Prepare Icon Prepare: Read Chapters 5, 6, and 7 of the course text.
Reflect Icon Reflect: Realist, liberal, and identity perspectives provide excellent insights into today’s contemporary world. The realist perspective generally emphasizes the importance of power in international politics. In general, power is the capacity to influence others to do things that they would otherwise not be likely to do. Power is derived from many sources, but realists often emphasize in particular military power and the control of vital resources. Liberal views of the contemporary world focus on the integrating forces of international institutions and economic interdependence. The 1990s, according to the liberal perspective, provides extensive examples of the role of international institutions in collective security, legitimizing intervention into the affairs of other states. Identity perspectives focus on religious, ethnic, and national differences and on the role of political reform in integrating different groups and promoting tolerance. The identity perspective sees ethnic conflicts as socially created and advocates tolerance and democratization as the most effective answers to those conflicts. Consequently, knowledge of all three perspectives is needed in order to form a coherent, comprehensive picture of today’s international environment.
Write Icon Write: In your initial post of at least 200 words, use one of the major IR perspectives (realist, liberal, or identity) discussed for support to explain which is the greater threat in today’s world: ethnic conflicts or terrorism? Why?
Discuss Icon Respond to Peers: By Day 7, respond to at least two of your classmates’ initial posts. Your peer responses must be at least 75 words each. As your reply to your classmates, attempt to take the conversation further by examining their claims or arguments in more depth or responding to the posts that they make to you. Keep the discussion on target and try to analyze things in as much detail as you can. Make sure you analyze a classmate’s forum answer that applies a different IR perspective than the one you applied. Compare and contrast your response to your classmate’s and assess who has the most credible and valid argument.
Carefully review the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate this Discussion Thread.