International Crises

Many theorists in the field of international relations maintain that 1989 was a watershed year. In fact, they argue that 1989 stands out as "a dramatic divide in contemporary history, in some respects comparable to the French Revolution two hundred years earlier" (Simensen, 1999, p. 391). Thus, Jarle Simensen asserts that the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the end of the Cold War, and the subsequent dissolution of the Soviet Union inaugurated a new era in international relations (Simensen, 1999, p. p. 3). The significance of the Cold War to the development of international relations cannot be overstated. In fact, Simensen notes that international relations as a subdiscipline of political science developed during the Cold War (1999, p. 395). On the other hand, the Persian Gulf War demonstrates that no longer can one theory explain all aspects of international relations. Today, all cultural and political theories, including postmodernism, liberalism and realism must be combined to even approach an understanding of intranational and international acts.

The Gulf War was an international conflict triggered by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussien's invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990 with the apparent intention of acquiring Kuwait's substantial oil reserves. Despite repeated warnings from the international community, Iraq did not withdraw from Kuwait. Consequently, in January of 1991, the United States led an international offensive against Iraq that fo

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s ideology and religion to craft a political theory that supports his individual appetite. Consequently, one could argue that international governments must approach his actions as governments approached Soviet actions during the Cold War. However, realism does not go far enough to explain why Iraq appears to act as a unit. It is not enough to say that it does without examining the factors that make it so. Postmodernism offers some insight into this area. Postmodernism is based on the deconstruction of the unitary model. Postmodernists contend that there is no single, objective reality that could be represented by a unitary nation-state (Goldstein, 4th ed., p. 140). Rather, they believe each nation-state is made of and thus is itself "a multiplicity of experiences and perspectives that defy easy categorization" (Goldstein, 4th ed., p. 140). Thus, Locher summarizes that postmodernism is composed primarily of three goals (1999). First, it seeks to reject all-encompassing theories of human history and social change that were associated with Enlightenment ideals of reason and progress. Second, it seeks to link claims about social life, human nature, and criteria of truth and validity with strategies of power. And third, it

Category: Foreign - I