Introduction
Many challenges that are emerging in the international system have made scholars look for ways to solve such problems. Scholars would rhetorically ask themselves whether nation states approach these challenges in the right manner. Some of the emerging challenge sinclude; global poverty, human rights abuses, climate change, terrorism, and international development. Most nation states have been known to use military force to solve such problems. However, these issues are still present in society. This indicates that alternative solutions are necessary. Conventionally, nation statesshould desist from using military force since it results in additional problems. Places wheremilitary force has been used have been characterized by stunted growth. Very little development can be identified from such areas because most investors shun away and choose to invest in other places. If military action is that destructive,one wonders why nation states embrace it as a first option.
Logic of consequence
The logic of consequence is illustrated through the use of military force to solve problems in the society. It’s quite ironical how mostnation stateshave for a long time used military force to solve emerging issues in society, even after experiencing a continued state of failure. In this regard, most scholars started viewing international politics as a domain of power-seeking behavior where the use ofmilitary forces is always an option. This course of action raises the question of whysuch nations embrace military force to solve issues? In any region where there are conflicts, the use of military force has been the most preferred alternative. Does it mean that such nations only have the option of using the military as a tool for solving issues? This should not be the case because in any given country, there are better professionals and experts to deal with such issues. Negotiations are a key avenue to resolve emerging problems that may face a country.
Terrorism has been a global issue in most nation states in the world. It led nations to seek ways of fighting this problem. Unfortunately,many nations believe that the only way to counter terrorism is sending military personnel to countries that are believed to harbor terrorists. The end result of such fights is the loss of lives and property. Has the issue been countered effectively? The most likely answer to this question would be no. In almost every nation, there has been cases of terror attacks. The latest attack took place at Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya. This saw people lose lives and destruction of property. A total number of 61 people are said to have lost their lives during the attack. Kenyan citizens as well as foreigners were targeted by the terrorists. Many people had major injuries while others suffered minor injuries. Business came to a standstill. An analysis of the Kenyan case provides evidence that the use of military force has not been an effective way of dealing with terrorism.
Most scholars suggest that there is a need for revisiting the methods and strategies being used to fight terrorism. First and foremost, military forces should only be employed as alast resort. This is because when military forces are used, other problems are created. Moreover, the destruction of property and loss of lives is eminent. Other methods of solving conflicts such as the use of negotiation should/could be a viable option. This could lead to the identification of the reasons why terrorists choose to carry out various attacks.
In the case of the Vietnam War, there was destruction of property and the loss of lives yet the objective of using military force was not achieved. In addition, World War I and II show how military forces reinforced the crisis instead of solving the problems that were being experienced in various countries. Although military force could be used to restore peace in a given region, alternative options should be employed.
The use of military forces to solve issues that later led to conflicts among nations,points out that independent nations should be allowed to defend their interests without the use of military help from other nations. When superior countries such as the USA use military forces to restore peace in conflicting countries, they deprive them of their basic and democratic rights. Such countries usually develop a resentment for such superior countries and conflicts may arise. For instance, the USA, UK and Israel have been collectively linked to the murderof Iranian scientists.Fidel Castro categorically stated in the article entitled “What Would Einstein Say?” that the Iranian scientist was mainly killed to frustrate the efforts of Tehran’s nuclear program. He also outlines several other scientists including MajidShahriari and FereydounAbbasi. This provides an avenue for understanding that military forces need to restore peace and not create conflicts among the nations. Adoption of military forces as anoption to fight terrorists should always be used as the last resort.
Historically, there was a challenge of insufficient personnel and resources to fight terrorism. This has made terrorism to remain a major concern amongst many nations. In order to resolve this,nation states embark on hiring and training of military personnel every year. Military personnel form the greatest number of staff globally. However, terrorism has not yet stopped as many incidences are still occurring globally. Its implications are that the strategieswhich these countries used a long time ago should be revised. Consequently, the failure to end terrorismwill continue to be a social problem even forthe next generations. It would also show the existence of failed states in terms of fighting terrorist attacks.
The new challenges that are being reported include; poor fighting equipment such as guns. While the terrorists use the machine guns like AK47, the military personnel use manual guns. This gives the terrorists an upper hand. The military personnel use outdated technology for communication while terrorists use modern technology. This makes the terrorists escape easily since they can effectively monitor the movements of the military personnel. The training that military officers undergo need also to be revised. This is because most military officers do not have adequate knowledge on the use of new technology and equipment. The notion of “acting on command” should be reviewed, in the best interest of curbing terror attacks.Halting such bureaucracy will see the country’s military force able to fight terror attacks majestically.
Other emerging issues are global poverty, human rights abuse, climate change and international development. Again, one wonders whether they really need military forces to solve them, considering the fact that most nations put a lot of resources in the military departments. They forget that such issues exist at societal level. In that case, the nation state’s major concern should be eradicating the problems rationally, in the best interest of all its citizens.Cases of Human rights abuse by the leaders in power have also been reported among the emerging issues that need immediate resolution .
Logic of appropriateness
The logic of appropriateness is a perspective that sees human action as driven by rules of appropriate or exemplary behavior, organized into institutions. For example, economic integration is an appropriate measure taken by nation states to fight the emerging issues in society. Most nations have signed a memorandum of understanding with their neighbors and other nations. Emerging issues such as the international development are being tracked. This is particularly experienced when developing nations request the developed countries to aid them with finances to undertake major developments. Such funding from the developed countries is utilized in the improvement of infrastructure, adoption/import of technology, development of health sector, security among others. Besides, the developments create job opportunities for its citizens.
Integration between nations has led them to take such emerging issues together. For instance the United Nations established UNCHR. This keeps leaders in check so as to ensure that they do not abuse citizens. In addition an international criminal court was established, where leaders who abuse human rights are tried. The end result has, however, not been a total success citing reasons like states which aren’t subscribed to the system. Legal action has become practically impossible to apply against world leaders. Historically, most nations were willing to cooperate with such bodies and take collective responsibility of resolving issues. Additionally, regional integration has made nations eliminate some of the trade barriers so as to ease trading.
Regional integration has also minimized cases of global poverty. It has seen a high degree of international development, through elimination of trade barriers. Moving on, the fight against climate change poses a global challenge.Appropriate actions, especially by the NGOs have been utilized in order to manage the adverse effects. Measures such as the invention of drought resistant crops have been undertaken, in an effort to aid the financially challenged persons living in arid and semi arid regions.
Some nation states have taken it personally when measures of bringing justice are implemented. Recently, the African nations have threatened to withdraw their membership from the Rome statute, citing reasons such as western influence in bringing justice. The challenge here is that it seems that some nations are not yet fully liberated, given that they still are influenced by the traditional balance of power, which the international states take advantage of.
Incorporating values, including religious values into our current secular theories of international relations will affect how we can evaluate these new emerging challenges. In order to fight these emerging challenges we must incorporate them. This is because they are in line with what people are doing. Secular aspects like music encourage people to play a part in solving environmental problems, eradicating poverty by sharing with the needy among others. Religious values need to be incorporated for moral reasons, as well as preaching peace love and unity. This would ensure that people do not engage in terrorist activities as they are against the biblical teachings.
Solving issues such as climate change and human rights can be challenging. When resolving human rights issues, differences in terms of constitutional interpretation may emerge, which could eventually lead todis-unity among leaders. The citizens in that case end up suffering.
When resolving climate change issues, a failure to cooperate has posed a major challenge. Laws regarding the emission of toxic elements in the environment have been disregarded. The alternative of managing the effects of climate change, should be a responsibility of every person. Passing this knowledge globally becomes a major challenge.This makes the bodies that fight for environment such as the UNEP to have a hard time eradicating the problem of climate change.
Logic of consequence will enable nations to meet these challenges. The logic of consequence ensures that nation states cooperate fully. For instance, in a case where human rights have been abused by the leaders in power; with clear rules and regulations, the leaders would understand that there are consequences for their actions. Eventually, this will see such leaders refrain from such activities. It makes people remain committed to perform certain actions. The consequences that may result from a failure to undertake particular tasks. Therefore, understanding of the outcome will make people take precautionary measures.
The logic of consequence may act as an inspirational tool, particularly when people know that they will derive some benefits from the actions. When people are educated on the benefits of tackling the environmental challenges, they will voluntarily undertake the tasks thereby solving the climate change challenge.
In conclusion, solving emerging issues in society is a collective responsibility of everyone. Emerging problems will only be solved when people and nations take theirpersonal responsibility seriously. In addition, there should be continuous and extensive research to seek lasting solutions.
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