ideal representation of realism
To the majority of scholars, the cold war is an ideal representation of realism in action Realism idealism, and Economic Structuralism is considered to be the two significant theories of international policy. As theories of international policy, idealism and realism provides the necessary concepts necessary for the comprehension of global events and also help in explaining the outcome of global politics. Some scholars have, however, shifted towards the globalization theories as an alternative to liberalism and realism theories.
Realism
It is an international relations ideology and was very dominant in the era of the cold war. The overriding assumption of realism is the state interest and power acts as the determinants of the constraints of operation of world politics. This is based on the assumption that the primary actors of international relations, including international bodies and multinational corporations and other institutions of intergovernmental such as the United Nations, play a minor role and are not that important. It postulates that the nation is the dominant actor. The second assumption of realism, the state is considered to be a unitary actor that presents solidarity and speaks with one voice. The state is viewed as a standard stand to the world. This is, however, dealt with and corrected by authorities to present a common unified voice due to the availability of different and dissent opinions.
According to realism, the state is regarded as a rational unitary actor that implements the objectives of the country through the employment of rational decision making means that considers the feasible available alternatives for the state to make the best decision. Even though realists confirm that the process of decision-making may incorporate lack of information, uncertainty, and bias, they still believe that the choices made by the state will be considered as the best satisfactory decision. Then realists also assume that the national priority is the priority at the heart international relations among various states (Oğuzlu, 2013). To the realists, the main thing of concern is the potential and the actual conflicts existing between states and the employment of the military to prevent territorial violations and disputes.
In summary, it is the belief of the realists that other nations are aggressive and anarchic with territorial expansion being their main agenda
Liberalism
In liberalism, the NGOs, multinational corporations, and the international institutions are considered as the non-state actors. They are dominant actors in international relations hence important (Kavehpishghadam, Ghasemi, & Ghaedi, 2013). When settling a political agenda on the international level, they affirm the influence of a considerable amount. They help in the shaping of the political events in the host nations besides playing significant roles in international relations because nations are increasingly depending on the global economy.
Realists argue that the state is not a unified entity which is contrary to what is postulated in liberalism. Liberalism states that politics complexity ensures that the actors of the state are subjected to external elements constantly, including non-state and other states entities. This is unlike what is believed by realists that the country is disaggregated into a number of components that are competing, interest groups and bureaucracies that influence the foreign policies. Realism considers that there is the compromise, conflict, coalition building and competition as expected in politics of a state. The notion that the state is a rational actor is challenged by the liberalists since it is brought about by the fact that the nation is not regarded as a unitary factor (Oğuzlu, 2013). They argue that optimal and the best decision cannot be reached by a process that is subject to a counter-coalition and coalition building, compromising and bargaining. The fact that it can lead to a making of a decision with very minimum consensus from a winning coalition does not insinuate that the process of decision-making is rational. In liberalism, factors that should dominate the politics of the world besides the military and national security are the ever-changing world issues such as environment, social welfare, and the economy. A strong and credible explanation of the manner in which the global interactions unfolds is provided by the two theories though it is important to note that the interactions are subject to change just like the environment of the world. It is my conclusion that indeed realism provided a better explanation with regards to the twentieth century, however, with the examination of the present events, it is evident that the political atmosphere of the world has gone through a transformation. Based on this global change, is better to summarize that liberalism gives a more concrete explanation of the current world hence best explains the international system.
Economic Structuralism
Technology has good and bad results in today’s society. Another way the world works is by trade. Trade is another big resource we use in the world, without trade we wouldn’t have as much resources as we do, there would be no goods causing more monopolies. Trade also goes along with the technology aspect because trade encourages different technology between the different countries. Without natural resources the world wouldn’t be the same due to the interaction with the more developed and undeveloped countries, we consume lots of resources from our environment on a daily basis, the resources we use to maintain varies in many different ways, such as the food we eat today such as fish and the heating and cooling in our homes. The political views such as government is important in how the world works because without a stable government there wouldn’t be any rules to follow leading the people in the community to act in a way they shouldn’t be acting. Political powers drives our society in a major way.