Sunday, January 26, 2020

Dominant Theories Of Neorealism And Neoliberal Institutionalism Politics Essay

Dominant Theories Of Neorealism And Neoliberal Institutionalism Politics Essay 1. While neorealism and neoliberal institutionalism are now considered the dominant theories in international relations, neorealism can be viewed as the more dominant of the two because it more accurately portrays state behavior from a positivist standpoint. Unlike neoliberalism which can only adequately explain the economic relations of nations, neorealism is able to explain how states react to one another in terms of security affairs. Quite empirically, neorealism argues that states only act in its own interest vis a vis the material structural incentives of the international system (Griffiths, OCallaghan and Roach 282). How states behave is reflected upon how they are also positioned in a hierarchy within the international system. In the end, states will behave in a manner that allows them to improve, or at the very least, maintain their positions in the hierarchy. The more powerful states are likely to be more influential in deciding the fate of global affairs while the weaker st ates will have relatively less say on matters of international import. Therefore, among neorealists, how the international system is divided is dependent on how the capabilities of states are distributed. The international system is essentially a system of anarchy. States pursue maximum utility in order to achieve their interests. From the neorealists point of view, states need the same things but are not equally capable of meeting their needs. For instance, states in the North American continent are relatively well-positioned economically than states in Africa. A consequence of the disparate capabilities between the states from both regions is that their cooperation is limited since partnerships will end up either in dependence or exploitation. On another note, the more affluent states engage in cooperation and competition to maximize relative gains and power. This desire and the ability to maximize power on the part of states results in what is called balance of power. Neorealists believe that the unequal positions of states in the international system gives rise to a security dilemma where states struggle to balance power either by 1) building more powerful armies and increasing mi litary spending, and 2) forging regional alliances or diplomatic ties with other states to check more powerful nations. Neorealists are able to characterize the distribution of power in the international system based on capabilities of nations: unipolar (a singular power), bipolar (two great powers), and multipolar (more than two powers). The establishment of European Union, for instance, is an attempt to balance power and promote a multipolar world in a present unipolar system ruled by the United States of America. On the other hand, neoliberal institutionalism uses positivism to explain why states cooperate and why they do not cooperate with each other. Using game theory as its method of analysis, neoliberal institutionalists explain that behavior of states depends on their analysis of gains and losses. States are interested in cooperating only with states and institutions that can deliver mutual gains and profitable arrangements. Neoliberalism responds to the neorealist conception of the international system as anarchic. While it does not contest or deny this, neoliberalism purports that this is exaggeration. Neoliberals contend that states do not compete all the time and that cooperative behavior among states is possible if the international system is decentralized. Leaning on the classic liberal view of the state as a rational and self-interested actor, states, when allowed to compete fairly in a decentralized environment, are able to maximize their relative gains in power and resources. 2. Neoliberalism and neorealism are considered modern interpretations of the classic positivist theories on international relations. While different in some conceptions of state behavior, both theories are complementary and mutually enforcing. They more alike than different; both theories are rooted in the explanation of international relations using the state as primary unit of analysis. They cannot be considered alternative theories to international relations, merely, a modern version of the traditional positivist view of IR. In some ways, neorealism and neoliberalism contradict but they are essentially mutually reinforcing interpretations of international relations. Both recognize anarchy in IR but at different extents. The neorealist believes that the global system is anarchic by nature and that the main preoccupation of states is how to ensure their survival. Thus, whatever alliances and cooperation is forged among nations is hinged upon the need to survive. Other states, like North Korea, rely on their own processes of survival, even violating international law to ensure that it is not crushed by the more powerful states. Its concept of balance of power requires it to develop its own nuclear problem to deter threat. If states do not recognize anarchy, they will be weakened. From a neorealist perspective, international cooperation is illusory, if not outright impossible to achieve. Neoliberal institutionalism recognizes that there is anarchy but there are creative ways to go about it, such as the building of regimes or institutions to mitigate anarchy. Neoliberals value the existence of international institutions such as the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, and other international regimes that ensure mutually beneficial relations among nations. The WTO for instance, sets norms and rules for global trade. The UN acts as an arbiter of international conflict. 3. Marxism remains of the most relevant theories that provide alternative explanations to international relations. First of all, departing from the traditional realist and liberal view of the state as the fundamental unit of analysis, Marxism treats class as the unit of analysis. Marxism argues that the international system was established to protect the property interests of the upper classes and the most affluent states. Hence, the struggle in the international system is essentially a class struggle between rich and powerful nations and the exploited nations. Variants of Marxist theory of international relations include the world-systems theory, dependency theory, and neo-Marxism. Marxism divides the world not into political entities but economic classes. Using its analysis of the base and superstructure, Marxism contends that economics supersedes politics in the global order. International relations was developed by the capitalist class to ensure capital accumulation of wealthy corporations and affluent states. The world-systems theory developed by Wallersten argues that the world can be divided into economic classes: 1) First World represents the most affluent or the core, and 2) Third World represents the poorest and underdeveloped or the periphery. According to the world-systems theory, only the core countries are able to benefit from international relations because they own the means of production while the periphery countries are exploited. The dependency theory which grew popular in Latin America propose that the poor countries (classes) are transformed into mere source of cheap labor and raw materials, hence, keeping them utterly dependent on affluent nations. International institutions such as the WTO are said to perpetuate this inequality. To resist this unequal relations, Marxists argue for protectionism and economic control policies that will liberate them from the control of the global economic regime, including import substitution to replace export-based economic models. Work Cited Griffiths, Martin, OCallaghan, Terry, and Steven Roach. International relations: the key concepts. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2002.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

History of Immigration †Movie Gangs of New York Essay

Although Martin Scorsese’s 2002 film â€Å"Gangs of New York† purports to be an historical film which recounts ethnic based gang rivalries in 1863 New York City, the film relies heavily on poetic-license, accentuating violence and a typical Hollywood â€Å"good versus evil† story-line, rather than delving into the historical specificities and realistic detail. While it is almost certainly true that Gangs captures the flavor and mythopoetic spirit of America’s ethnically diverse past and the violence and tensions which seethed during the American Civil, it is equally true that the historical themes with which Gangs deals are of a secondary nature to its main thrust: which is to produce a slick, and profitable film. So, while the movie deals with a tremendously important historical period in American history, the historical background â€Å"is incidental to Scorsese’s larger vision of reminding Americans of their violent past† 1 and, as such, the film’s viewpoints regarding immigration are abstraction from history and not representative of history itself. That said, the film’s portrayal of immigration is to show it as a bloody, tremendously difficult process, a sort of pressure-cooker where the amalgam of cultures clashed in a violent soup, which, itself produced a unity through an altogether new culture, an American culture, born through a traumatic and protracted birth-struggle. This vision is a romantic vision which simplifies the complex realities of the history of immigration in America in the nineteenth century. Scorsese, as mentioned, is not interested in depicting history, but to use the verisimilitude of history, the details and gritty realism of historical record, to paint a dramatically believable portrait of myth: a myth describing the birth of American culture in the fiery crucible of ethnic prejudice and competition. Historical detail is a device, not a theme: â€Å"while Gangs is accurate in detail, it is distorted and mistaken in its larger characterizations and interpretation. This should not be surprising: Gangs of New York is a moneymaking enterprise. † 2 If the film’s relevance to history is not one of accurate portrayal and realistic delving into the lives and events of the era depicted, then from where does its importance to history derive? The answer to that question lies in the fact that while â€Å"Gangs of New York† may play fast and loose with historical accuracy, while it may simplify the complex sociological realities of intercultural integration — or lack thereof — in America’s war-torn past, the film remains faithful to a central, thematic idea which is also a core-reality of American history: that a nation which is ethnically diverse but upholds individual liberty must in the end cast-away the ethnic and racial barriers and competitions of the â€Å"Old World† in order to actualize the opportunities of the future. That core-idea is a core-principal of American Democracy and it is a principle by which American history, including the American Civil War, has turned on as though upon an axis. The great value, historically speaking, of â€Å"Gangs of New York† is not in its depiction of history or its re-creation of historical events, but in the film’s vision of racism of cultural division and of American Democracy as a â€Å"melting pot† and also an ideal which transcends race or specific culture. The problem in the presentation of this vision is that the Hollywood â€Å"hero and villian† paradigm, along with a stock formula of violence and greed, results in a film which buries these important themes beneath a slick â€Å"whitewash† and this is: â€Å"a foolish simplification, a stereotype, and not the business of historians. Rather, the problem with Gangs is that it wants us to think that Irish gangsters were â€Å"good† by ignoring their racism while it wants to make us think others are â€Å"bad† because they are racist. â€Å" This kind of pretzel-logic may make for an interesting and immediately understandable film, but it does little to shed light on history or on the diffusion of cultural tensions in America. The film is conspicuously incompatible with a detailed or immersive reading of history. I do not personally belive that â€Å"Gangs of New York† accurately depicts the feelings of the people at the time or even the historical tensions themselves. Instead, the film â€Å"Without the veneer of historical righteousness[†¦ ] is just another Scorsese bloodbath among white men. With that in mind, there is merit in the film’s mythopoetic imaging of the emotional energy which explodes from America’s cultural diversity. Unfortunately, â€Å"Gangs of New York† fails to depict substantive and historically accurate characters who — if shown realistically — would be comprised of multi-faceted and perhaps contradictory impulses and beliefs. In conclusion, while Martin Scorsese’s â€Å"Gangs of New York† faithfully represents the formulaic, Hollywood notion of slick, effective commercial film-making, the film fails to faithfully represent the historical period from which is ostensibly draws its setting, theme, and characters. While immigration can and should be rightfully regarded as a part of America’s mythopoetic past and also its mythopoetic identity, the historical realities of immigration and the actual historical ramifications of the cultural pressure-cooker that helped to birth America are absent from â€Å"Gangs of New York. † In their place, broad generalization, ethnic stereotyping, epic contrasts of good and evil, and the classical arc of the hero-myth are used to both simplify and stylize an aspect of American history which is too nuanced and too complex to be accurately depicted through such an approach. It is possible that â€Å"Gangs of New York† will inform a significant portion of its audience with the flavor of an historical period they might have otherwise missed observing altogether. However, in all liklihood, those who are stimulated to study this time-period by Scorsese’s poetic vision, will find themselves startled, and perhaps confused, by the amount of drama and profound thematic issue which were left out of â€Å"Gangs of New York. â€Å"

Friday, January 10, 2020

The Benefits of Topic a College Essay Samples

The Benefits of Topic a College Essay Samples Get your creative juices flowing by brainstorming all the potential ideas you can imagine to deal with your college essay question. Now you own a list of possible topics, but probably no clue where to start. Continue reading for more tips on how best to compose an excellent college essay, even when you don't feel you've got anything interesting to write about. Actually, generally the essay is the only means you would have the ability to disclose your disability. Anyway, writing about something due to of private experience will be a lot simpler than writing about something you've had to make-up. However much you might wish to be done after writing a very first draft you must take some time to edit. Perhaps you feel more comfortable sitting down and writing the entire draft from beginning to finish in 1 go. The secret to writing your very first draft isn't to be worried about whether it's any good just get something on paper and go from that point. The Lost Secret of Topic a College Essay Samples Well, now you have to return to that list and determine which essays you still will need to write. The majority of other applications are going to have minimum and maximum word count also. When you begin writing an essay depending on the outline, don't be scared to make big changes if you feel they are wanted. Creating and adhering to an essay outline is frequently an effective approach to writing a college essay. The rules for writing a superb essay are the same. Have a look at our article on the most frequently made mistakes in college essays for more tips to make sure your essay reads well. The very best advice I could offer you is not to compose an essay. Let's go through the vital actions which will help you turn an outstanding topic into an outstanding essay. Education is one of the areas where technological advancements have earned significant positive impacts. To do this, you will need to pinpoint what specifically you're focusing on and the way you'll structure your essay. To learn about essays, it's important to see why essays are such an important portion of academics. Thus, essays have come to be an inseparable portion of academics. Write your essay as if you would be a fantastic second date. You might want to try outlining your essay in many formats or the exact same format multiple times. After creating an overall outline, you may wish to work on the facts of your essay. If you attempt to take on an extremely extensive subject, you will end up with a lot of general statements and boring lists of your accomplishments. The End of Topic a College Essay Samples One of the absolute most troublesome things in writing essays is making up a great title. An individual, concise topic is one that'll be the simplest to write about i n addition to make the ideal impression. Do not assume that if another person writes the essay for you it will create a high excellent essay. Before you begin, you should be aware of just what essays you will need to write. Bridget's essay is quite strong, but there continue to be a couple little things that could be made better. You may even hunt for quotes or other inspiring stuff on the web. After that, examine the essay again, line by line, checking every word to ensure that it's accurate. Your solution shouldn't be a book report. Want to Know More About Topic a College Essay Samples? Essay topics will change from university to university. It is a short statement about studied problem or subject supplemented with author's personal position and view regarding the issue. Now you know a bit about college essays follow a few actions to have you started. Writing a superb essay sometimes takes a very long time and require several drafts. 09 Aug 2018 For the vast majority of students the college essay is the worst aspect of their application procedure, it is similar to a challenge in their opinion. Possessing a Christian college education is significant to many students not just due to their priv ate faith, but could also be an important foundation for their upcoming career. Furthermore, the college will be trying to find evidence of particular abilities or traits they value in their students. A student should make certain which he or she has put as much effort as possible into writing a nice paper. Selecting an intriguing topic offers you an opportunity to pull in the teacher's attention and make a college essay that will stick out from the sea of different papers. No matter your approach, there are a number of tips everyone may benefit from.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Child Development Essay - 983 Words

Child Development Have you ever wondered how a baby grows into a child then into an adult? I never really thought about it myself until I had a child of my own. It is amazing to see all the psychological stage she has gone through already in her short life. Before she becomes an adult she will go through may more stages. Some developmental psychologists believe that all children go through the same stages in the same order. That is not to say that all children do things at the exact same time in their life, because some environmental factors can speed up or slow down a child’s development. A child’s psychological growth depends on the child’s environment. Environment consists of everything that a child comes in contact with on a†¦show more content†¦If a child is born with cataracts and they are removed before the age of seven, that child’s vision will develop normally. If these cataracts are not removed then they can create extensive damage to th eir vision for the rest of their life. A sensitive period is a period in a child’s development that is very important for particular kinds of development. If a certain behavior is not learned during this â€Å"sensitive time† it just may not develop to its full potential. For example, if a child is not exposed to language before the age of seven, he or she may fail to acquire it all together. These â€Å"preschool years† are significant in a child’s intellectual development. There are many Psychologists with different views and theories about this subject, but I will only talk about the view of one. This theory of the development of a child is outlined by a Swiss Psychologist by the name of Jean Piaget. Jean Piaget was known to be one on the century’s most influential thinkers. Piaget thought of children as mini scientists who conduct experiments on the world just to see what will happen. He categorized development into four different stages. They are Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational. The first two years of a child’s life is the sensorimotor stage. This is the time in an infant’s life when they are discovering everything. They are learning about different object, shapes and actions andShow MoreRelatedThe Development Of Child Development1986 Words   |  8 PagesAs children grow older they go through a process known as child development which is defined as the discipline dedicated to the understanding of all characteristics of human development from birth to adolescence. I reflected on each of the eight chapters that we covered in class and will use that information to apply it to my neighbor Sebastian. Sebastian is a 7 year old child who lives next door to me and I have taken care of him since he was four months old. 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