The Strategos

“Did the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 do any good for the Middle East or the world?” This is the question that still haunts the USA and breeds serious doubts on the credibility of the US as a responsible superpower. The series of events that have followed the US invasion have been far from those expected. The unstable nature of the region in the recent decades can well be seen as after-effects of what US did in Iraq. The reasons given by the US for invading a sovereign nation far from its borders have been far from convincing. Nonetheless, the significant effects the invasion has had on Iraq in particular and the region at large have not diminished in the last decade.   The world has changed a lot since USA first got involved in Iraq with an aim to rescue Kuwait. What has remained same is one of the primary causes of the problems the region struggles with at present that can be backtracked to what US did in 2003. Following the defeat of Iraq and the restoration of Kuwaiti gove...

Put simply, Constructivism provides a bridge between Realism and Liberalism. It attempts to answer the questions left unanswered by both of these theories. Constructivism does this by introducing the aspect of identity and social interactions in relations. Since, Constructivism developed as a critique to Realists and Liberals; it is opportune to revisit Realism and Liberalism briefly before delving any deeper into the Constructivist thought. The realist and liberal thought structures present a diametrically opposite view of human nature. Evidently, this contrast in their outlook is also reflected in the interpretation of International Relations. For realists, all human actions are designed to further their personal gain. All humankind being self-regarding, there is little concern in their minds for their fellow human beings. In the words of Thomas Hobbes, it is war of all against all. Realists argue; human mind seeks conflict. It looks at relations in terms of relative gains. A gai...