Similarities Between Realism And Liberalism

Thomas Paine opposes the ideology of government, stating that, “Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil,” (Paine 3). Essentially, the purpose of government is to protect people from preforming vices, and defend their natural right to Locke’s ideology of life, liberty and property. Without government, coercion would occur, and destroy one’s ability to express their natural rights. For America, Paine believes that the establishment of a strong fundamental government could allow for the cohesion of citizens to form a society respected by other nations

This is because it gives the government the power to raise and keep an army during peacetime. I’m concerned because if the people do potentially become a threat due to the the Constitution, by rebelling, the government could use the army to suppress the people. The Constitution give the government the power to tax citizens. The national government’s laws are superior to the laws made by the states due to the supremacy clause, and it will only be a matter of time until the state governments are destroyed. The proper and necessary clause in the Constitution is too general, and is dangerous due to the fact that it doesn't list all the powers of government in order to put clear limits on them.

Hamilton presented a plan to Congress to pay off war debts as fast as possible even if the debts were not promptly paid but was opposed by the southerners because they believed they shouldn’t help pay the debt the northerners still owed. Hamilton hoped to use the new government’s power to unite the disagreeing states and help accomplish his plan. Though the rights of the states were not nearly as important as national power and unity, they tried to keep order among the people in attempting to demonstrate federal power. “Hamilton's ideas about the role of the government in the American system contributed importantly to the ability of the new national government to assume its broad authority.”

Madison sticks to Jeffersonian ideals when he opposed the International Improvement Bill of 1817, because the power to regulate commerce is not specifically given to the federal government in the Constitution. In the message he wrote to Congress, He illustrates that this authority belongs to the states, which is an act of strict interpretation of the constitution. It also indicated the problem of sovereignty between states and the federal government. In fact, this action directly opposed that of the previous president Thomas Jefferson in regards to the Embargo Acts. Jefferson uses loose interpretation to say that the federal government does have the power to regulate commerce, while Madison complies with his party's beliefs of strict constructionism.

Washington would see that individual communities and movements have created change for themselves, while working against others. It’s amazing what could be done if we stopped working against each other. While political parties aren’t going away, which would be to Washington’s dismay, he would suggest that the next president figure out a way to stop the two main parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, from being convinced their beliefs are the “correct” beliefs. If we cannot get rid of political parties, the best we can do is unite them. The only way to change our country is by working with each other, not against each other.

In Ronnie Lipschutz’s book entitled The Constitution of Imperium, Lipschutz, a critical theorist, offers a rational and thought provoking evaluation of the United States’ social, political, and economic influence in the International arena. The Constitution of Imperium that Lipschutz discusses is a paradoxical document proposed by the Bush administration that would approve of the US’ ability to operate outside of the US Constitution without any written consent, besides the actual Constitution of Imperium itself. This new Constitution would lend more influence to the US by allowing it to have greater political, social, and economic power over other actors who agree to policies, or organizations that were created by the US. Lipschutz proposes that the US has been building its imperium since the end of WWII with its creation of organizations such as the United Nations.

As an International Relations Liberal, my answer to the Rodney King question of “Can’t we all just get along?” is a resounding yes, but with an asterisk. Realists assert that human nature is the underlying root of warfare and point to the discouraging statistics on the number of wars and their casualties. Since human nature cannot be changed, humans and their societies will always have the willingness for violence. In opposition to that view, “…Liberals believe in the possibility—perhaps even the inevitability—of human progress” (Shimko 40) Liberalists would argue that to focus solely on the rare occurrences of war ignore the larger context and distort reality to create an unfavorable view of humanity.

Zakaria organized his argument in a way that captured the reader’s attention, starting with statistics that do not favor the United States. He proceeds to pick apart this data and refute the idea that America is not advancing the way other countries are, but rather are advancing in its own ways. Each author had convincing and valid arguments for their points about the role of America in the world and what is to come, but it is important to take into consideration ones’ own knowledge about this issue and how each article supports and opposes the

Rebellion would begin but the government would be so strong in the future that this could be a possible outcome. In the short story Harrison Bergeron, equality is an ideal worth fighting for, Harrison Bergeron is equivalent to the government, and Handicaps control the brain to conform to equality. Equality is an ideal worth fighting for in

Arendt discusses the American revolution and the difference of liberties and freedoms when she writes, “All these liberties, to which we might add our own claims to be free from want and fear, are of course essentially negative; they are the results of liberation but they are by no means the actual content of freedom, which…is participation in public affairs” (Arendt 22). She argues that participation is public affairs is the epitome of freedom. Individuals must partake in politics in order to be free. Arendt sees happiness as a state of rest

Obama on the other hand, focuses on why it isn’t a good idea, and explains the effects it may have, and why overall it isn’t the best thing for our country. Imperializing can lead to unnecessary wars, which could have been avoided; something Beveridge didn’t even consider since he has different goals of what the outcomes of imperializing should be than the realistic results that could actually occur due to his strong

And while Hobbes supports a monarch with substantial power, he too believes that “the duty of the sovereign [is] to see that ordinary citizens are not oppressed by the great” and that the sovereign does not “oppress them on the advice of the great” (The Leviathan, 155). For these philosophers, the abuse of power is another form of the same competition that drives humankind into societies; it transforms a society from a tool that allows individuals to support each other and avoid competition into a tool for one individual to exploit the competition of the weaker

Knowledge is undeniably important to everyone in the world, and especially to a political leader, like James Madison. Containing knowledge of failed governments or tyrannical dictators is useful in preventing future governments that are synonymic in comparison. Madison had the knowledge that a monarchy was not to majority of the colonists’ liking, which allowed for him to make the conscious choice, backed up by knowledge, to form a government that was revolutionary and beneficial. James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and the other composers of the Declaration of Independence acquired the knowledge, from personal experiences, that the United States should have different laws and civil liberties than what was given in England. James Madison, with

Madison makes a compelling, and intelligent argument in Federalist 10. As stated previously, he builds this argument on the assumption that factions are part of human nature, and thus, cannot be controlled. This is key because most, if not all readers would agree they prefer to associate politically with like-minded people. This opens the door for Madison to further his argument by explaining how he plans to control the inevitable effects of factions. This is one of the strongest points of Madison’s argument, he simply explains how the power will be strategically divided, limiting the faction’s

Conservatives believe in limited government intervention and personal responsibility while liberals believe in increased government intervention and that the responsibility of repairing social ills lies with the government. Conservatives are pro-life, while liberals are pro-choice. Liberals are opposed to the death penalty while conservatives support it. Conservatives are in favor of a free-market system while liberals are in favor of a market system with government regulation. Despite their disagreements, conservatives and liberals seem to both agree on prison reform and the majority of foreign relations; although their ideologies may differ on how to approach these problems they both agree that these problems need to be confronted.