Journal #6, Question 6

Fukuyama contends in "The West Has Won" that radical Islam does not constitute a serious alternative to Western liberal democracy. Do you agree or disagree?

Fukuyama shows his contentment with the approach that that depicts the West to have won and that radical Islam does not constitute a serious alternative to the Western liberal democracy. The group of suicide bombers targeting United States is tiny compared to the total number of people opposed to U.S. policies on international relations and fight against terrorist groups. Thus, the extensive hatred, disquiet and dislike seemingly represent something much deeper than mere opposition to U.S. policies that governs its association with other countries around the world. Fukuyama believes that one of the fundamental causes of the hatred could be ignorance about the quality of life in the West and opposition of U.S. policies by Americans themselves.

Instead of psychologizing the Muslim world, it would be prudent to determine whether the radical Islam constitutes a reasonable option to liberal democracy of the west. Apparently, the radical Islam has no virtual appeal in the modern world besides those who are Islamic so to speak. In the world of Muslims, political Islam has turned out to be much more appealing in the abstract than in reality. Most young Iranians hold to the dream of living in a more liberal society after the end of 23 years of rule by fundamentalist clerics. The Afghans have almost similar opinion after experiencing the brutal and inhumane rule of Taliban. Thus, I do agree with Fukuyama'a assertion since the liberal-democratic west will continue to dominate world politics.

Journal #7, Question 9

What are some of your thoughts and observations on the Weinberg / Ryan documentary? How does it support, or undermine, the tenets of human nature or cognitive theory?

The documentary shows how individuals in the society build lucrative careers by dealing in rare items such as stamps among other products. It inspires many people who almost gave up their ambitions due to financial constraints to reconsider their decisions. Apparently, the documentary advocates for hard work and determination in a society that is full of economic, social, and political challenges that at times are perfect detractors to achieving a dream career. The documentary attempts to trace Irwin's humble beginnings from the travel he made his first trip to New York....

Life was tough and the teenager had to look for survival tactics. He resorted to buying and selling stamps. This kind of venture had substantial amount of rewards as Irwin clearly transformed from the typical underprivileged youth to an individual with the capacity to cater for his daily needs while in the city. Weinberg documentary pays so much attention to a single individual. The thoughts and observations on the documentary support the tenets of human nature. In retrospect, the documentary reflects the kindle of struggles and hurdles that many people go through in attempting to satisfy their daily needs and those of their families. Economic disparities in the society are a fundamental factor that results to despair and hopelessness among members of the society.
Journal #8, Question 5

What does author Robin J. Crews mean by the phrase "images of truth"? What are the fundamental values associated with peace studies?

Robin J. Crews tries to highlight the reality about truth taking into consideration the various signs of truth. In his book, Crews distinguishes truth from falsehoods by giving a comprehensible description of the tenets of truth in a statement. The image of truth in a society is always peace. However, piece is not achievable whenever authorities deny members justice. Peaceful coexistence among races, ethnic groups, and religious groups would only be a reality if judicial institutions provided justice to those who legitimately deserved it. He directs his concerns to members of society who seemingly find the truth incompatible as they go about their normal activities. His account of truth illustrates the different dimensions and indicators of truth. Robin Crews allegations are however subject to scrutiny because some critics also believe that truth does not have any images but instead take a single form. The controversies surrounding his assumptions mainly came about due to a consensus that most scholars had built about the truth or reality in the contemporary society.

The fundamental values associated with peace studies include justice to all, unit, peaceful coexistence, protection of human rights, and respect for human life and creation. The peace studies also emphasize value-centered arguments. Besides, the studies aim at realizing value clarification. Most peace researchers attempt to establish how domestic and international politics are value-realizing processes despite the differences between individuals in a societal set up.