Posts

The United States in Afghanistan

  If the United States had kept military pressure in Afghanistan they could have prevented the “inevitable” Taliban dominance over the country. After about 20 years of United States military presence in Afghanistan the Taliban has taken the country back, and it leaves many wondering if sustained US military power would have prevented this outcome. Although the United States did not officially pull out of Afghanistan until August 20, 2021, (just 4 days after the Taliban officially reclaimed Afghanistan), their military pressure was not nearly the same as it was many years ago. Many United States Citizens, although not content with the way in which the US pulled out of Afghanistan, believe that even a continued military presence would not have prevented this outcome. Peter Henne speaks on this point when he states, “ I said it’s horrible that the Taliban have taken over the country, but it was also inevitable; it’s unlikely a sustained US presence would have led to any other outcome”  (H
Post a Comment
Read more

The Steep Decline in War Related Casualties over the Past 80 Years by James Nespole

  Following the mass casualties and destruction that took place during the first half of the 20th century, the number of war-related casualties has drastically declined. This is because of the threat of nuclear weapons and military technological advancements like drones.       One of the main reasons why the number of war-related deaths has declined significantly over the past eighty years is because of the threat of nuclear weapons. World leaders act in a risk averse manner due to the threat of a nuclear attack. The leaders of today are far more conservative when it comes to handling international disputes than they were before the widespread prevalence of nuclear weapons. As stated by Adam Lowther, “ The net effect of this risk averse behavior is that there has been an approximately ninety percent reduction in conflict related deaths over the last seven decades. This is not to say that all conflict has disappeared. It has not. What it does mean is that the wars that are fought are on
1 comment
Read more

How is Climate Change Reshaping International Relations Among Countries

  How is Climate Change Reshaping International Relations Among Countries Climate change, a modern day issue only first being recognized in 1896, has played a large role in how modern nations view and create relations with other actors. The initial theories of international relations and the growing disciplines were created upon the issues of war and security threats amongst citizens of nations, these theories and ideologies excluded the environmental threats in regards to security (Vogler, 2018).  While most global issues have revolved around other interests such as economic and financial stabilities, or peace and stability among other nations, in order to maintain a better understanding of climate changes occurring, it is imperative to acknowledge that climate change has created a vast change on how international actors work with one another. Prior to what we now know as the climate crisis, stability such as financial, power, military and status were much more crucial to state actors
1 comment
Read more

The Impacts Of Globalization in International Politics

Globalization is known in the international political system as the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale ("Globalization Benefits And Challenges"). In short, it is the series of activities occurring worldwide that allow humans to stay connected to each other no matter where they are located on Earth. Globalization allows for ease of communication and movement through tools like cellphone, computers, and the internet which all can be accessed pretty much across the globe. Knowing what globalization is, political scientists studying the topic then wonder what are the immediate and prolonged impacts brought about by connectivity? Because the world economy relies on trade it allows for unparalleled economic possibilities, as countries can communicate and openly trade at any point and any time. Globalization also creates de-territorialization as territory and distance become less relevant wi
4 comments
Read more

Women in International Politics

  Why the World Needs Women in International Politics When thinking of such a large and important topic as International Politics, it is disheartening to hear such sentiments as the one voiced by J. Ann Tickner: “International politics is a man’s world, a world of power and conflict in which warfare is a privileged activity” (Tickner 429). However, just because a fact is disheartening, does not mean that it’s not true. The realm of international politics is heavily dominated by men who retain control and power over others, and don’t allow room for many others. In alliance with Tickner’s thinking, there’s strong benefits of including more women in the world of International Politics. One reason why the increased inclusion of women would generate better results is that “Women political scientists who do international relations tend to focus on areas such as international political economy, North-South relations and matters of distributive justice” (Tickner 429). The emphasis that Tickn
2 comments
Read more

"Human Rights"

     I wrote in my previous blog post about how the word “terrorism” is used as a political tool. Another term that is seen as a very important issue but is used more as a political tool than something real is “human rights”. There is a difference between how terrorism and human rights are used as political tools. Terrorism is an abstract idea that is applied to violence when it is helpful politically. On the other hand, human rights is not an abstract idea, but something very real and very important. The way that human rights are used as a political tool is by people in power creating a narrow definition of human rights and selecting certain situations where human rights are a concern and allowing it to be ignored when that is more politically convenient. One way to understand the first part of creating a narrow definition of human rights is to look at how Nhina Le explores the difference in how the west and the non-west view human rights. Human rights are often relative to loc
2 comments
Read more

United States and The World Health Organization

After Trump decided that The United States of America should leave the WHO (World Health Organization) many people have wondered if The United States really needs WHO. Although nothing tragic happened in the years between Donald Trump removing the United States out of the World Health Organization and Biden reinstating us in the organization I would argue that the World Health Organization and the United States need each other.  The World Health Organization has been an important organization in the world since its creation in 1948. WHO works worldwide to promote health and prevent diseases such as the COVID infection from spreading. Furthermore, the organization focuses on preventing emergencies and providing aid to countries that have been hit by disasters, as well as protecting human rights based on health issues. The reason The World Health Organization needs the United States is primarily due to the funding that they provide the organization. The United States annually contributes
3 comments
Read more