Introduction to global politics - Term Paper Example

Introduction to Global Politics Q Is globalisation changing world politics Indeed, if we compare today's geopolitical environment with that of yesteryears, the impact of globalisation is quite perceptible. America, the only superpower knows it quite well, that its corporate world requires having a market, which in turn would bring growth to US economy. Therefore, they've adopted the look-east policy. Despite a number of human rights issues, blemished record on the transfer of nuclear technology to countries like Korea, Pakistan, Iran etc., the giant economy in the east, China is now the cynosure of eyes in pure business terms. Countries like India and Brazil have also been able to invite world attention, as huge investment possibility exists in these poor countries as well. Unlike earlier times, when the military might was the only yardstick to measure the strength of a country, today the economic strength holds key. Strategic tie-ups take place amongst countries depending upon the economic leverages being held by each country. Q-2. How does neo-liberalism build on classical liberalism The classical liberalism limited the role of governments to maintaining social order, enforcing law and defending the country against foreign aggressions. This kind of liberalism hinged on individualism, with respective countries making best efforts to safeguard their own interests. But, over the years this philosophy has widened to a great extent. The neo-liberalism not only includes the individualistic or country specific aspects, but it also includes regional interest as well as global interests. For example, the recession hit economies of US and the European nations is a matter of concern for almost all countries around the world, because a weak US economy, weaker dollar, weaker Euro would imply all round losses to many countries around the world. On the other side, the neo-liberalism promotes institutions like world bank or IMF, which provide easier loans and financial assistance to nations in need of such assistance. Q-3. Is 'National Interest' a useful concept for understanding the actions of states It is true that in the market driven economy, the 'interest' of states lies well beyond the boundaries of the state. But, the 'national interest' proves crucial for shaping policies, retaining power and winning the confidence of corporate world. Therefore, the 'national interest' is indeed a very useful concept in understanding the actions of states. For the sake of argument it can also be said that in today's materialistic world, number of political people have become more of self-serving nature, but it is equally true that they too realise the importance of 'national interest'. If the national interest goes, their own identity too melts away. While devising policies for foreign trade, tripartite agreements or regional framework agreements, a state is supposed to keep its national interests supreme, while extending ground to other state/s Q-4. What are the key causes of war If we analyse the causes of the two world wars, it becomes abundantly clear that the imperialistic policies of some nations was a key factor in antagonising other countries which in turn translated into wars. But, it must also be emphasised that when some of the European nations established their colonies in foreign land, they started exploiting the alien land for the natural resources and trade prospects. This indicates that economic interest was equally relevant even during those days. It was only after the oppressed people started reacting, that war like situations started. War can take place on economic, industrial, racial, religious, cultural issues. Therefore in general key causes of war include; Economic exploitation Oppression for supremacy Imperialistic tendency amongst rulers Greed and hunger of rulers for more Religious intolerance on the part of some rulers Racial discriminations Misunderstandings, for want of proper communication Lack of coordination in carrying out certain strategic tasks Breaking away from treaties/ agreements Industrial disruptions Mismatch of cultures amongst the civil society Q-5. Is terrorism best described as 'a tactic of the powerless against the powerful' (Kegley and Wittkopf) In my opinion, if we start calling the retaliation of powerless against powerful, it will be injustice to them. Perhaps we tend to think on these lines because we are equating the campaigns carried out by the likes of Al-Qaida with those of poor and oppressed people. The acts of terror carried out by groups like Al-Qaida are not only killing the powerful people, but the bomb blasts end up killing more of common people on the streets. Therefore, it will be wrong to justify terrorism as a crusade of powerless. Indeed, the discrimination and oppression certainly leads to anger and frustration, which often translates into violent behaviour. In such cases efforts are required to be initiated to do away with the discriminatory policies, which can help soothe the tempers. But, if the terror acts carried out by the terrorist organisations in the recent past is an indication, terrorism can be best described as a crime against humanity. Q-6. In what ways do 'non-state actors' represent a challenge to the state system NGOs, Big Corporate groups, human rights groups, cultural organisations etc. are some of the non-state actors which tend to shape the image of a country. Non-state actors represent a challenge to the state system, if some of their activities start interfering in state policies. For example if certain acts of non-state actors start affecting the relationship of state with other nations, economic treaties, industrial ties etc. then it becomes a challenge for the state to contain the damage. For example, these days Pakistan is fighting a tough battle against the terror outfits which have been operational from Pakistani soil for so many years. All this while the terror outfits i.e. the 'non-state actors' kept working their way up towards strengthening their groups logistically and militarily, Pakistan kept ignoring these groups citing their campaigns as a voice against oppression of Muslim community in Israel and at several other places, but the result - Pakistan's relations with its neighbours and other countries around the world worsened, industrial and economic growth has taken a beating and the country stands at the brink of becoming a failed state. Q-7. What is the best explanation for the persistence of the income and power gulf between the 'Global North' and the Global South' The rich and highly developed group of nations is known as global north while a large number of the developing and least developed nations is bracketed as 'global south'. Economic prosperity is a key strength for any nation. If the country is able to sustain high rates of development, there will be plenty of industrial activities and its citizens will be able to afford a decent living and thus contribute their best towards nation building. But, if state is not able to mobilise enough resources to keep its citizens happy, it results in diminishing returns, which in turn leads to persistence of the gulf between developed and developing nations. Inequitable distribution of wealth is another big reason for persistence of the gulf between rich and poor. Therefore, if the developed nations continue to ignore their lesser privileged siblings from the 'Global south', the gulf between north and south is bound to remain. Q-8. Why is 'human security' in tension with 'national security' (Kegley and Wittkopf) The security issue is multi-dimensional in nature. On the one hand it affects the sovereignty of a nation, while on the other impacting the individuals. Human security as such implies that we provide security to every human being in terms of food, shelter, environment, education, safety etc. At times the human interest appears to suffer at the hands of those who are supposed to protect it. In order to work towards 'national security' if huge funds are transferred towards purchasing arms and ammunitions, instead of providing basic amenities to its citizens the tension is quite palpable. Well, the ostensible reason for diverting funds is to secure the nation against aggressions or terror acts, but the moot question is, had there been sincere and unified efforts to address the human aspect on the part of all stakeholders, most of the 'national security' concerns won't be there. Q-9. How does the metaphor of the commons explain the global ecological situation A large number of leaders from across the world are converging at Copenhagen to take part in Copenhagen Climate Conference 2009. Serious discussion is to take place on issues concerning the world Environment, the metaphor of commons. Preserving the common ecological resources to let us live in a clean, green and healthy environment is a common goal of all the nations around the world, irrespective of the development indices. Fast depletion of shared or common resources from any part of the world is bound to affect other parts. It is firmly believed that the intensity of impact might be lesser in regions farther away from the scene of ecological unfriendly activities, but if such acts are allowed to go unabated, it will severely impact everyone on the globe. There are some countries, particularly in the developing world, which have been expressing their inability to take lead on account of shortage of adequate resources, Copenhagen summit is one such effort to bring everybody on board. Q-10. Why is it so difficult to measure power in international relations In good old days, power essentially meant military might, but in these days of globalisation and market driven economy power implies different things in different contexts. For example, African continent has the power of natural resources. The gulf region has the power of oil, the US and Europe has power of money and industry, with billions of consumers China, India, South Africa etc have the power of market. It therefore becomes very difficult to measure power in international relations, because it is difficult to quantify all these things. Today the world is considered a uni-polar world with just one superpower i.e. the US. But, despite having the most sophisticated equipment, the professionally trained military personal and good influence over world polity the campaign led by American forces has not been able to achieve much against its ongoing fights against terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. And nobody knows how long this campaign would last. The mightiest in the world appears so powerless in these battles! 'The rise of US hegemony may in time create a more prosperous and peaceful world order'. Discuss with reference to geo-political, geo-economic and cultural forces in world politics. The US influence on world affairs has certainly been on the rise since the disintegration of USSR in multiple states n 1991. Though Russia did try to emulate the older days, but a number of incidents taking place subsequently did not allow it to come anywhere closer to the influence wielding world superpower. From theoretical perspective, it can be argued that having one undisputed leader helps in a better control of the affairs. But, it also needs to be emphasised that the leader has to be acceptable to everyone i.e. the leader has to be undisputed. It is also worth emphasising that in order to be acceptable, the leader too has to show restraint and responsible behaviour in matters pertaining to welfare and governance. The world community has been divided into different groups depending upon political ideologies, economic progress, cultural values and religious beliefs. Sustainable development is a key factor to improve the power and income levels of the lesser privileged nations while making the developed community more acceptable. Prerequisites for a more prosperous and peaceful world order are; Respect of each others' religious and cultural values Equitable development in different parts of the world Addressing some of the long pending issues/ disputes which have resulted into wars for many decades now Better coordination amongst the leadership of different nations Focused and humane approach towards addressing the issues like hunger, malnutrition, deprivation, terrorism etc. The prevailing geo-political scene certainly indicates towards the emergence of US as a potent force in world affairs, with better say on many issues. With the bursting of a potent communist bastion like USSR, the movement got severely depleted. China seems to believe more in practical communist approach, as it continues to encourage market driven economy. Therefore the political map is today dominated by US kind of ideology. The manner in which the US presidential elections were followed by the world media and political leadership from around the world is the best manifestation of the changing global political landscape. The world wanted to see someone in the Whitehouse who can display better understanding of world affairs and who could take along everybody along the developmental path. Globalization in essence has been in existence for quite a while. In the early ages it was essentially limited to business and trade. But with the beginning of the new form of market driven governments, globalization has filtered down to almost all walks of life like, media, culture, and of course the trade and business practices. With the progress of science and IT, networking of people, societies and civilizations has further led to the fusion of technology and social fabric. This has not only helped in integration of cultures and values, but it has also given rise to the thought of a new world order. Rapid advancements in the field of technology and communication has led to a global networking, with people devoting time in interacting with others around the world with the help of different means like social networking websites, forums, teleconferences etc. Increase in such interactions will certainly lead to better understanding. Marshall McLuhan conceptualized the idea of global village when he came out with his book, 'medium is the message'. This famous aphorism highlighted the importance that the communication medium has in making the process of communication more effective. Aircrafts, rocket, fax machine, cell phones, television, internet etc are just the extensions of such concepts. In such matters US leadership has certainly made a difference as a number of new discoveries have taken place in the US laboratories or US aided projects elsewhere. The influence of market, technology and politics is also perceptible on the cultural and religious affairs across the globe. The so called jihad by some Islamic groups in the name of protecting the interests of the Muslims are the reflection of the increasing influence of western culture on Islamic nations and their discomfort with the pace of the changing world order. While in olden days, changes used to be slower on account of slower means of communications, in modern times, situation is very different. Now the world is a vastly different society with modern means of communication and technology, ideologies, international treaties etc. Today USA appears to be in the forefront of influencing the cultures across the globe. There's a large section in the world which is not much pleased with this kind of influence. But, it also needs to be emphasised here that it's not a one way process anymore. If a large number of US companies are able to make good progress in the spheres of trade and business in many regions of the world, there are many US businesses which have gone to the outside world as well. For example, in the field of IT and IT enabled services, on the one hand many US companies are on an outsourcing spree while there are equally impressive number of emigrant people making US their home for professional reasons and thus influencing the culture of the country. While on the one hand the growing influence of MNCs is a cause of concern for many, there is a section particularly amongst the youth which takes a cue from the US fashion trends. The changes in geo-political, geo-economic and cultural have been going on for many years now. Though we are in the midst of a global recession these days, yet it can very well be stated that life of an average global citizen has gone up in terms of earnings as well as amenities. It can therefore be said for sure that the rise in US hegemony in matters pertaining to economy has certainly helped the world community to become more prosperous. In fact, the cascading effect of US mortgage crisis in almost all parts of the world is an example of the close networking of other economies with that of the US. But, as far as peace is concerned, the ongoing campaigns against terror outfits, the routine bomb blasts, the murders and massacres in different parts of the world tell a different story. The 'peace' still eludes us all. At times, it appears the US hegemony is agonising the peace lovers and they become very critical of the manner in which US has behaved in the recent past. Some say that the US has become so obsessed with war machines only because of its realisation that it is now the only superpower in the world. From this discussion it can safely be concluded that if the existing trends are an indication, it will be highly speculative to predict that the world will be more prosperous and peaceful if the US continues to rise at the cost of other nations. Read More