POLS170 Blog Group 0203

  Blog Post #1 - POLS170 Gaby LoBue A Deterrence Strategy in the Russian Invasion on Ukraine   The unnerving threats of nuclear weapons is one of the latest developments in the Russian invasion on Ukraine, with President Vladimir Putin placing their weapons on high alert as sanctions are imposed on their involvement in the international economy. The question looming is if Russian forces are willing to engage in a nuclear war, considering the consequences this may have on international relations. From the United State’s perspective, it appears that officials are willing to do everything to prevent further attacks on Ukraine, not including military efforts. These attempts are shaping into a deterrence strategy on both sides, where the United States is trying to block Russian leaders from pursuing both nuclear and military operations, and Russia threatening greater attacks. The deterrence strategy was first used in the Cold War by the United States towards the Soviet’s i...

  https://nationalinterest.org/feature/do-russian-troops-belarus-mean-war-inevitable-200717 https://nationalinterest.org/feature/why-russia-and-ukraine-are-likely-headed-escalation-their-war-189947 I as a jew find it quite repulsive when events in the modern-day or regimes are compared to the Nazi regime in 1930/40s Germany, however, after recent events, I feel pretty safe saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking and has taken steps to escalate and start a conflict with Ukraine. While the Crimea annexation is a big deal and something we should care about, today I am focusing on another action that has happened in the past week which has unfortunate parallels with the actions the Nazis took to ignite the second world war. It is fairly well known that prior to the invasion of Poland the Nazis ran rampant taking over lost territories in the early days of the Nazi regime, from the Sudetenland to all of Austria the Nazi’s rapidly expanded their sphere of influence and go...

 Articles for POLS170 2/22 LoBue, Gaby Russian Troops Pour Into Ukraine Breakaway Region; Germany Halts Nord Stream 2                -  https://www.wsj.com/articles/germany-halts-nord-stream-2-after-putin-orders-troops-to-                                       ukrainian-breakaway-regions-11645529981?mod=Searchresults_pos9&page=1  Is Russia Invading Ukraine? Putin’s Standoff With NATO Explained               -  https://www.wsj.com/articles/germany-halts-nord-stream-2-after-putin-orders-troops-to-                                       ukrainian-breakaway-regions-11645529981?mod=Searchresults_pos9&page=1 Video of President Biden response on Ukraine:...

 https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/the-journal/why-nato-is-at-the-center-of-the-russia-ukraine-conflict/e02c8cbc-5357-40c2-a252-ba4d306b0ef1  This Podcast (and the attached transcript) from the Wall Street Journal discuss the implications of Ukraine's admission into NATO. Russia wants to overtake Ukraine, and Vladamir Putin views Ukraine's acceptance into NATO as a permanent block from doing so.  https://abcnews.go.com/International/americans-care-ukraine-russia-conflict/story?id=82907932 This article published by ABC News provides insight into why the United States has found itself partially involved in diffusing the disagreement that exists between Russia and Ukraine. In some ways, the article claims that Russia's attack on Ukraine is a power move that would allow Russia to reassert its dominance following the wake of the Cold War.   https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-60448162 In an article published by BBC, it is evident that many western powers disagree with th...

I found these articles regarding the conflict in Ukraine to be interesting.   https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56720589 https://nationalinterest.org/feature/are-russia-and-america-headed-towards-disastrous-conflict-over-ukraine-200682 https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/02/18/biden-russia-invade-ukraine-kyiv-sanctions-war-donbass/ https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/02/19/russia-ukraine-crisis-belarus-north-korea/

  William M. Kernodle Professor Shirk Pols 170 03 February 2022 The Remnants of The Crown Once upon a time, most of the world was ruled by kings and Queens of expansive empires. For example the English empire used to dominate nearly a quarter of the world, exerting its influence forcefully through colonization. Nowadays the Commonwealth of Nations includes only 54 nations, most of which are islands that used to be colonies. Moreover, most of these nations have set up their own governments and are growing further and further apart from The Crown. The evolution of international politics is hardly more visible anywhere else than through the change in attitude towards imperial colonialism and the british empire. The Crown used to embody hard influence to a T; invading and conquering with only their own economic prosperity in mind. Today we observe a completely different reality in which it’s no longer an empire, it’s a commonwealth and The Queen is no longer Emperor, she’s just the hea...

For the first blog, I have decided to look at Tickner’s Hans Morgenthau’s Principles of Political Realism: A Feminist Reformulation. This piece grapples with Morgenthau’s realist theories and seeks to develop them further, specifically using feminism to find flaws in the system. As Tickner states at the beginning of the piece, men have long dominated positions of power, “diplomacy, military service, and the science of international politics” (429). Thus, Tickner criticizes Morgenthau’s principles on the basis that they are “assumptions about human nature that are partial and that privilege masculinity” (431). Tickner’s piece outlines why Morgenthau’s principles better fit the behavior of men, as he wanted to “develop a rational (and unemotional) theory of international politics based on objective laws that have their roots in human nature” (431). Tickner then mentions Keller, who “argues that objectivity, as it is usually defined in our culture, is associated with masculinity” (432). ...

Blog Post #1 - POLS170 Gaby LoBue The Melian Dialogue in Terms of Sociological Theory The hierarchical dynamic is clearly defined in the Melian Dialogue , where Melian leaders were given the choice of life or death by the Athenian rulers. Readers could assume that the Melian leaders would choose life, but this expectation doesn’t take into account how powerful group identity can be. The Melian Dialogue discusses many sociological theories on group identity, and explains why the Melians would rather wither than lose their sense of self. In addition, the Athenians exhibit behaviors similar to a ‘thin identity’, whereas the Melians express functions of a ‘thick identity’.   Sociological studies on group identity have an overarching notion of an ‘us versus them’ perspective, where humans naturally categorize themselves and place others in their peripheral. These identities grow strong in times of insecurity, where people tend to rely on those in the same group as them. We ca...

Kim Magnotta Professor Shirk February 1, 2022 Faceless Beings The painting is by Gideon Rubin. The title and date are unknown.  While discussing topics related to international politics, one must consider the effects of Europe’s influence on the rest of the globe. Historically, European colonialists have spread their religion, culture, and beliefs to less-developed countries, resulting in the dehumanization of those who were affected. Rather than being seen as “human”, colonists saw those in other states as faceless individuals who simply stood as hindrances to the European’s objectives. In his dissertation On the Culture of White Folk , W.E.B. Dubois touches upon these topics by describing where the European race failed. When discussing Europeans and their connection to Christianity, Dubois poses the question: “What Christian nations are today treating other nations as they would be treated?” In doing so, emphasis is placed on the shortcomings of European thought, as colonists ar...