POLS 170 - International Politics

Drew Augustine  https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/02/22/invasion-russia-ukraine-pay-off/ https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/why-nato-has-become-flash-point-russia-ukraine?gclid=CjwKCAiAsNKQBhAPEiwAB-I5zYA_f8Qo1v5xMxmbb_un7wt_Dd0uvfC5c9Qg3utF57aXnAN8SJiJixoCmcAQAvD_BwE https://nationalinterest.org/blog/techland-when-great-power-competition-meets-digital-world/ukraine-russia-has-more-cyber-tricks

 Jack Cahalane Professor Shirk POLS 170 February 23, 2022 Russia-Ukraine Conflict https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-recognition-independence-areas-east-ukraine-extends-territory-83038055 https://www.reuters.com/world/white-house-announce-fresh-sanctions-russia-over-ukraine-2022-02-22/ https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/putin-support-security-council-ukraine-83037165

Blake Burchill International Politics  Russia and Ukraine articles CBS News live updates 1. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/russia-ukraine-conflict-live-updates-n1288990 CNBC- Biden faces pressure to put tougher sanctions on Russia with tension rising 2. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/22/putin-orders-troops-into-eastern-ukraine-invasion-of-ukraine-has-begun-javid-says.html AP News- Lawmakers gave Putin permission to use force outside of Russia 3. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-europe-russia-vladimir-putin-46cef648807d0e3c2bac9793ad9022a6     

  https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/22/world/russia-ukraine - Live updates from the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/article/russia-ukraine-nato-europe.html - Explanation and background information for Ukraine and Russia conflict https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/russia-and-ukraine-the-tangled-history-that-connects-and-divides-them - History of Ukraine and Russia's relationship

Morgenthau created his six principles of political realism which have been studied and used as a basis for many people. Tickner had a lot of critiques Morgenthau’s principles “that it is a partial description of international politics because it is based on assumptions about human nature that are partial and that privilege masculinity.” I can see both of their arguments and I agree with one of them on some points while I agree with the other on different points. When it comes to both of their first points, I side with Tickner that dynamic objectivity should be used rather than Morgenthau who said politics are governed by objective laws. I also agree with Tickner and her second point that states there is no set national interest. Morgenthau said that interest was defined in terms of power but interest throughout a state varies. Not everyone agrees on everything and feels the same depending on what the subject is. I agree with points made by both parties when it comes to the third po...

Cassie Lawler International Politics: POLS 170-03 Professor Shirk Due: Thursday, February 3, 2022 Blog Post #1 The Juxtaposition of Conceptions of Power Power has been a concept synonymous with domination, masculinity, and absolute control for centuries. Despite the misemployment and overuse of the word “power” in this context, a multitude of different structures and dynamics have emerged and made room for control in many different realms. Power takes shape in many forms, the majority of which are seemingly unrecognizable due to their subtle nature.  In an ever evolving society and world that is increasingly technological, soft power is a  , and is oftentimes indiscernible. Soft power can disseminate biased beliefs through mainstream media, television and movies, education, but above all reputation and appeal. In practice, people are much more likely to commend a state or institution if they have a reputation rather than if they outwardly claim to. For example, the United Stat...

 Blake Burchill Reading from  Keohane and Martin Why Institutions Have More Negatives Than Generally  Perceived International institutions have been around for quite some time in our history. Examples of these institutions are NATO and the UN. There are plenty of reasons why they were put in place but the most notable reason is for maintaining peace and security. Having institutions in place leads to peace amongst the states in the institution and having allies would make it hard for other states to want to go to war with them. While as we have seen in the past, wars still happen, however it is said that institutions stopped WWIII and ended the Cold War. The states in these institutions are also benefited economically through the trust that has been established with fair logical trade. Though it would seem that institutions are nothing but beneficial for the world, the question is if institutions are even necessary for peace, security and fair trade. Many people who see...

  Jack Cahalane Professor Shirk POLS 170 February 2, 2022 Blog #1     The Melian Dialogue by Thucydides describes a situation in which the Athenian army gives the inhabitants of the island of Melos, Greece an ultimatum: surrender and join Athens or die. The Melian Dialogue presents a fascinating example of coercion through the use of hard power and the importance of soft power in situations such as this one. While reading this, I realized not only the extant coercion can play in political situations, especially military examples in times of war, but furthermore the importance soft power truly can play in place of resorting to hard power. In this example, wherein the Melians were given the choice between surrendering and joining Athens or dying, the use of coercion is epitomized. As described in class, power can be expressed in a number of ways and can also be defined in a variety as well. Whether it be the coercion of one "man's" will over another "man," the inf...

  In Tickner’s Hans Morgenthau’s Principles of Political Realism: A Feminist Reformulation , she argues that using a feminist perspective in International Relations could lead to alternate courses of action when it comes to international political issues. Her article presents the focus of International Relations through Morgenthau’s principles of political realism, of which the primary concern is power and security. Morgenthau defines these terms in international politics as “masculine”, which is an explanation of why women are considered not present or fully qualified to participate in political affairs. Morality is objective in the long run because when it comes to international affairs, there is no way to appease all parties in a just and rapid manner. In today's political climate, the definition of morality and personal morals are completely different which makes international affairs of any scale subject to critique on whether or not it was moral. This is one of the main prin...