The Yegiora Files

Pillar 4 of Vision 2050 makes two very important statements about international relations. We can use to help us argue why it is vital for us to learn about the various international relations theories. Firstly, there is a need to ensure that PNG’s foreign policy reflects the national interest. Secondly, there is a need to increase bilateral relations with the rest of the world and relevant international organizations. Foreign policy is defined by Goldstein (2005) as strategies used by governments to guide their actions in the international arena. He stated that foreign policies spell out the objectives states leaders have decided to pursue in a given relationship or situation as well as the general means by which they intend to pursue those objectives. Day-to- day decisions made by various arms of government are guided by the goal of implementing foreign policy. The analogy of human beings and our personal interest helps us to understand that states behave like humans. All st

The state and non-state actors are common elements when comparing various definitions of foreign policy. That means our discussion about foreign policy will be meaningless without these two actors. “A state is a territorial entity controlled by a government and inhabited by a population. A state government answers to no higher authority; it exercises sovereignty over its territory – to make and enforce laws, to collect taxes, and so forth.”   (Goldstein, 2005: p. 10), To Goldstein (ibid.) states are the most important actors in international relations. His view is supported by his statement that “a state government answers to no higher authority” and also his use of the word sovereignty. His statement relates to the realist notion that ‘states are unitary actors’ . Unitary in this context means the state is made up of different units and is bestowed with authority to act in the interest of the various units. Units compose of the population as the civil society and institutions crea

The emergence and the evolution of the theory is outlined in detail in the different eBooks in the reading folders on the IR202 Theories of International Relations and the IR431 International and Regional Security Moodle webpages. In the folders, there are two eBooks on international relations describing the various theories. A third one is on the key concepts in international relations. Another book is on the key thinkers of international relations. The key thinkers book is important to help you understand the champions in the various theories. One particular champion is Hedley Bull. As an English School Theorist, Bull’s ideas provides pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to help us understand his theoretical premises. Especially, the concepts of ‘order’ and ‘international society’. Griffiths, Roach and Solomon (2009: p. 213) state that in his book ‘The Anarchical Society’ (1977), Bull describes ‘order’ as a pattern of activity that sustains some elementary social goals in society, such as

According to the Human Development Report (HDR) of 1994 (p. 25) economic security requires an assured basic income usually from productive and remunerative work, or some publicly financed safety net. Furthermore, Lawson (2012) says economic security is the freedom from poverty. Poverty is the condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support .  Moreover, Investopedia defines poverty as the state in which a person or community lacks the financial resources and essentials to enjoy a minimum standard of life and well being that is considered acceptable in society.   To understand economic security we need to go back to the Hobbesian features . The features like ‘equality of need’ and ‘scarcity’ in this case can be used to help us understand the issue of economic security. As human beings we need shelter, clothing, water and food but most importantly to have access to these basic needs we need money. Having a basic form of income from either productive or remunerative

“Constructivism derives its name from the fundamental proposition that political actors construct international political relationships out of their own ideas. Relations between certain countries – and international relations in general – are the way that they are because that is how states and people believe them to be. Ideas matter more than material considerations in the conduct of international relations. These ideas can be of oneself, of a particular “Other,” or of the international state system in general. In the words of leading Constructivist scholar Alexander Wendt, “anarchy is what states make of it.” Dynamics “Constructivism can work on two levels. First is the individual, internal state level. Most constructivism looks at the internal characteristics of individual states and societies to determine their interests and likely behavior. All constructivists agree that state interests are problematic – that is, they cannot be taken for granted as in Realism. Constructivism doe

International relations is all about theories. The different theories help us to explain or understand how states and non-state actors behave or interact. It is important that we ground ourselves with knowledge about the theories to help us become better policy makers with the hope of fulfilling the Vision 2050 strategic plan. The theory of Constructivism according to Griffiths, Roach and Solomon (2009) focuses on the social interaction of agents and actors in world politics. They said, state interaction reflects a learning process in which action shapes, and is shaped by, identities, interest and values over time. Griffiths, O’Callaghan and Roach (2008) defines constructivism as a distinct approach to international relations that emphases the social, or intersubjective, dimensions of world politics. State interaction is understood as a pattern of action that shapes or is shaped by identities over time. In comparison, Goldstein (2005) defines constructivism as a movement in internat

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