Realism and the War on Terror Essay -- essays research papers

Realist thought on external relations fit comfortably within the context of the great contends of the ordinal century. Powerful nations possessing massive military forces took aim at one any(prenominal) other to affect the hierarchical structure of the outside(a) system for the good of their proclaim security and power. These wars, however, differ greatly from todays unconventional war on terrorism. Therefore, the realist theories of yesterday, while still useful, require at least some tweaking to fit the present situation. Probably the most obvious critique of naive realism with regard to the war on terrorism is that it is a theory that deals with international relations. The belligerents in the war on terrorism are non everlastingly conventional nation-states. Therefore, any theory that seeks to explain international relations essential be amended to fit the framework of a situation in which nations are not the only players. This is not simply a field of diction either. Non-state actors do not always act like states possessing a cohesive foreign policy and a desire for self-preservation and advancement. Furthermore, terrorist organizations are not tied to any specific area of land surrounded by well-defined borders that are protected with conventional military forces. This is not to register that terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda and Hezbollah are entirely bleak of the motivations on which traditional nation-sates act like the desire for power, wealth, and security beca...