In spite of criticisms of military intervention, such measures can free populations from dictatorships and abusive governments.
Self-defined as neutral and objective, Rational Choice Theory nonetheless gives misleading accounts of individuals’ rationality by denying the historical aspect of individuals within social structures.
NGOs have often been lauded for their efforts in international development. It was long assumed that aid money given to an NGO would be more efficient, more accountable democratically to local civil organizations, and more likely to reach the intended people and not a foreign bank account. As many states democratized, the NGOs assisting them became increasingly dependent on funding from neoliberal donors. Critics, such as Zaidi, Petras, and Kamat, have begun to argue that the NGOs themselves have become unaccountable and undemocratic. They propose bringing the state back into the development process. Yet would this solution be truly effective in light of the massive debts, dependence, and global structural imbalances faced by many developing states?
Even though globalization has many advantages and one of them is the opportunity for economic growth both at an individual and a national level. This means that governments now try and compete for foreign capital and design their policies to please global investors and firms, which results in them not necessarily acting in the best interest of its citizens and this disregards its primary purpose.
Because cyber attacks have been shown to be a widespread problem, cyber security must be taken seriously regardless of the fact that no state has yet officially declared a cyber war.
Whilst the German experience in South West Africa is significant, the wider phenomenon of imperial domination is the greater contributory factor to the genocidal Nazi mentality. An ethos of thought and norms developed in the colonies which created the potential for totalitarian domination and mass extermination in Europe, culminating in the catastrophic events of the Holocaust.
Claiming that wars occur because there is nothing to prevent them is like saying that a sick man died because he did not take any medication—and not because of his illness.
While the United Nations human rights treaty monitoring bodies have contributed to the upholding of human rights in the face of a ‘new brand’ of terrorism and counter-terrorism, the challenges they face make their task daunting, now more than ever.
Beliefs do matter in foreign policy as decision-making rarely conforms to demanding rational choice models. The power of ideas in international relations highlights particular human weaknesses, which might help understand a number of seemingly inexplicable decisions. Beliefs, however, are only one part of a wider framework.
A global civil society is not a plan in itself, nor is it a new or futuristic idea. Yet, is part of a greater restructuring of the international system and of our world order. Consequently, as philosophers before our times rightfully attested, the global civil society was founded not merely to preserve the lives of its members; but so that they might live well.
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