The Yegiora Files

The Human Development Report of 1994 state that food security means that all people at all times have both physical and economic access to food. Not just enough food  to go around but also have ready access to food.  The problem identified in the report is the distribution of food and the lack of purchasing power. When countries do not equally distribute food because of their inability to purchase in a large quantity what they need means that in many countries around the world people do not have physical and economic access to food at all times. In order to understand the issue of food security we have to discuss the Hobbesian features . There are four features which helps us to understand society. Two of which are part of our human nature and the other two are considered as universal conditions.  Firstly, Hobbes says that all people are equal in strength and intelligence. No single person is so smart or powerful that they can not be defeated or outwitted by someone else. This equ

During our reading on the nature of international law according to Shaw (2009, p. 7) we learned that international law cannot solve every problem in the international system. There are different laws aimed at solving various issues from nuclear weapons to the discrimination against women. The controversial music video by Tati Mangi called ‘bootyLicious’ was used to discuss the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and its inability to solve the problems associated with discrimination against women. According to PNG Loop , the Chief Censor Steven Mala said this clip was banned because it was culturally inappropriate. Apart from culture, he also said that it was against our Christian beliefs. For example, the other statement that Mala made in regards to integrity and decency is in one way or another related to the CEDAW. Article 1 tries to help us understand the meaning of the phrase “Discrimination against women” . This particular article can be inte

By Cornelia Navari Source: Williams, P. D. (Ed.). (2008). Security studies: an introduction . London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. “The ‘democratic peace’ thesis is the argument that liberal states do not fight wars against other liberal states. It was first enunciated in a keynote article by Michael Doyle in the journal Philosophy and Public Affairs (Doyle 1983). Doyle argued that there was difference in liberal practice towards other liberal societies and liberal practice towards non-liberal societies. Among liberal societies, liberalism had produced a cooperative foundation such that ‘constitutionally liberal states have yet to engage in war with one another’. Doyle based his findings on David Singer’s Correlates of War Project (COW) at Michigan University and the COW’s list of wars since 1816. Using the list, Doyle observed that almost no liberal states had fought wars against other liberal states, and that in the two instances in which it seemed that liberal states had

By Cornelia Navari Source: Williams, P. D. (Ed.). (2008). Security studies: an introduction . London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. Immanuel Kant was an enlightenment philosopher (some would say the greatest enlightenment philosopher), often noted for his approach to ethics. (Kant argued that moral behaviour resulted from moral choices and that these were guided by an inner sense of duty – when individuals behave according to duty, they were being moral.) But he was not only an ethicist; he philosophized the ‘good state’ as well as its international relations. According to Kant, the only justifiable form of government was republican government, a condition of constitutional rule where even monarchs ruled according to the law. Moreover, the test of good laws was their ‘universalizability’ – the test of universal applicability. The only laws that deserved the name of ‘law’ were those one could wish everyone (including oneself) obeyed. Such laws become ‘categorical imperative

Central theme Concentrates on the role of international institutions in mitigating conflict (Navari, 2008). Dynamics As expressed by Navari (2008), Robert Keohane and Robert Axelrod point to the ability of institutions such as the UN to redefine state roles and act as arbitrators in state disputes. Although institutions cannot transform anarchy, they can change the character of the international environment by influencing state preferences and state behaviour. International institutions influence state preference and behaviour by using a variety of methods that either create strong incentives or disincentives for cooperation like; 1)       Favourable trade status – Most Favourable Nation (MFN) is a tag given to states where preferential treatment is given when trading with each other to foster cooperation among states.   Investopedia “A level of status given to one country by another and enforced by the World Trade Organization . A country grants this clause to another nation

By Colin Elman and Michael A. Jensen Source: Williams, P. D. (Ed.). (2008). Security studies: an introduction . London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. Central theme Suggest that what states do depends in large part on influences located at the domestic level of analysis. Dynamics Employs a ‘transmission belt’ approach to foreign policy, which illustrates how systemic pressures are filtered through variables at the unit-level to produce specific foreign policy decisions. Agree that distribution of capabilities is a good starting point for the analysis of foreign policy decision-making. Pressures from the international system are often unclear and indeterminate. International arena is murky and difficult to read, threats and opportunities are not easily identifiable and the range of possibilities open to statesmen for meeting strategic goals is practically infinite. These challenges are mitigated by variables at the unit-level which often intervene between the international

By Colin Elman and Michael A. Jensen Source: Williams, P. D. (Ed.). (2008). Security studies: an introduction . London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. What is rise and fall realism? Rise and fall realism remerge as a powerful alternative to the balance of power theories that predominated international relations scholarship during the 1950’s. Central theme Hegemony is the foundation for peace while balance is often associated with war (Organski). Dynamics Rise and fall realism emphasizes that war between major powers is least likely when the international system is dominated by a single state and when there are no rising challengers vying for system leadership. Given its privileged position, a dominant state is capable of shaping the rules and practices of the international system in such a way as to satisfy its selfish interest. Stability is a product of this hegemonic order, as states which are dissatisfied with the status quo lack the capabilities to change it.