REALISM'S TENDENCY FOCUS ON MILITARY

Is Realism's tendency to focus on military power relevant in the 21st century?

Is Realism's tendency to focus on military power relevant in the 21st century?

On March 19th, 2011, The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation began its military intervention in Libya with aerial and naval bombardments across the country in support for the abolition of leader Muammar Gaddafi. Coincidentally, this same date marked the eighth year of the American invasion of Iraq, a conflict now perceived as a military catastrophe which questions the Government's exploitation of Realism as a valid model of the global political stage through the complete undermining for Democracy before and during the occupation.

Realism as a theory of International Relations refers to States in constant power struggles against each other. Security is taken as a highest priority and Anarchy is seen as a valid need to perpetuate this power through armaments and defence mechanisms. As the United States is the most powerful military and economical country in the world, this theory is not relevant today. Despite their capabilities, this country has exploited Realism through false security concerns to increase their national interests in the Middle East region. This has not only minimised the U.S. Government's legitimate conduct to protect its national sovereignty, it has created far more profound security concerns in Iraq before the invasion was even undertaken.

The conduct of the United States in implementing Democracy has been lacklustre since the beginning of the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988. In December 1983, U.S. President Ronald Reagan sent special envoy Donald Rumsfield to meet Saddam Hussein, supplying food, finance and chemical weaponry in assistance for this prolonged war. This relationship between Washington and Baghdad developed despite awareness of the illegitimacy and unstable predictability this leader served for the Iraqi population and his surrounding neighbours. Such reckless behaviour of the United States exemplified a blind eye of several atrocities including the Anfal campaign (February 23rd- September 6th 1988), which saw the systematic extermination of 182,000 Kurdish Iraqis under Ali-Hassen al-Majid ('Chemical Ali'), who served as the Secretary General of the Ba'ath Party's Northern Bureau (Ashley, 2004, pp. 225). The responsibility as a legitimate, Democratic role model had failed for the United States and presented to the Middle East a country hovering its national interests above humanitarian concerns for the international community. However, this failure should not be shadowed over an entire nation albeit directed towards the careless individuals of the Bush Administrations who masterminded a corrupt ideal for a new Iraq ultimately causing expiration of the need for Realism within current International Relations.

After the first Gulf War concluded (February 28th, 1991), The U.S. State Department became in cooperation with several Iraqi opposition groups in what could have sparked the diplomatic opening for regime change in Iraq without the need for further, excessive violence. (Bellamy, 2003, p. 499) With a no-fly zone established in Iraqi Kurdistan on April 5th, 1991, and up to 60% of the Iraqi population securing assistance from the United Nations 'Oil for Food' ...