Political Science - International Relations

Political Science - International Relations

Choose a recent international event and discuss the power capabilities that participants used as leverage in the episode. Which capabilities were effective, and which were not? Why?

One of the most controversial international events of recent memory is that of the United States' invasion of Iraq. The United States has superior military power in comparison to Iraq, but after unseating Iraq's dictator Saddam Hussein, it faced the collective international pressure of the international community to create a stable government in the Middle Eastern nation. The power to militarily win a war did not translate into political capital or win the Iraqi citizen's hearts and minds, especially after the basic infrastructure of Iraq became so damaged, it was almost impossible for people to live normal lives.

Today, the U.S. is being pressured by its citizens and the nations of the world to withdraw, but it has a responsibility and a national interest to support the government it helped to install and an economic interest not to leave Iraq in chaos. This is proving increasingly difficult, given the intense divisions present within Iraqi between Sunnis and Shiites. Iraqis of different religious and political factions are using the power of popular opinion to incite loyalists to resist the U.S., often through acts of terror and violence. Even many ordinary Iraqi citizens are angry at the carnage and disruption of their normal lives, and even if they are not engaged in acts of terrorism, they may turn a blind eye to militant groups with a presence in their neighborhoods, so long as those groups protest the U.S. presence.

The tide is turning against the United States, internationally and inside of the Iraqi nation. However, the Iraqis remain divided amongst themselves, so the U.S. And Iraqis exist in a kind of stalemate. Recently, "variously as [militia groups like the] Concerned Local Citizens, Awakening Councils and the Sons of Iraq, have been killed in clashes with Qaeda fighters and Shiite militia groups," the United States has tried to quell inflamed tensions (Solomon & Mizher 2008). However, this has proved difficult, because of U.S. blunders, like the recent accidental killing of Iraqi civilians, and all that the U.S. has been able to do is to meet "with a sheik representing the citizens of the local area" and state in a press release "that the mistake was under investigation" (Solomon & Mizher 2008).

Find a real life example of a small state in the global South that bargained with a great power about an issue where your interests diverged. Briefly describe the outcome. Imagine you are the leader of this poor state. What leverage and strategies could you bring into play to improve the outcome for your state?

On January 1, 2008 "the last tariffs on corn, beans, sugar and milk were lifted under the North American Free Trade Agreement, completing a 14-year transition to an open market between Mexico, the United States and Canada"(McKinley 2008). However, many Mexican farmers of these products agree with the sentiments of one small Mexican farmer: "We cannot compete against this monster, the United States...It's not worth the trouble to plant. We don't have the subsidies. We don't have the machinery," and say that the high prices of fuel and fertilizer make it impossible to make a living (McKinley 2008). Unlike U.S. farmers, Mexican farmers receive no subsidies from their national government. In the hopes of gaining economic opportunities, the Mexican government had entered NAFTA with the U.S. However, Mexico's concessions regarding agricultural provisions of the bill have had a disproportionately negative impact upon Mexican farmers.