-state terrorist groups. The existing framework needs reinforcements and updating to ensure effective handling of the current proliferation threats. Otherwise, a world of peace and security that lacks nuclear weapons will be an unachievable dream. 7 Nuclear weapon states in the Treaty agrees not to transfer nuclear weapons or assist other states in acquiring such weapons. Each non-nuclear-weapon States agrees not to accept nuclear weapons assistance from the transferor. Each non-nuclear-weapon state agrees to collaborate in safeguarding and prevention against diversion of nuclear energy to nuclear weapons for peaceful purposes. No one should interpret anything in the Treaty as hindering research and development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Each party agrees to collaborate in assisting non-nuclear states to benefit from the peaceful use of nuclear energy as per the appropriate international procedures. 8 Central to the Cold War was the nuclear arms race. The trend of the Cold War instilled fear into many people, with the belief that the country that acquired more nuclear weapons became more powerful than the rest. After the USA exploded the Hydrogen bomb in 1952, the Russians followed suit by developing their own in 1953. The USA then went ahead and produced B52 bomber, while Russia corresponded by coming up with bigger bombs. In 1957, the launching of Sputnik sparked fear of missile attacks, prompting the USA to create Defense and Early Warning systems. Both nations engaged their money in creating more missiles in the 1960s though America’s missiles were fewer but more advanced. By 1961, any nuclear war could destroy the world. Despite this, new weapons and systems continued to see the light of the day- mobile missile launchers, submarines that carried several nuclear missiles, and underground silos containing missiles. China exploded an H-bomb in 1967. Consequently, world superpower leaders decided to create a trust for one another and ease bad relations in the 1960s and 1970s. 9 Since 2002 when national discovered that Iran had not declared two nuclear facilities, there had been unsuccessful attempts to negotiate a deal with the country. However, the year 2013 saw the Geneva Accord talks that culminated in a breakthrough interim agreement. The talks consisted of the P5+1 (America, France, Britain, Russia, China, and Germany). The P5+1 desired to bar Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. On the other hand, the Iran wanted to get relief from sanctions. The agreement in late March 2015 is more detailed than expected. For instance, it proposes that Iran will cut down its installed enrichment centrifuges. The talks are expected to reach a formal deal prior to 1st July 2015. 10 According to Bradley Strawser, traditional Just War theory asserts that combatants on both sides of a conflict are legitimate targets. It is not because they are not doing right. It is because they pose a threat to others. As long as they adhere to the jus in Bello rules of discrimination and proportionality, the fighters of both the just and the unjust causes are moral equals. In other words, both may permissibly kill and get killed. 11 In 1919, the League of Nations emerged under the Treaty of Versailles to enhance cooperation among nations and to achieve peace and security. It was the forerunner of the United States, an organization that was established in similar circumstance during the 2nd World War. The League of Nations stopped operating after it failed to prevent the 2nd World War. President Roosevelt of the US coined the name “United Nations”. The name later found its usage on 1 January 1942 in the Declaration by United Nations, during the war, when 26 nations representatives pledged their governments to go ahead with fighting the Axis Powers. The 1945 witnessed representatives from fifty countries meeting in San Francisco at the UN Conference on International Organization to establish the UN Charter. The delegates then signed the Charter on 26 June 1945. Poland signed it later. 24 October 1945 saw the official birth of the United Nations. 12 The United States composes of 193 States around the world. The principal organs of the UN are the General Assembly (GA), Security Council, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Secretariat, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and Trusteeship Council. The GA has several departments and encompasses all the activities of the UN. The Security Council maintains international peace and security. The Secretariat coordinates the various activities of the UN under the Secretary General. The ECOSOC coordinates development, economic and humanitarian affairs. The ICJ in Hague handles and settles disputes among states. Finally, the Trusteeship Council initially had the task of managing international trusteeship system of subordinate colonial regions and assist them in gaining independence. Apart from the main organs, the UN has several subsidiary organs, specialised agencies, special organizations, and other intergovernmental institutions. 13 Summer 1944 saw delegates from 44 countries meeting in Bretton Woods to reshape the globe’s financial systems. They discussed on how to set a fixed exchange rate system and rebuild the broken Europe economy due to war. They established the International Monetary Fund, The World Bank, and the International Trade Organization. Ultimately, the Bretton Woods system enabled the US currency dominate the world economy and allowed the US to operate a trade deficit without the need of devaluation. Since most of contributions to the system came from US, the nation got the most voting rights. The restoration of confidence in the international economy came about and resulted in a post-war extraordinary boom. The US contributed extra fund through the Marshall plan to help European recovery. World trade increased, raising the economy of people around the world. 14 Political economy is important in understanding international relations, especially after the recent developments. Such developments include the financial crisis of 2008, the declining power of the major industrialized states, China and Indias economic growth, and the problems of controlling international migrations of people, funds, and goods. Political economy enables the study of the consequences and challenges of such developments and how to restructure the changes. 15 The classical approach neoclassical political economy Keynesian Marxian Power-centered approaches State-centered approaches Justice-centered theories Works Cited Baylis, John, Steve Smith, and P. Owens. The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations. 6th ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2011. Print. Read More