Free The New Map of Rising Powers Essay Sample
The world always seem to be divided in to two faced which are either in conflict or rival against one another as they battle for supremacy. This conflict and rivalry is normally elongated due a myriad of political, social and economical issues that sustain the struggles between these sided with each side not wanting to loss its esteem to defeat. The delicate balance in geopolitics has been explored by Michael Klare and Thomas Barnet in two separate analyses exploring the factor behind this rivalry
Michael Klare explores the issues of the worlds current political and rivalry in world inn the book "Rising Power, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy" in which he attributes the current world geopolitics to procession of oil and lack of it. The world today is experiencing a rise in the prices of oil and scarcity of resources. Under such circumstances, Klare is of the opinion that the need and struggle for energy in the world is one of the greatest sources of geopolitical competition especial since the major countries of the world are already in a struggle to gain access the vital sources of energy and control them. These countries have tried several to country energy resources through intervening on the world markets for these resources (. Betts, 45). Such intervention and need to control the sources of energy is mostly characterized by countries that do not have adequate energy resources such oil and depend on importation.
The centralization of the organization of the world around the United States of America which came at the end of the cold war has ensured the U.S totally denominates the world. This dominance by US has encouraged development of global hierarchy characterized by winners and losers; enormous-power politics and energy insecurity which together create a formidable force to disrupt and exterminate he old world hierarchy system that was characterized by multilateral economics regulations and cooperation in (Klare, 70).
In the past there existed an old international energy order which were centralized around those countries that are commonly known as oil producing countries and the production of oil in the Middle East. This world order was surprisingly protected by the U.S. The new world arrangement will however be very fragmented and this will make it very unstable. In presenting his view of the rising of the new world order, Klare precisely draws attention to previous information and data provided by business news found in daily business news papers, magazines and journalistic reports. He entirely ignores that idea that the current high prices may encourage development of new technologies though not entirely. However, power alignments in the global system are likely to shift. This shift and alignment are of great interest to many nations of the world. For instance, if Chain and Russia join to form a block the world would experience a different scenario for that it would experience if Chain and the United States of America together do something on their mutual dependence on energy leading to an upholding of the flow of supplies.
Klare (56) points out that the future of uncertain alliances holds an explosive danger. The world leaders clearly understand that all the materials necessary for survival in addition to oil are finite. Such materials include natural resources such as supplies of uranium, copper, coal, arable land and others. With increase in human population the, these resources are being depleted at an increasing rate. This has increased governments search for resources supplies. It is ironical that a country such as Russia that was considered which was considered a loser at the end of the cold war has quickly transformed to become very influential as a supplier of energy in Europe and Asia. On the other hand the United States has been drown into competition and has to contend with competing with the emerging "chindia" juggernaut. With countries such as china, Russia and India rising as super powers, the only thing left to do is to forge corporation at the global level.
From international realism Klare is right. Countries are always self centered, acting rationally, and seeking power. Countries seek to maximize their security and the ability of survival. However, it would be very difficult for every nation to achieve them without compromising any other nation. This is however difficult to achieve without proper agreement between countries. This dictates the need for International Corporation in order to ensure that world's nations are at peace and not fighting.
On the other hand Liberal internationalist would encourage countries to do as they please by controls the extent to which the get to entangle with one anther. Such was the state of the world during the 80s. According to Bretts 24 Relating internationally through such of international relationships failed top prevent the Second World War. This theory is not applicable, but currently all the nations of the world should come up with suitable cooperation in order to ovoid rivalry and the cutthroat completion that is currently being experienced.
Thomas Barnet also airs his view concerning the current state of the world. He comments on the existing competition and rivalry between nations in the world. Contrary to what Klare believes, Barnet believe that the rivalry and completion is brought about by the need to get integrated in the worlds markets.
According to Barnet (Videod) there is no corporation in the among the world corporation as the countries such as America are only concentrated on protecting themselves leading to suspicion. For instance America has been concerned about her security and set out to stop those she considered as being a threat to her security. In the recent times the United States attacked Afghanistan for housing Al-Qaida and Iraq for suspicion Iraq had a secret nuclear and chemical plans. However, after become victorious inn these battles, America realized that there was no chemical weapons in Iraq. Also America has had a difficult time trying to track down Al-Qaida terrorist, especially Osama, the founder and leader of this terrorist outfit.
There is no doubt that America has the ability to take down most militaries around the world but does not have the ability and capacity for reconstruction and peace after the battle. American if further unable to enlist any kind of support or corporation from other nations, for instance, after winning the battle in Iraq, America tries to get peace keeping force from India, China and Russia unsuccessfully because the countries are not ready to corporate with the United States (Barnet, Video).
Clearly the world lacks the ability and frame work for peace. Barnet (Video) attributed the lack of a framework for world of the design similar to that of the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank which hand financial matters of countries to handle peace issues to various abuse of human right around the world. For instance, many people died in Rwanda in the Rwandan genocide while the rest of the world watched. Burnet (Video) cites Mugabe in Zimbabwe and the late Saddam as being able to torture and mistreat people due to the absence of an international frame work for ensuring that such activities do not take place.
The world human rights groups have no ability to handle such issues other than mobilizing people to make demonstrations shouting slogan and carrying placards demanding punishment for the perpetrators of such in justices. The organizations despite having representative form these countries do luck political back up by the administrations form these countries. The organizations luck the ability to enforce their wishes.
Burnets argument indicates that the world's nations have liberal internationalist relations. Every country is expected to ensure that there is little conflict as much as possible and keep off from interfering with other countries internal issues. Such kind or international relations ensure that those who abuse human right continue doing it for a long time killing many people. Under this kind or relationship ideology, it is very difficult for countries to form any alliance which explains which India, Russia and China were reluctant to take peace keeping forces to Iraq. Barnet further observes that the there countries would be a great challengers of to the United States (Nye, 2010).
Burnet (video) seems to be admitting realist internationalism if difficult to achieve because countries are always concerned on protecting them selves. Burnet (video) further admits that that the united state has invested so much in developing its military at the expense of forage international cooperation. The country is an example of a country that is suspicious of other nations and always wants to protect itself from invisible external aggression.
Rivalry between nation and states had been around for a long time. The rivalry has been responsible for creation of blocks. In the past countries created such blocks and lead to outbreak of major wars in the world. This kind of relationship is as a result of liberal international relations. This ideology has room for International Corporation. The future corporation of countries or states is important in order to realize world peace and avoid the current cutthroat corporation. This can however, only be achieved through adopting the realism international relations ideologies.