International Relations is a study that focuses on topics such as war, peace, the state, the individual, the government and the government. The interaction of these topics has led to interpretations and discussions regarding the main topic of International Relations. This has led to the emergence of several theories that have played a huge role in understanding how different countries and states operate. For instance, the theory of realism and liberalism has been studied over the past few decades to focus on the motivations of nations. While realism is motivated by maximizing relative power, liberalism is motivated by maximizing its own welfare. While liberalism has increased over the past few decades, nations prefer a state-centric approach and show an inadequate respect for human rights indicating that realism is more dominant.
Definition
Realism can be defined as the motivation of a state towards power hence a state can focus on issues such as security. One of the assumptions behind the theory of realism is that human selfishness is one of the key factors when states and nations act on the international arena (Parekh, 2018). Another assumption is that the international community does not have a body that is well-established, this leads to several states acting based on their own interests. Based on this assumption, the lack of a proper governing body leads to several conflicts that are apparent in the world today (Thompson, 2015). The third assumption held in realism is that various interactions in the international arena focus mainly on power and security. Based on this view, the motivation of several states is to survive and amass power (Llewellyn, 2017). States achieve this through security protection for themselves against others in the global arena. The theory of liberalism puts an emphasis on the rights and freedom that civilians have. It is based on the principles of equality and that governments should treat its citizens equally. Liberals believe that governments draw their power from the citizens of their countries and should act on the interest of its citizens. They also believe that capitalism and free markets are efficient economic combinations that control the involvement of governments (Cohn, 2016). Realists and liberals make use of these major claims to cite reasons and motivations of various global issues. Understanding the theories can enhance decisions to be made in the global arena.
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Evidence of Realism
The issue of state-centrism in the context of international relations is apparent in the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003. After the 9/22 attacks on the United States, the Bush administration recognized the Iraq government as a threat to the United States. The US made allegations that Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction. While inspections by the United Nations did not show any harmful weapons, the US government invaded Iraq through an airstrike (Nuruzzaman, 2006). The invasion showed that the US government acted in realism by emphasis its dominance through power and security. The United States, a powerful government, did not face any repercussions from the United Nations, an international governing body indicating a weak international system of governance. The actions by the United States showed that it acted in a unilateral perspective indicating realism.
The fact that governments have not shown the protection of human rights shows the presence of realism. Most governments are concerned about security than they are about observing human rights. States can thus go to extra lengths of torturing suspects and show no respect for justice in order to improve on security. There has also been the emergence of extrajudicial killing of criminals among newly formed democracies. This indicates that states are ready to promote security at the expense of violating human rights. The issue of killings and disappearances of individuals so that one can maintain political dominance is also apparent in new democracies (Lavelle, 2016). This indicates that governing leaders act in order to retain their power.
Opposing Views
One of the major views held by liberalism is that there has been an emergence of democracies over the past few decades. The dissolution of the Soviet Union is one of the factors that led to the emergence of liberalism. It indicated that liberal democracy was the best option to run governments. Democratic governments also emerged in different parts of the world such as Africa, South America, and Asia providing evidence of liberalism (Wiarda, 2018). The new democracies would accord its citizens fundamental liberties such as the right to own property, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion.
While there was an increase in democracies around the world in the 1990s, the change did not translate to respect for human rights in different parts of the world. According to Erman (2016), the emergence of democracies did not cause a significant change in the way nations viewed human rights. Different nations have had issues of political imprisonments and the arrest and detainment of civilians for political reasons. The failure of governments across the world to show respect to human rights negates many claims regarding the development of democracies.
In conclusion, realism is more apparent in the international arena through state-centrism and disrespect for human rights. While realism refers to an emphasis on power and security, liberalism focuses on the welfare of people. One of the historical examples of realism is when the United States invaded Iraq and acted in a way to show dominance through power and to improve on security by acting in self-defense. Different states show disrespect for human rights through political arrests, killings, and disappearances. While liberals point to the fact that democracies have developed, there is still no respect for human rights in most democracies indicating realism.
References
Cohn, T. H. (2016). Global political economy: Theory and practice . Routledge.
Erman, E. (2016). Human rights and democracy: Discourse theory and global rights institutions . Routledge.
Lavelle, A. (2016). The death of social democracy: Political consequences in the 21st century . Routledge.
Llewellyn, K. (2017). Jurisprudence: realism in theory and practice . Routledge.
Nuruzzaman, M. (2006). Beyond the Realist Theories: “Neo-Conservative Realism” and the American Invasion of Iraq. International Studies Perspectives , 7 (3), 239-253.
Parekh, B., & Berki, R. N. (2018). Realism and Self-interest as Political Themes. In Routledge Revivals: The Morality of Politics (1972) (pp. 52-65). Routledge.
Thompson, K. W. (2015). Political realism and the crisis of world politics (Vol. 2310). Princeton University Press.
Wiarda, H. (2018). Civil society: The American model and third world development . Routledge.
