INT204: International Security

Anarchy in popular culture stands and means lawlessness, complete chaos and violence, But in International relations, it simply stands for the absence of higher authority. When we say the international realm is anarchic, we mean there is no one above states that can exercise power, at least on paper there is no hierarchy between states and all states are independent and sovereign bodies. if a conflict arises between state A and state B, where state A attacks state B, state B has to defend itself or ask other states for help, but there is no higher authority to resolve the conflict or tell state A what to do. Theories such as liberalism and realism say that the international system is naturally anarchic and suggest how a state should or might act in this anarchic world, while constructivists say the reality is constructed and anarchy does not determine conflictual or cooperative behaviour and “anarchy is what states make of it”. Realists claim that the international system is anarchi

  The level of humanitarian suffering in Syria is beyond imagination. Even the best of experts did not expect that Syria would be in the midst of the worst humanitarian crisis the world has witnessed, ten years down the line, but sadly, keeping the media fatigue aside, Syria’s situation remains dystopic. If we compare the amount of investment to fuel this war,  compared to the money to alleviate the impact of this war on the Syrians, the people who have borne the brunt of this crisis, it's very little. More than a decade full of war and hostility has left a very nerve-wracking impact on Syria, birthing and catalyzing mass displacement, devastated public infrastructure, a shattered environment and economy; and thus a full-fledged humanitarian crisis. This, on top of the COVID-19 pandemic has left more than 14 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, 6.5 million of which are children. As elaborated in my previous post, the referent object here remains the Syrian population

  Viewing covid-19 through International relations theories The Covid-19 epidemic is a worldwide threat that requires a worldwide response. However, while states show some international collaboration, their actual behaviours are primarily competitive and self-centered.Covid-19 has proven to be one of this generation's most significant worldwide issues. A pandemic knows no national borders, and Covid-19 has put international cooperation to the test. With its interwoven supply chains, continual trans-border flows of products, services, and money, and seamless people-to-people contact, the globalised, interconnected globe is particularly prone to pandemics. The quick spread of Covid-19 from China, where it originally appeared, to the rest of the world is emblematic of our times in this era of hyper-globalization. Logic would argue that concerted international action is both necessary and doable because effectively combating the pandemic is in everyone's best interests.Given the co

  "Our commitment to a stable and free and peaceful Afghanistan is a long-term commit- ment." President Bush Statement with Afghanistan's President Karzai (George. W. Bush, 2009)  Afghanistan has been referred to as the “graveyard of invaders”. Following the withdrawal of US military forces in August, Taliban fighters assumed control of practically all of Afghanistan. The Taliban swiftly took control of major cities, and by the 15th of August, the Taliban had taken control of Kabul, and the Afghan government had collapsed. The evacuation of many at-risk Afghans from Kabul's airport was hampered by chaos and violence. The Taliban's military triumphs in rural regions were expected and foreseen, but the conquest of Kabul and the immediate submission of the official Afghan authorities became the regional geopolitics' "black swan." Women’s rights and freedom as well as media and journalistic freedom was curtailed. Not only was it a big shock to the intern

  Theories are essential to all disciplines let alone IR. In IR, theories may be understood as a pair of glasses with different colored lenses i.e each theory showing the same event with a different perspective. While theories, help interpret reality, through different perspectives it is also essential to note, they are not neutral, ie “ theory is always for someone and for some purpose.’​ (Cox, 1986)  This essay that grapples with a realist’s, liberalists and constructivist’s analysis on the the withdrawal of U.S troops from Afghanistan,  needs to be prefaced with the note that this essay  does not provide a birds eye view of the security situation at hand; something essential in understanding security threats, in order to prevent silencing of insecurity or subsuming of security (Hansen, 2000) and further marginalization of referent objects. Lastly, this mainstream theoretical  analysis of the Crisis in Afghanistan, also assumes the absoluteness of security, which is not the case. Whi

  Human Rights, Yemen, and Theoretical Fissures  Bayan lives with her father and brother in a camp for internally displaced people in Mokha. Photo: WFP/Hebatallah Munassar Human rights are inalienable, or so they say. The gross violation of human rights in Yemen seems to go against the very phrase itself. In continuation to my last blog, I would like to give recent updates on the already worsened crisis and the deteriorating situation in Yemen.  David Gressly, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen addressed the problem as ‘getting worse and must be addressed immediately'.  Nearly three-quarters of Yemen's population is in quest of aid. This represents a rise of over three million people from the year 2021 forward. Last year's escalation of violence resulted in untold misery and greater interruption of public services which increased humanitarian needs. Another result of the seven-year war is a crumbling economy which is expected to lead to a record 19 million people needin

                                      “We see things not as they are, but as we are” -Anais Nin My understanding of self is both shaped by worldly experience and my own interpretations of objective reality. My perception of self and security was very limited and skewed until I was not introduced to the critical theories. At first, I was introduced to the mainstream theories like realism and liberalism, which takes existing power structures as given and make an attempt to maintain the status quo. Realists have a very pessimistic view about security, as they look at security as freedom from the threat of ‘military and war’. But as I was introduced to constructivist and critical theories my understanding of self and security evolved. Self is not only embedded in power structure but is embodied and has some physical needs and aspirations. Through different discursive practices, we do not make sense of the reality out there but these discursive practices also help us in constituting rea