International Relations Essay - 1,698 words

International Relations To start with I want to say that international relations are a complex set of ideas, policies, regulations, believes and ways of communications. In order to define what does international relations mean indeed we need to look closely at the factors that influence their formation and development. First of all I believe that idealism played and plays a great role in formation of the international relations. I will prove the relevance of idealism in international relations in the world today. But let me first explain what it is and what its core principles. Idealism has six key principles according to Kegley, a neoidealist scholar. The first one states that human nature is essentially good or altruistic, and people are therefore capable of mutual aid and collaboration.


The second principle says that the fundamental human concern for the welfare of others makes progress possible. The third principle claims that bad human behavior is the product not of evil people but of evil institutions and structural arrangements that motivate people to behave selfishly and to harm others, including making war. In the fourth principle it is stated that war is not inevitable and its frequency can be reduced by eradicating the anarchical conditions that encourage it. The fifth key element of idealism says that war and injustice are international problems that require collective rather than national efforts to eliminate them. The final principle by Kegley says that international society must reorganize itself institutionally to eliminate the anarchy that makes problems such as war likely. Idealism can be greatly seen during the after-WWII years.


It also remains till nowadays and can be traced in various conflicts between eth countries. It gives the people reasons for a conflict or impure communication. It also gives the idea of how this international conflict can be terminated through international institutions and the spreading of democracy. On the whole, idealism gives me some faith in this world and mankind by proving that cooperation between nations is possible in this world of anarchy. Another thing that influences the formation and development of international relations is religion. Religion is arguably the most influential component in the lives of people, world wide.


It often determines their daily schedules and practices. It is hard then to imagine how anyone could believe that religion does not instrumentally effect international relations. Besides being a key component and catalyst for war, religion is a tool that unites people across national boundaries. Taking as an example the Catholic Church I can say that it specifically has used this power to make an international impact. This impact can be seen not only in the Catholic churches domestic impact of individual countries, but also in its international impact in times of both war and peace. This tie of shared values and customs across national boundaries is a clear example of the international powers of religion.


The Catholic Church possesses a truly strong international power. It also has a strong stand against nuclear war and what impact this has had on the use or non use of nuclear weapons. Besides the influence that the Church has in the domestic affairs of countries throughout the world is very big. Religion is a component that most neo-realist scholars do not consider when they are looking at the cause and effect of war and or peace. However, with the power of international non - governmental regimes such as the Catholic Church, it is obvious that religion and specifically Catholicism has a profound effect on international happenings. The Catholic Church had a tremendous impact on the cold war and the fall of communism.


It did this partly through a human rights campaign. This campaign had a tremendous effect on the fall of communism. What is the Catholic Churches anti-nuclear weapons stance? According to the Vatican II council "the arms race is an utterly treacherous trap for humanity, and on which ensnares the poor to an intolerable degree." The reason for this fear is the mass amounts of money and resources directed toward the arms race. The Catholic Church was well aware that the first to lose out on programs or governmental support would be the poor. For this reason they saw the arms race not only as immoral for its possible human destruction but also immoral for diverting funds from those who needed them most. There is also the question of the morality of using and or stockpiling nuclear weapons.


The church has many problems with these weapons that kill indiscriminately. "It [Neutron bomb] would leave property, but not people, intact". These weapons of mass destruction are clearly immoral for use. Not to mention the clear numbers of deaths that would result from a nuclear exchange. The church argued heavily that any sort of nuclear battle is inherently immoral. Some believe that the Catholic Church helped to create what we know now as the Nuclear Taboo. Some may be surprised by the Catholic churches strong stance against deterrence as a way ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: catholic church, international relations, catholic, nuclear weapons, international affairs

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