Essay Realism, Liberalism and Feminism

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Pages: 7

Realism, Liberalism and Feminism
In our modern world we can communicate instantly worldwide, cook a full meal in under a minute, and have enough weapons to destroy not only our planet but just about any planet that gives us a funny look. Of course while technology progresses at its incredible rate, we squabble and argue over who gets what, and what they can or cannot do with it, whether or not that is what it is or if it is something that it truly isn't… and frankly it's all very confusing. Luckily all of the crazy talk is sorted into convenient theories from which we can pick and choose. In this paper liberalism, realism and feminism will be examined and compared. One of the more predominant theories, realism, gained a lot of support
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A liberal thinker would be more in favor a collective security organization in times of hostility, in other words a council of world leaders that exists to prevent any one country from attacking another thusly acting in both long-term self and group interest. A realist might favor a collective defense agreement because it benefits the short-term self-interest of the nation by increasing defenses, but does not infringe on any abilities of the country, such as invading another country on its own accord without needing permission from council members. Liberals denounce the idea states themselves are the most important actors in world politics and say that individuals and non-governmental organizations must be included as well. One of the main differences between the two theories is the definition of ‘rationality'. Realists believe that rational behavior constitutes an individual trying to constantly maximize his or her short-term interests, whereas a liberal believes that rational actors should ignore individual short-term interests in favor of maximizing long-term communal interest. Thusly not only maximizing self-interests as a part of the community, but helping the others around you accomplish the same goal. Within liberal theory, military aggression is not an acceptable form of leverage; it is relatively costly especially compared to negotiation or diplomacy. Liberals also oppose the realists' anarchical view of