International Relations: Answers to Questions
There are two types of actors in international relations -- state and non-state actors. States are the more important actors of the two; however, their activities are influenced to a significant extent by non-state actors. The term 'non-state actors' collectively refers to those individuals, organizations, groups or movements that have substantial influence over a country's international activities although they are not regarded as state institutions[footnoteRef:1]. They include sub-state actors, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), multinational corporations (MNCs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), political groups that advocate violence (terrorists), and international criminal groups[footnoteRef:2]. These actors serve a number of crucial roles in IR. One of their key goals is to aid a country in opinion-building. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), for instance, gives advice to member states on how proposed international activities are likely to affect other countries' abilities to enjoy their human rights. On a different note, NGOs play a crucial role in the process of peace-building among nations. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), a global NGO network, for instance, was a key party in the ratification of the Ottawa Treaty, which prohibits nations from using landmines or assisting any other nation in using the same. Further, NGOs are widely relied upon by international organizations to serve as implementing partners of internationally-proposed activities at the national level. This was the case when the Center on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) was used by the United Nations to implement the Land and Property Protection Rights program in Kosovo. [1: Seiya Joey, "The Role of Non-State Actors in International Relations," Academia, accessed December 23, 2014 http://www.academia.edu/5124220/The_Role_of_Non-state_Actors_in_International_Relations] [2: Joey, "The Role of Non-State Actors in International Relations"]
Question 2: 'terrorism' is one of the most common words in modern day warfare. Unfortunately, defining the term 'terrorism' has proven quite difficult, and as a matter of fact, there currently is no universally-accepted definition for the same. The disparities in definition are quite evident even between federal institutions in the U.S. The Defense Department, for instance defines terrorism as "the unlawful use of violence or threat of violence to instill fear and coerce governments or society… in the pursuit of goals that are usually political"[footnoteRef:3]. The FBI gives a definition almost similar to this -- that terrorism is the "unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof in furtherance of political or social objectives"[footnoteRef:4]. The State Department, in Title 22 of the U.S. Code defines terrorism as a "premeditated, politically-motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents"[footnoteRef:5]. [3: Allyson Mitchell, "Terrorism Defined," Beyond Intractability, last modified December 2012, accessed December 23, 2014 http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/terrorism-defined ] [4: Mitchell, "Terrorism Defined."] [5: Mitchell, "Terrorism Defined]
Well, it is quite obvious from the definitions above that terrorism i) is meant to cause fear or intimidation; ii) is directed at a person/group perceived as an enemy; and iii) is driven by political, religious or social reasons. So, if these facts are so straightforward, why is it still so difficult to define 'terrorism'? One compelling reason is that since different institutions place emphasis on different aspects of the term 'terrorism', they are deemed to approach terrorism differently, and this makes it rather difficult to come up with an umbrella definition for the same. From its definition, for instance, the Department of Defense (DoD) is seen to place more emphasis on the aspect of goals, whereas the State Department and the FBI are seen to place more emphasis on the aspects of motive and methods respectively[footnoteRef:6]. The three agencies are, therefore, likely to approach terrorism in different ways, implying that a definition that emphasizes methods would not work in the case of the State Department, just like one emphasizing methods would not work for the FBI. [6: Mitchell, "Terrorism Defined]
Question 3: uncivil behavior can be described as threatening, unwelcoming, and disruptive behavior that emerges in the spaces between the state and the individual. Based on this description, uncivil networks can be taken as anything from terrorist organizations; fissile-producing organizations; narcotic, human, and weapon traffickers; and armed groups. For years, governments have been fighting against uncivil networks, the most common being drug trafficking cartels. One may then wonder; why do illicit networks form in the first place? What factors (if any) facilitate their formation and allow them to thrive? Well, first of all, globalization and technological advancement have essentially made it possible for such networks to operate far away from their base with very minimal chances of being detected. It is possible...
.. because the self, in this logic, becomes social though acquiring and fulfilling an institutional identity" (Dunne, Kurki, and Smith 181). 6.) What does it mean to say that identities and interests are mutually constituted? One of the central premises postulated by the constructivist theory of international relations is based on the concept of mutual constitution, a term describing a coexistent social relationship between states in which agency, or the element of
By the stipulation that a prince ought to surrender his territories if he altered his faith an obstruction was positioned in the manner of an additional increase of the Reformation. The announcement that all objections or rejections by whoever declared ought to be unfounded and annulled delivered a rage at the interference of the Roman curia in German dealings. The constitutional alterations set down by the treaty had extensive
Indeed, NATO is forced to change its attitude towards Russia as the international context is changed dramatically and challenges such as terrorism, Iran, or energy are largely influenced by the Russian state. More precisely, in terms of Iran, Russia has solid influences, as for Afghanistan. As for energy security, Russia is one of the most important players on the market and can thus influence decisively the European energetic security.
Finally, Paris introduces the concept of a matrix-based approach designed to include both military and non-military threats to nation states to address the traditional focus of security threats to the entire spectrum of potential threats to nations from external origin, internal conflict, as well as from nonviolent threats of a more chronic nature that affect individuals rather than whole societies. Applying International Relations and Security Principles to an Imprecise Concept: Paris is
To Walsh, the need for international politics remains. Interdependence, he argues, will never be complete. States desire to retain control over key resources that could be denied them in times of war or crisis. There is a certain level of mistrust between states, and that fuels the need for international politics despite increasing interdependence. Moreover, interdependence also fuels more opportunities before war, because it creates more situations for offense or resentment,
International Relations: Nationalism Author Umut Ozkirimli makes an important point at the outset of his book: though nationalism has been around for more than two hundred years, serious scholarly examinations of the "origins and spread" of nationalism did not begin until the First World War, and began to seriously pick up momentum only after WWII. Why this is a fact is up for discussion, but perhaps, a naive reader might surmise,
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