SonjaBe.com International Relations – Be Here | Be You | Be True

Like many in my generation, I refuse to accept that there is nothing that can be done to stop the political and military abuses that directly harm humanity.  In this day and age, it seems absurd that a handful of powerful leaders can cause the death and destruction of the masses without facing any serious consequences.  But at the same time, it is unclear what to do when situations scale out of control.  Are military interventions valid?  Economic sanctions?  Who takes the lead on preventing atrocities?  How do they go about it?  The recent events in Syria have once again brought up these important issues, and put into question the feasibility of R2P. Read More »

In international relations, intervention is referred to outsiders interfering with the internal politics of another state, militarily or otherwise. To preserve sovereignty and self determination, states often times decline and prohibit any incoming international help. When we intervene, in spite of resistance, we jeopardize a state’s ability to protect its own citizens and in turn begin an inevitable war. The debate between interventions versus sovereignty has been one of the most heated debates in international relations as the fine balance between the two is seldom identified. Read More »

Who is the International Community? Many may refer to the International Community as the West. And that right there, concerns me. Why is it always the West vs the rest? If we want to truthfully face our problems we have to eliminate the notion that Western ideas are the best ideas. WRONG! What works for one country may not work for another. The US attacking Iraq and trying to implement a Western foreign policy will naturally reject. We must take a second to look outside the Western bubble and understand that they too have ideas. Yes, even corrupt nations. The International Community should live up to its name and include all people, all cultures, and all nations. What about the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)? The Responsibility to Protect is a set of international principles based on the idea that sovereignty is a responsibility, not a privilege. So is it the ... Read More »