Idealism, Realism, Marxism and Neo-Realism Theories - Essay Example

Idealism, Realism, Marxism and Neo-Realism Theories s and non s cooperate and compete on various political issues. The international decisions are based partly on politics and are made by individual or collective states. Liberalism theory proposes a concept of liberal pacifism. The concept of liberalism is anchored on individual freedom, private property ownership, equality of opportunity and political participation for all states institution. The principles would give rise to liberal institutions that can thrive on an international platform. The theory also proposes an integration of capitalism and democracy to strengthen the foundation of liberalism when practicing international politics (Doyle). They are the forces of peace that can safeguard a nation against war with other countries and private imperialists. Practicing international politics under the umbrella of capitalism and democracy would guarantee nations cooperation from individuals. Capitalism helps economy to thrive because people working in various industries are open to opportunities that hierarchical societies do not offer. The existence of institutions such as The Hague would conduct a close check on wayward capitalist countries. Equality and political participation has to prevail for international politics to thrive. According to Machiavelli concept of liberal imperialism, states must distribute powers to the senate, tribunes that represent ordinary people and consult so that there are barely few people who can control the rest through tyranny. Roma succeeded in its rule over the states because it protected citizens from external attacks and property seizure by other nations. Citizens were free, and there was a large army ready to fight for them. Marxism According to Marxism, there must be tremendous equality between nations for them to cooperate in international politics. Equality is a factor of human living conditions which must be conducive for them to interact freely. Nations that have dominant power must exercise in collectivity, so that other nations are not locked out or feel oppressed. Imperialism proposes an existence of the balance of power between center and periphery nations which represent dominant and small nations respectively. Nations must be assured that they are free from conquest, and there is no conflict of interests when pursuing goals for peace and economic success. Cooperation in international political is guaranteed where decision-making process is clear and fair to all nations (Galtung 23). The theory of structural imperialism proposes that the center nations should not dislocate decisions away from other periphery nations. Decisions made must be sound in order to maintain stability in economy, military, cultural patterns and communication procedures. They should be made after each nation is consulted. There should be harmony between all nations involved in international politics. Marxism theory asserts that discord occur between nations upsetting the peace and balance of power between them. However, no single nations should take the autonomous control just because there is a war. Such a situation happens when there is a civil war within the country. It is not an opportunity for the stable nations to introduce new regimes for the nation at war. Instead, they should work to help it restore its initial glory. Neo-realism The world is ruled by one superpower, United States, which has enjoyed benefits in terms of economy, technology, military and geography. However, there are rival nations to United States but its multifaceted power has given it dominance over its rivals. The decisions made by other nations are somewhat influenced by United States. The world superpower had enjoyed a uni-polarity position after major world empires such as Soviet Union collapsed. Whenever United States is not satisfied with a certain practice such as possession nuclear warheads, it has the capability to the organization political and military actions. Therefore, the international political system is influenced greatly by the decisions from the world’s greatest superpower. Stability of international political system also depends on the extent to which other upcoming world powers are satisfied with the status quo (Ikenberry, Mastanduno and Wohlforth 17). Nations will assess the potential benefits and costs they will occur when United States is enjoying a dominant position. They will revise their strategies accordingly in favor of their economic prominence irrespective of what United States might think. Neo-realism suggests that the type of the political system for individual nations can have a profound effect on international political system. The political system for each nation promotes international politics when it obeys and embraces legitimacy and transparency of foreign policies. It is a potential source of disturbance to international politics especially where interest groups and public arise to defer the central decision makers such as United States. International institutions must be used to increase the prospects of international politics thriving. Dominant nations such as United States use international institutions to initial coalition. The values and interests of the dominant states are reflected through international institutions. They tend to reduce the power of the superpowers. However, weaker nations will always try to go against the grain to remain free rules of international institutions. For example, nations question U.S lack of participation in International Criminal Court. International institutions give nations a common identity and voice. Institutions such as European Union have come to being to address the need for the common identity. Realism It sheds light on the world order today where United States and other upcoming superpowers must interact to promote international political system. According to Kaplan, international politics is best practiced with uncertainty of intentions between superpowers and their rivals. Fear becomes the dominant element because none of the nations knows what they have in store for each other. It affects how states behave between one another. They approach each other with caution. They are no sure about the military capacity that they have to survive in the event a war erupts. Concentration of power within one nation is addressed through morality. Morality fosters peaceful coexistence between nations and becomes a tool for international cooperation in politics. In the event of war, human rights must be protected in the world today unlike in the past where countries such as Russia sacrificed human rights to pursue powers. Realism theory affirms to the fact that nations must understand how international systems work before coming together to practice politics (Kaplan). Work Cited Doyle, Michael W. Liberalism And World Politics. 1st ed. London: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. Print. Galtung, Johan. A Structural Theory Of Imperialism. Journal of peace research (1971): 81--117. Print. Ikenberry, G John, Michael Mastanduno, and William C Wohlforth. Unipolarity, State Behavior, And Systemic Consequences. World Politics 61.01 (2009): 1--27. Print. Kaplan, Robert. Why John J. Mearsheimer Is Right (About Some Things). The Atlantic. N.p., 2011. Web. 7 Oct. 2014. Read More