- Published: September 15, 2022
- Updated: September 15, 2022
- University / College: McMaster University
- Language: English
- Downloads: 31
Political Science
Introduction
Networks proved to be a growing power in the year 1996 where they enjoyed success human rights, transnational crime, insurgency and terror. Networks may be for licit or illicit intentions such as terrorist groups such as the Al-Qaeda or drug networks Zapatistas in Mexico. Currently, or networks rely on the internet to maintain cohesion and for expansion. Networks are often in conflictive relationship with nation states be they civil or uncivil. In the past nation faced challenges from empires, classical liberalism and Marxism. The networks aims were to push, pod and confront by use of swords. Though loyalty to a network does not mean disloyalty to the nation, internet has strengthened them. The rise of the networks has called for the nations to respond, recent approach to this response has been confrontation. The nations can still seek to buy the networks into alliance with the state. The two parties have not yet become inextricably locked in protracted conflict. Realism seeks to integrate how as the nation try to seek power they are in conflict with the networks. Liberalism on the other hand argues that individual nations can control the world politics. The constructivism seeks to enhance the norms of the nations with those of the networks. This paper seeks to address; how the theories of international relation seek to explain the relationship between nation and networks.
The relationship between states potentially causes war. Realism is a view of universal politics that stresses its competitive and conflictual side. Realists consider the chief players in the international arena to be states, which are worried with their own safety, struggles for their own power and interests. It is settings that results to the many problems witnessed in the contemporary world and has completely transformed the network of some war-oriented groups. Realists are cynical about significance of ethical norms to inter-states relations. It is such norms that lead to the development of groups such as al Qaeda which was under the leadership of Osama bin laden. Such a group destabilizes peace and security as they try to gain hegemony. With inordinate power, states level of military, political and economic competences is enhanced. Furthermore, realism stresses the fact that states on their own cannot dictate the state of international peace and security. National politics is the dominion of law and power, while international politics is a circle without justice, associated with vigorous or possible conflict among states. The UN, as an international body, takes an active role of determining where war is necessary to end human suffering and averting unnecessary wars which would otherwise cause undue suffering to innocent civilians. Nations attach superlative value to efficacious political action based on judiciousness. Since nations are the main actors in international politics, their actions potentially dictates the state of international networks. It is cynical that the very networks that were expected to change things to the better were not received willingly but rather were accepted and incorporated after swords were used. These networks cause instability in the world system.
The Liberalism theory argues that globalization is fundamental to the universal position of the current condition of the politics of the world. The great states are sandwiched in the transitional society and this places them in a state of trying to control all networks so that they can have dominance in social, economic and cultural interactions within and across their borders. The three aspects of interaction are either supported or opposed by state policies. The war oriented networks have been created so that they can offer a state of control in their target areas and this goes contrary with the international policies that differ with the groups since their existence is illegal. The liberal theory has resulted to a globalization-induced variation that shapes the social demands that lies within the preferences of a state. This has led a development of a particular behavior that is associated with the world politics. Liberalism states that, “ What matters most is what states want, not how they get it.” Classical liberalism highlights the benefits that are associated with living in a state of peaceful coexistence and it opposes the wars that emerge due to the growing networks of groups with particular interests. The article points how the United States and Britain have always advocated and embraced the aspects within liberalism. The liberal theory believes in the ideas that individuals who dominates the world economy are in a position to reshape the political and economic state of the world. There was a period where different states adopted the elements that lies within the laissez faire trade practices but is only a few states that advocated for the values of global harmony. .
This article relates the case of Networks and Nations to existing scientific literature on international relations in particular to constructivist theory, which enhances the role of norms and ideas in enlightening the behavior of countries. A key principle in Constructivist theory is that people’s behavior towards objects including other actors is based on the meanings the objects have for them. From a Constructivist point of view, global structure is determined by the international distribution of ideas. Constructivist theory focuses on the ideas and beliefs that inform actors on the international scene and the shared understandings between them. Constructivism has been used to explain the intervention of the human rights, Zapatista in Mexico and Non-government Organizations. The two organizations work hard to achieve a limited win of sovereignty over sizeable chunk of their tribal homeland in Chiapas. Networks such as al-Qaeda are seen as inherently threatening to nations. Over the past years nation states has been dealing with three challenges before networks. Nation state has been a core element of the world system since they have been fighting against wide array of enemies. Later on, due to challenges nation state faced in its organizational efficiency they focus on personal loyalty. In the networks members were driven by proximate goals hence improving the environment or in human rights. Therefore the international regimes is a basis of understanding the rise of networks and the ill-fated attempt by the U. S to take hold of it thought was its unipolar moment. After realization the United States become embroiled in a long-drawn-outwar against rebellious networks and terrorist.
In conclusion therefore, the realism theory looks at the relationship between nations and networks as a situation characterized by conflict and can cause war. Liberalism on the other hand looks on how nations control networks so that they can gain social, economic and cultural dominance. Norms are fundamental to Constructivism, which generally defines norms as a standard of appropriate behavior for actors with a given identity. Norms channel and regularize behavior they often limit the range of choice and constrain actions.
Bibliography
Arquilla, John. ” Of Networks and Nations.” The Brown Journal of World Affairs (2007)
Forst, Rainer, and Jeffrey Flynn. The right to justification: elements of a constructivist theory of justice. New York: Columbia University Press, 2012.
Mitnick, Eric J. Rights, Groups, and Self-Invention: Group-differentiated Rights in Liberal Theory. Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 2006. Internet resource
Williams, Michael C. Realism Reconsidered: The Legacy of Hans Morgenthau in International Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print.