Institutions and International Relations Question
In her essay on the barriers to cooperation that limit effective communication between state actors within the international arena, Jennifer Sterling-Folker posits that three primary types of barriers to cooperation exist in the realm of international relations: Domestic, Structural, and Cognitive. According to Sterling-Folker, the domestic political climate within a pair of seemingly willing allies may preclude them from engaging in productive diplomatic negotiations, such as when impending national elections cause national policymaking to refocus on internal affairs. Structural barriers include the lack of common ground between communist and capitalist economies, and the gulf in understanding which separates dictatorships and democracies. Cognitive barriers are those which arise from ideological motivations, such as theocracies refusing to communicate with competing religions, or secular states scoffing at the religious norms of their neighbors. The liberal concept of interdependence, or providing a clear incentive to cooperate through the construction of complex institutions, is also discussed by Sterling-Folker, who observes that barriers to communication within world politics is due to the fact that nations invariably develop as autonomous entities with unique political, social, and economic structures.
Friedman vs. Duiker \"The Dell
At first blush, Friedman's "Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention" and Duiker's "fragmentation" theory might seem to conflict. In fact, the authors' ideas are not mutually exclusive and do not conflict. Friedman's theory holds that the interdependence of national economies via global supply chains make those involved nations reluctant and/or less likely to go to war against each other. Meanwhile, Duiker's "fragmentation" argument asserts that societies may react against globalization to preserve local businesses, jobs, identities, meaning and purpose. Both ideas support modern economic realities and both authors are correct.