Our realist "spheres of influence" arrangement for international order then runs into a significant wall, namely, the Middle East. The question is: who gets to control it? The last few years has proven that it is surely not the United States. By losing Afghanistan, it has been proven that the United States cannot control the … Continue reading The Middle East and the International System
Tag: russia
The Virtues of Anarchy
In a word, cause and effect. If the cause is structure, and structure is anarchic, meaning that there is no supreme government over governments, then anarchy leads to a pattern of behavior among states which is characterized first and foremost by fear, self-help, and power maximization. This is perhaps the basic and inherent logic embedded in the theory of … Continue reading The Virtues of Anarchy
An Odd Tradeoff
One might ask: how do alliances figure into what is essentially a self-help system? The answer is that alliances are temporary, not permanent. Certain states will band together when a common threat arises, and as soon as the common threat is dealt with, the alliance dissolves, as in the case of the alliance between Russia, China, Iran, … Continue reading An Odd Tradeoff
Structures and Strategies
A self-help system means that the idea or notion of “collective security” is a non sequitur. If the system is a self-help system, which it is, then you cannot derive or deduce “collective security” from the basic logic or structure of the system that is based on self-help. Nevertheless, smaller countries in Europe, and countries … Continue reading Structures and Strategies
The Brooding Shadow of Violence
The primary focus of the major powers (America, Russia, and China) is the material capabilities of one another. When the material capabilities of each major power changes, so does the balance or the distribution of power between them. And that is exactly what has occurred in recent years. America’s drive into egregious debt has led … Continue reading The Brooding Shadow of Violence
Adam A. Azim 