EU as an International Actor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

EU as an International Actor - Essay Example In the contemporary world, a whole host of issues compete for attention due to the proliferation of issues that every world theory seeks to privilege. These theories are realism, liberalism, and constructivism (Lott, 2004, p 58). Realism centers of the changing allocation of power between countries, liberalism focuses on the mounting amount of democratic states and the unrest of democratic transitions. Constructivism (idealism) highlights the changing customs of sovereignty, international justice, human rights and the rising potency of religious ideologies in politics. The impact of these intellectual constructs stretches far beyond classrooms and committees. EU legislators and public observers appeal to elements of all hypotheses when articulating solutions to international issues quandaries. International relations theories inform and shapes and the thinking of the community thinkers who interpret and propagate academic ideas (Kagan, 2004, p 42). Realism theory perceives that global politics are driven by competitive self-interest. As such, its proponents believe that the critical dynamic among nations is a struggle for supremacy in a bid by each nation to preserve and/ or to improve its military security and economic wellbeing in rivalry with other nations. Proponents view the power struggle as a zero-sum game whereby a gain in one nation is inexorably a loss for others. The realism extends to view humankind as inherently being divided by national loyalty to nations or other foci like culture and religion. Realist theory developed resulting from the failure to safeguard peace after the First World War. World War I caught many by surprise, and the blame was directed on the real politic strategies pursued by the major European powers. An idealist movement emerged that campaigned for lofty rules like morality and democracy in while conducting global relations.