Blog Group 4

         In class, we discussed our points of view on what type of “ism” we support. Some said Liberalism, and some said Constructivism. No one really said that they agree with the views and structure of the realist point of view. This is most likely because the realist point of view tends to be aggressive, often violence is prevalent, and its exogenous. With that being said, even if not many agree with this point of view, it is the most relevant ism throughout history, and aspects of this political theory are seen by many powerful nations numerous time. After discussing in class, it was determined that realism is based on human nature. It is in human nature for people to crave leadership or power, and to achieve it by any means. As for realism being seen throughout history, one example from the fourteenth century is Gengis Khan. Genghis Khan was a mongolian leader who founded the Mongolian empire which is the largest empire in history. Realism...

                                                                                                                                                                          Yousuf Sander                                     The Problem with the Realist Shift in U.S. Foreign Policy                       ...

The articles by Wendt and Tickner show the various ways to look at international politics and the power involved in it.  In Anarchy Is What States Make of It by Alexander Wendt, it discusses the concept of identities and how they are basis of interests.  However, in A Critique of Morgenthau’s Principles of Political Realism by Ann Tickner, it goes against the viewpoints provided by Wendt and the ideas of identities.  Instead, the article discusses the issue regarding how international politics can be described as a “man’s world.”  Tickner provides a compelling argument and proves that women in international politics would leave a positive effect.  As a result, a feminine approach would allow for new perspectives in power and allow for the search of more appropriate solutions. Politics has been dominated by men and the idea of having a women’s outlook has not come into play.  However, it could provide a new way of thinking to international relations. ...

When Liberalism Doesn’t Work: Kim Jong Un and North Korea One of the defining characteristics of Liberalism in International Politics is mitigating anarchy. In order to accomplish this, Institutions, such as the United Nations, were established. The UN’s goal is to promote International cooperation and keep order. When a country starts to disrupt the order or threaten the safety of the international community, the UN will establish a sanction against that country in order to deter the bad behavior. This is a very logical way to approach international politics. Applying a sanction that is designed to hurt a country’s economy will usually encourage the country to stop the bad thing they were doing. But what happens if the country ignores the sanctions? What does the UN do? This is one of the problems with Liberalism, if you have an unruly country who refuses to cooperate and be civil, there’s only so much an Institution can do without turning things violent. A great exam...

During our class discussion, the professor asked if we would categorize ourselves would we be a Realist, Liberal, or a Constructivist. My answer in the class was that I leaned toward liberalism because I cared about others and I want to make sure that everyone is taken care of. I argued this because I think it is important to taken care of other people in the community. I agree with some liberalists views but I was told by the professor that I leaned more towards constructivists views as well. I agree with this evaluation of my political viewpoints because of how I was raised. Growing up I watched my parents go from working to a middle-class family, and they did not do this to see their own wealth, they did it to take care of their children. My parents are both immigrants and they still took care of their families back home. My parents wanted their family back home in Haiti to mutually benefit from the hard work they have been doing. They exchange their form of wealth t with others ...