Abstract The writer of this paper contends that the modern world is characterized by greater contact and interaction between nations. With this in mind, the author examines the role of international law in the modern world. He continues and contends that at the same time the contemporary world is also a place of greater complexity and competition for scarce resources, as well as increasing conflict. The writer contends that international law must face extremely difficult and complex situations in maintaining the ideals of peace and order and that there are areas where international law is virtually powerless whilst there are others where the role of international law has been very effective. The paper concludes that, as the world grows more complex and as the danger to peace and human equality intensifies, the need for a strong and well-supported system of international law increases as well.
From the Paper "However, many of these high ideals have not yet been accomplished in the present century. In fact, international law has failed to a certain extent, particularly in the area of international conflict. One of the central problems that International law faces is the usurpation of its objectivity and impartiality by the politics and agendas of 'superpowers" or influential countries. This can be seen for example in the events leading up to the recent Iraq war. In this case, the position held by international law, as defined by the United Nations, was overruled by the United States. Therefore, the standing of international law has been reduced in many cases by the complexity of international politics and the often convoluted and intricate views and agendas of influential countries like the United States, the Soviet Union and China. This has played a major part in the effectiveness of international law in recent years. This aspect has also curtailed the ability of international law to deal with the various complex conflicts and issues in the world, such as the conflict in Darfur."
Tags:conflictglobalnationsuperpowers, united nations, international peace equality
Abstract This paper takes a look at Dani Rodrik's book, 'The New Global Economy and Developing Countries'. According to the paper, the barriers that once stood in the way of developing a global economy, such as transportation, communication, and currency conversion, have now been taken down by the airline companies, the Internet, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade Organization (WTO). The paper further discusses how a country which engages the world in an open mindset is able to import and purchase ideas, goods and services, capital, and institutions because of its positive relationships, and working agreements with other nations.
From the Paper "Large differences in growth curves exist between developing nations over the past decade. Many countries, such as those in the Pacific Rim, that pursued macroeconomic stability, liberalized trade, and implemented market-based reforms in the early to mid-1980s are now well established as the high performers in the developing world. Their policies have enabled them to better withstand adverse external developments and unpredictable market variables. More recently, many other developing countries have adopted similar policy frameworks and have, in turn, made substantial progress in fostering macroeconomic stability. For many of these countries growth has exceeded expectations, and their prospects are better than they have been for some time. Growth in a number of other developing countries remains weak, however, and there are at present relatively few indications of improvement. Although policy differences do not fully explain the growth experiences among developing countries or within an individual country when compared to its neighbor, over time the lack of economic stability, inadequate and distorted financial markets, unproductive state intrusion, and inward-oriented trade policies all act to restrain growth. Although simple comparisons with the strong performers point to relatively straightforward explanations for the difficulties of low-growth countries, a closer look at their experiences suggests that their failure to grow at more satisfactory rates is attributable to a complex set of interactions among policy failures, poor governance, lack of incentives for reform, and adverse external developments. "
Abstract This paper explores the concept of globalization, and its affect on international world order. The author suggests that globalization is now having a negative effect upon the United States by its blurring of international borders, and as a result is placing Americans all over the world at risk for attack by people and countries who do not like western values.
From the paper:
"Globalization today has become a threat to identity, culture, values, norms and traditions that set one nation apart from the other. While the supporters of Globalization are of the view that it is extremely important for the world to unite as one nation with a global economy, they have failed to understand that basic human psyche is such that man wants to have an identity of his own. This is the primary reason why people are raising voice against this phenomenon, which has been the product of capitalism. We need to understand here that globalization has been criticized and condemned not only because of the economic problems it creates, but also because of the fact that it is due to the presence of similar commodities in every part of the world that local values of each nation are being threatened."
Abstract A look at the historical forces of technology, nationalism, and imperialism that influence the global system. This paper discusses the relationship between these forces and discusses the present-day condition of the global system as well.
From the Paper "The world in which one lives today may be described as a fast-paced one in which one is surrounded by a maze of images that distort reality. This stage has been reached on account of a number of events having various outcomes, and each of these outcomes has been exposed to other influences resulting in further outcomes. This kind of process has endured with the passage of time and grown in complexity. Precisely, the age in which one lives today is one that has reached a stage in complexity referred to as Post Modernism. Aside from this term, there are other words that may be used to describe the stage in itself, and some of these terms consider historical influences to be important too. Specifically, the term "globalization" is now widely used when discussing the global system that exists today."
Abstract This is a seven-page paper concerning the topic of educational policies and curricula for foreign education. It examines how globalization affects the world in general. The writer also questions what types of educational programs can be done to develop foreign educational policies. It shows that with new technology, America is able to reach around the world, but is the world ready to reach around the world?
From the Paper The newest technology has brought the world into contact with the world; however, is the world ready to be in contact with the world? What types of educational programs are being designed to help different countries, cultures, and nationalities to be ready for the globalization? What needs to be done by America to assist these foreign countries? With the modern preaching of globalization will the world be ready for this vast change in technology? What curricula and education-oriented laws focus on such education? What does research show concerning this problem? Extensive revision of the present educational system and foreign policies is needed to help the new, globalized world.
Abstract This paper discusses that the formation of ASEAN as prompted by the neoliberal paradigm and directed by the U.S. and Japan rather than by the ASEAN member nations. The author points out that, although it was established to increase regionalization in Southeast Asia, ASEAN was actually used by the U.S. to stop the spread of Communism and by Japan to provide raw materials for its manufacturing. The paper relates that the ASEAN nations were caught in the global power structure; therefore, ASEAN has benefited the superpowers more than the countries that make it up.
From the Paper "A study of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN provides an excellent window into the interrelationships between the United States, Japan and the ASEAN's member countries."
Tags: international, Asean, flying geese, FDI, Plaza Accord, capitalism, communism, regionalism, industrialization, globalization, containment, Japan, U.S., hegemony, human rights, neoliberalism
Abstract The following paper reviews the changes that have occurred as a result of globalization. In particular, the paper argues that globalization has sparked particularist phenomena as well as cultural monism, has aggravated economic particularism even though interconnectedness is prevalent in the new world economy, and has eroded the nation-state (or at least offers the promise of doing so) even as there are rampant fears it will consolidate and strengthen superpower hegemony.
From the Paper "One of the more noteworthy and startling developments of the last generation has been the emergence of globalization and, with it, the intensification of world-wide social relations. Indeed, relations between cultures and among nations have grown so profoundly entwined that events far away greatly impact events close to home. The following paper will examine three aspects of this phenomenon: the economic aspect, the cultural aspect, and the political aspect. In particular, the paper will argue that globalization is rapidly creating a world where national borders are irrelevant and national governments largely powerless."
Abstract This paper examines the U.S. role as a superpower in the Arab-Israeli conflict and the position that the U.S. has taken throughout. American policy is analyzed in light of its respective relationships to the Arab world and to Israel and the Jews.
From the Paper "As World War II drew to a close, and the planet was forced into a recalibration of unprecedented proportions, the United States began its long emergence as the most expansive super-power that had yet been known. Its influence, that would compete virulently with the post-war Soviet influence for half a century, has since disseminated into every facet of the geopolitical theatre. As such, American support can operate as the determining factor in the success of a national agenda. Likewise, American dissent can be the stifling roadblock that sets nations adrift in failure and, consequently, resentment. So it's important to acknowledge that a nation's complaint of American neglect is more than just the bitter rhetoric of the disenfranchised. The emphasis placed on American approval and volition is fairly justified when one considers the weight and implication of the US stance on any given topic. And it's certainly fair to say that American intervention has been as significant a factor in the Arab-Israeli conflict as have been the opposing belief structures characterizing the two sides. As such, it's also reasonable to suggest that, as present evidence would purport, Israel's ascension to power and success in spite of violent opposition from all of its borders, could only be an indication of America's intense support."
Tags:superpower, mideast, Balfour, UN, WWII, zionism, Suez, Egypt, Jordan
Abstract According to the author of this paper, the pursuit of cooperation and peace in the international system is an unending quest. In the paper, he states that there seems to constantly be a threat of the breakout of war in at least some part of the world but that, after the Cold War and with globalization seemingly shrinking the size of the world, the threat of the outbreak of war has lessened. His premise is that globalization and the deepening of interdependence among the societies of the world, has been the main contributor to this increase in peace. The paper attempts to prove this premise.
From the Paper "Realist theorists also disagree with the idea that the cooperation globalization provides brings peace. Realists believe "laissez-faire competition among states striving to maximize their national power yields an international equilibrium, which ensures everyone's survival by checking hegemonic ambitions." (Kegley and Raymond, 204). This unregulated competition between states, realists argue, forces states to create alliances to protect themselves. It is these alliances that bring peace to the international system, not cooperation. With the constant balancing of alliances, countries are able to keep each other in check, which provides the much needed cooperation in the international system. The cooperation that globalization provides produces nothing more than interactions between states, surely not peace."
Abstract The writer asks the question whether a country can remain superpower if it does not have nuclear weapons. A few countries are analyzed such as United States, Soviet Union, Japan and Korea. It also looks at the move for nuclear proliferation and examines this trend.
Table of Contents:
I. Question and Thesis
II. The Move to Multipolar Notions of Power in the World?
III. The Specific Example of the Soviet Union: Military Strength, Economic Failure
IV. Japan: A Small Land still Rising?
V. Nuclear Proliferation
VI. The Middle East, The Common Market;Uncertain Kinds of Economic Strength, Millennial Ways of Becoming a World Power.
V. Conclusion
From the Paper "The cost of developing a nuclear capability, the political costs associated with their use, and the difficulty of hiding their development make them less likely to emerge as a primary method of state policy, says the U.S. Commission of National Security for the 21st Century. Thus we are assured we have less to fear than we ever had from a nation using a nuclear threat as a deterrent. (51) As any good student of rational-actor theory knows, the fear and threat of actual nuclear war is so great, it would be ridiculous, not to say M.A.D. for any nation to embark upon mutual destruction with another nation, should that other nation have nuclear weapons.
"This attitude discounts the increasing concern over the proliferation of nuclear weapons among nations in a world not dominated on every level by two major nuclear powers. It also does not take into consideration the possibilities of actors with vastly different interests than nations, such as terrorist groups, gaining access to such weapons. And from a less vital point of view security-wise, but of equal theoretical interest is the notion of how nuclear weapons function as bargaining chips in negotiation, regardless of their likely use as weapons, and as symbolic examples of state power."
Abstract The United Nations cannot be considered a practical global force for conflict resolution, since it has time and time again proven itself impractical and ineffective in resolving conflicts. This paper examines the role that the United Nations has played and explores its successes and failures.
Abstract This paper discusses how nationalism and ethnic conflict present challenges that are difficult to deal with effectively, for they intensify and escalate already chronic political, economic, military, religious, and ideological problems. The paper reflects at how the twentieth century we left so gratefully behind us six years ago was plagued by brutal dictatorships, global military confrontation and war, economic injustice, religious intolerance, countless ideological rivalries, and seething ethnic and racial hatreds. But we have not left behind the consequences of twentieth century conflicts, for they continue to incite disaffected groups all over the world to resort to violence to achieve their goals
Abstract This paper examines globalism vs. regionalism as it pertains to U.S. foreign policy in Iraq. It defines globalism as a policy that looks at the world as a whole and seeks global solutions to regional problems. It explains that regionalism looks at certain regions of the world as homogeneous units with similar cultures and beliefs. In the regionalist philosophy, the nations within these regions will naturally band together and form alliances, and regional bodies will solve problems within the region.
From the Paper "In recent years, globalism has come to have a great focus on terrorism and terrorists. It focuses on the worldwide existence of terrorists and looks for global solutions to the terrorist issue. In vowing to keep the world safe from terrorism, the United States has expressed a very globalist philosophy. Efforts to exterminate terrorism have expanded worldwide, and most countries that are involved in the United Nations now have ongoing anti-terrorism efforts. Further, these countries are cooperating with other nations in order to apprehend and detain suspected terrorists. Those convicted of terrorism now face the very real possibility of being tried in an international court of law. Terrorism and its threat have brought the nations of the world together as never before."
Tags: alliance, nation, culture, conflict, middle, east
Abstract This article raises the question whether the concerns of the global community should be placed before their own nation's concerns. This matter is answered by suggesting that a nation's long-term interest is in fact bound up with the interests of the world community. In this paper, the writer's analysis is based on the beliefs of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli.
From the Paper "Should nations put the interests of the world community ahead of purely national interests? At first glance, this proposition is likely to sound admirable but perhaps naive. However, the question may also lead us to consider where nations' long-term interests lie. Small weak nations certainly have an interest in a peaceful world community in which more powerful nations will not threaten or oppress them. Even large powerful nations however, may well find it in their own long-term interest to put world interests first."
Abstract The paper explores the subtle balance between globalization and sovereignty of the state. The paper supports the thesis that globalization continues to have an increasingly negative impact on the sovereign rights of individual nation states. The paper explains that globalization must result in a loss of sovereignty to some degree if unity is to be achieved. However, the paper points out that how much nations must give up largely depends on how different their laws are from international standards.
Outline:
Human Rights and Sovereignty
The Case of Feudalism and the Early History of the United States
A Matter of Degree
Conclusion
From the Paper "The key roadblock to achieving complete globalization of the economy is the issue of sovereignty. Just as human rights issues pit the rights of the state against the rights of the individual, so does globalization pit the good of the world against the rights of individual nation states to determine their destiny. Until advances in communication led to rapid integration on a global level, the issue of state sovereignty was rather clear. Each state had the right to govern as it saw fit. Happenings within the borders had little impact on the world at large. That is not to say that conflicts did not occur, such as when it found that a certain group was treated unfairly, but when the basic rights of the group had been restored, the world once again backed out."
