...What is the problem of collective action in International Trade and what is the way to solve it in Global Political Economy? The problem of collective action in international trade is a problem of “prisoners dilemma” or “free riding”. There are also two different points of view that become applicable while trying to understand this problem – a liberal view and a realist view. The liberal view believes that economics is the most important factor when it comes to international trade and if countries take collective action it will be for economic reasons. On the other hand the realist view believes that economics does not drive collective action in trade but politics does. Collective action in the context of international trade can be defined as free trade where countries do not put barriers for flow of goods and services and they work together to remove these barriers to ensure greater efficiencies. This lack of barriers is not the normal course of actions as pointed out by realists who believe that all nations act in their selfish interest and unless they are an export oriented economy with greater export than import, they will have very little incentive to remove barriers. But, it is believed by realists that if multiple countries come together the incentive to remove barriers is higher. There is always a conflict going on for national states. They want to promote free trade as everyone agrees that free trade will benefit them but they do worry about their national sovereignty...
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...Politics and Economics of the Third World viz a viz Theories of Development Student’s Name: Course: Tutor’s Name: 17/05/2013 Outline i. Abstract ii. Introduction iii. Literature Review iv. Method of Analysis v. Analysis vi. Conclusion vii. Works Cited Abstract This paper analyzes the politics and economics of the third world. It seeks to provide information about development and the steps that countries in the developing world ought to follow in order to attain economic development and growth. The rationale is that the countries in the developing world have continued to experience challenges that hinder growth. This study will use theoretical models of development and discuss various aspects of development and politics in the third world. Keys Words: Third World Development; Modernization; Globalization; Global South Introduction Various theories propose ways through which a developing country can achieve economic growth while at the same time attaining development. This has precipitated politics in the global south. This paper seeks to explore various development theories proposed by various authors. Besides, the paper will explore elements of economics that are pertinent to the third world countries. This is in recognition of the fact that many countries in the third world still grapple with poverty and slow economic development. From Immanuel Wallerstein to Rostow, the paper will...
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...Is government ever justified in involving itself in the private lives and personal decisions of its citizens? Why of why not? Yes, the government is always justified when immersing itself in the lives of its citizens, as the benefits of this practice will always outweigh its consequences. This question had a very definite answer when great men like George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, etc. found our great nation of America: no. Back then, it was very obvious that government should not spy on its own citizens and make decisions for them. This was actually the philosophy that the nation was based off, the Americans were tired of the British government controlling their lives, so they broke free and found the United States of America. But in today’s technologically advancing information age, the question is severely complicated with inventions like the Global Positions System, the World Wide Web, computer chips, the cellular telephone, etc. Of course, there are laws to regulate surveillance on these devices, but the invention of new technologies is passing these laws. As complicated as the question gets, I believe that the government is justified to immerse itself into the private lives and decisions of its citizens for a multitude of reasons. First, government surveillance practices can save lives, put criminals behind bars, or even find missing people, which definitely warrants the need for cellular surveillance. Another example of this justification...
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...The Iranian Nuclear Dilemma Jonathan Metcalfe International Relations Research Paper Nathan Jones University of San Diego 5 December 2011 Since 2006 Iran has been making a serious push to gain nuclear weapons. Iran has been disregarding President Obama’s requests to cease the nuclear weapons program that is becoming a larger threat to international security. A realist would see the Iranian nuclear struggle as a push to challenge the power of the United States. Countries that have nuclear weapons legally through the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty are major world powers in regards to economic, military, and global influence. Realism suggests that if Iran were to obtain nuclear weapons that they could create hegemonic stability in the Middle East. Throughout history the Middle East has been a very unstable area. In recent years there has been effort to overthrow the dictatorial governments in the area, which created political unrest. Iran’s push to obtain nuclear technology could possibly bring peace to that area. Iran’s nuclear program has been developing since the 1960’s and was recently revived in 2006. Iran plans to have the nuclear technology ready by 2015. Iran could become a global superpower in years to come. Venezuela, Russia, the AQ Kahn network, and several other countries contribute to the Iranian development of nuclear weapons. These countries have aligned, and exchange information about WMD’s. Although aligning with...
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...coercive tactics being acceptable to either accomplish something in the national interest or avoid something inimical to the national interest. The state is the most important actor under realism. It is unitary and autonomous because it speaks and acts with one voice. The power of the state is understood in terms of its military capabilities. A key concept under realism is the international distribution of power referred to as system polarity. Polarity refers to the number of blocs of states that exert power in an international system. A multipolar system is composed of three or more blocs, a bipolar system is composed of two blocs, and a unipolar system is dominated by a single power or hegemon. Under unipolarity realism predicts that states will band together to oppose the hegemon and restore a balance of power. Although all states seek hegemony under realism as...
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...Peer Competitors Come Second To Terrorism There are many carefully calculated decisions that dictate whether or not a state will gain or lose power. Diplomacy, policy, economic capabilities, and nationalism are some of the many tools we use to measure when states gain or lose power. One major element seen when talking about the possibility of China and Russia being peer competitors towards the United States in the international realm is in fact competition or rivalry. When nations see competition, they start acting and responding differently internationally and nationally in an attempt to combat this competition. Additionally, the choices a state makes when looking at state competition can lead to issues that can easily threaten the organization of power within the international realm. Russia is a prime example of a state that is attempting to challenge the United States’ quest for power. The actions Russia (or the U.S.) takes or does not take will be the direct result to something more serious such as embargos, alliances, a plethora of international policies and/or full scale war. Russia’s bold international moves to support the annexation of Crimea and blatant violation of arms treaty against the U.S. are signs of Russia challenging not only the United States’ power but the global balance of power as it is understood in today’s modern world. Blatantly lashing out and cheating treaties aren’t the only ways a nation can come to be a potential threat to the United States’ security...
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...Nikolas Does the USA still remain a global hegemon? Hegemony is the political, economic, or military predominance or control of one state over others. This power is based on the countries structural position which enables the hegemon to shape the actions and influence other states by using soft power (Soft power is the ability to shape the preferences of others through appeal and attraction via politics, culture and foreign policies) more often than not rather than hard power (Hard power is the use of military and economic means to influence the behavior or interests of other political bodies aggressively) and use of force. The US is commonly known as a superpower or ‘hegemon’ though this idea has been challenged by both external and internal factors like the economic prowess of other countries like China who’s rise has been astonishing and are projected to overtake the USA by 2030 as the greatest financial power. If judged in military terms then the USA appears to remain dominant, their lead over the rest of the world is huge. In 2011, the US accounted for 42% of the world’s military spending and had a x5 fold lead over China, the second largest military spender. The US has around 700 military bases around the world as well as an unequivocal lead in high tech weaponry that can intervene militarily in any part of the world and sustain multiple operations like in Afghanistan and Iraq. Though, their power in military terms could be rendered redundant due to their lack...
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...In the light of the developing Iranian nuclear capability, assess the continuity and change in contemporary American foreign policy towards Iran’s quest to become a regional hegemon. This study begins with the premise that Iran and Iraq were, following the end of the Cold War, seen as the two obstacles to American hegemony in the Middle East. America has always had strong strategic interest in the area. During the Cold War, the Middle East was one of the battlegrounds from which to contain the Soviet Union, and therefore all policy was generally in line with preventing Soviet domination of the area through containment and deterrence, thereby protecting American strategic interests. With the Soviet threat confined to history, America found itself without a global competitor in what has been called The Unipolar Moment (Krauthammer 1990). This dissertation seeks to understand and analyse how the administrations in power in America during the unipolar moment have adapted their thinking towards the Middle East beyond Cold War paradigms, chiefly in reference to the rise of Iran as a possible regional hegemon bolstered by its nuclear ambitions. In order to understand this question, the analysis will examine changing ideological perspectives and the effects of those perspectives on the exercise of foreign policy. The study will focus primarily on the policies of the William J. Clinton (Clinton) and George W. Bush (Bush II) administrations. The reasoning for this is one of context...
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...from Canning’s overture instead of issued the doctrine unilaterally knowing the full well that the British naval power would still be enforcing it. The Monroe Doctrine was one part of America’s two-pronged strategy for establishing a regional harmony foe establishing regional harmony over the Western Hemisphere it was also the heart of the foreign policy debates within the U.S during the 19th Century although recent scholarship has shown this was just often for a domestic political reason for foreign policy ones. In the border sense the doctrine has an unpinned on what the U.S has done abroad to date its participation WW1, WW2 and also in the Cold War was aimed at preventing a regional hegemon from emerging in Europe and Asia the rational behind this objective is that if another regional hegemon emerges in a crucial region it will have all the power and the interest to challenge the U.S hegemony over the Western Hemisphere so long as states are busy vying for power regionally they will not have the motivation to mount a serious challenge to the U.S in it...
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...Liberty University The Next 100 Years A Forecast for the 21st Century Elizabeth Klimkowski 9/27/12 The United States is the most powerful country in the world. In “The Next 100 Years” by George Friedman, the author’s main thesis was that the most powerful forces a country can have is geography and demographics, and to use those forces to undermine political policies of other countries. He also spoke about the five main goals of the American hegemon. These are very important when discussing the future of America’s power and the globe. Friedman’s thesis is very important to keep in mind when thinking about America’s future. He writes about how America is very geographically sound. It is surrounded by water on almost all sides and the Unites States has the naval power to maintain protection on its sea side borders. The only thing America might be concerned about is the Mexican border. When writing about the Mexican border, Freidman talks about the borderland which is the space where the lines of the country have been interchanged multiple times (83-84). In most cases people have strong ties to their mother country when living in another country and the migration is both ways (84). With this borderland this is not the case. Mexicans coming to America think of where they are living as occupied territory and there is no equal migration from America to Mexico (84). This aspect of his thesis is true. Unless there are tremendous changes Americans will never want to move...
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...Palestinians, a future Palestinian state. Additionally, Israel was able to adopt a legalistic interpretive approach. These factors, all borne out of the imbalance of power, are what lead to the failure of the Accords. Hegemonic Peace and the Imbalance of Power A hegemonic peace is situated between peace based on a balance of power, and peace based on complete control of an enemy. It is one between “significantly unequal powers that nevertheless retain the autonomy to accept or reject in terms of settlement.” Hegemonic peace occurs when the hegemon is able to require very large compromises from the weaker state, without making compromises of a similar size. Hegemonic peace is destabilising to both the hegemon, and weaker state. The weaker state ends up in opposition to their own society, as they struggle to control the dissent of their people. This dissent is borne from the large compromises the hegemon is able to elicit from them. The hegemon experiences internal dissent over the lack of necessity to make any significant concessions in the first place. Opposing internal factions consider concessions unwarranted, viewing them as weakness and betrayal, given the weaker party’s incapacity to demand anything. The dynamic of hegemonic peace is very much characterised by the Accords, as Israel had enough influence over Palestine to compel them to accept unfavourable terms, but they were not powerful enough to completely dominate the PLO, nor the ensuing Palestinian Authority (PA)...
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...each theory in order to rationalize which theory best fit the case. Realism Realism explains how the US and North Korea were self-interested, but does not explain why the US and the USSR would choose to cooperate. While Realism accounts for the US and USSR as key actors during the Cold War, the theory does not recognize the large role of international organizations, such as the UN, NATO or Warsaw Pact. Realism provides reason for the US and USSR to have dominant power for the hegemon position, but does not explain why the war was not extremely violent. The nature of the international system is anarchic which means that it has no central authority. This theory believes in sovereign states. This does fit with the Cold War due to the fact that it explains the reason for the system being anarchic. During the Cold War, the dominance principle is seen with the US and USSR influencing Cuba and North and South Korea, as well as a US-USSR power struggle to reach the top of the power hierarchy to earn the hegemon title. Liberalism Liberalism explains why all the actors cooperated and why they all showed signs of being self-interested but still being able to work together. Liberalism accounts for states and international organizations working to pursue interests and collect on shared values, seen by the formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact to align with the US and democratic values, and the USSR and communism. Liberalism successfully explains states behaviors within the Korean War and...
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...S.) should employ these strategies in the future decades. However, I disagree that this is due to losing America’s global hegemony. The lost of hegemony would cause instability within the global system. In the future, I think the U.S. will move towards these strategies in order to produce stability while trying to maintain global leadership. Contrary, the focus could shift for the U.S. to build a “multi-partner” system for governments and nongovernment groups to work together on global issues. This is the goal of the Obama Administration in an effort to reduce competition and have closer ties to the major global powers. There are limited options for other countries to take over as a global hegemon. Unlike other countries, India may be the closest to becoming the next hegemon of the global system; however, it is not ready based on its structural problems and military capabilities. With the rise of China, the structure of the world order could change in the next decade. The emergence of China as a world power has increased its profile in the international arena.1 The Chinese economy is not only linked to regional and world stability, but its relation to its military will determine whether or not the U.S....
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...“The Temple of Jonathan” (The Muse’s Hegemon) Jon Peterson 4/17/15 The Temple of Jonathan was erected in Olympia, Greece in the fourth century BCE. It is believed to have been built by the citizens of Olympia during the Late Classical Period which was between 400-323 BCE. Shortly after the Persians Wars had ended, the citizens built the Temple of Zeus which the citizens modeled this temple after. While the Temple of Zeus was built to showcase the power of Zeus, Apollo and Athena, the Temple of Jonathan was built to bring calmness and peace to the city. The temple had been built in a Doric hybrid style and was erected near the Sanctuary of Zeus. The reason the citizens of Olympia decided to erect it near the sanctuary of Zeus is because Jonathan was appointed by Zeus to be the second leader (hegemon) of his nine daughters, The Muses. Although Apollo was the initial appointed leader of the Muses, he was not to be bothered by trivial things. Zeus felt his daughters needed a second male leader over them that could handle the daughters calmly because at times they argued relentlessly over trivial issues. Zeus wanted clam and peace among his daughters that ruled over the arts and sciences. The daughters offered inspiration in the subjects of Arts and Sciences and Zeus thought that these daughters must remain calm in their influence of the people. The temple design not only encompassed the Doric style but also incorporated some of the features of the Ionic and Corinthian orders...
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...Post-Cold War, liberals believe that democratic states such as in Europe are rarely fight wars against each other. The Central plan for liberalism and neo-liberalism in the post-cold war period lies in the democratic peace theory. Liberals argue that democratic states in Europe, for example, are inherently peaceful states which do not go to war easily and between two democracies, the occurrence of war has been a rather rare occurrence. In contrast, liberals argue that non-democratic nations such as in the Middle East are more likely to use aggressive strategies and more likely to be vulnerable to war. According to liberalism, lack of democracy and justice, human rights violation in the region, and the absence of citizens enjoyment in the socio-political...
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