“In the place where idealism and realism meet, that is where there is the greatest evolutionary tension.” Idealism prioritizes ideals, social reforms and morals, by wanting to benefit not just yourself, but the world around you, believing people are generally good. On the contrary, realism gives priority to national interest and security with emphasis on promoting one’s own power and influence by assuming that people are egocentric by nature. Based on the definitions stated above, idealism and realism are significantly different from each other and their divergence of thought is more apparent when various proponents of each such as Woodrow Wilson, Henry Lodge, Barack Obama and George W. Bush have varied outlooks on comparable issues in politics. Subsequently, an idealist’s reaction to a particular issue would be a lot different than a realist’s response. Therefore, idealism deals with normative ideas and allows for improvements in the progress of not only a single state, but the whole world, however realism solely focuses on the benefits of one’s own nation. To begin with, Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States is one of the most influential and known idealist in history. He is recognized as an idealist because of his admirable ambitions and his strive for excellence. He had a major role after World War One, when he presented his Fourteen Points. The Fourteen Points were meant to bring peace to the world and make it so that another tragic war like the Great War would not occur again. His Fourteen Points Speech is a perfect example of idealism because in the speech Wilson talked about free trade, self-determination, disarmament, freedom of the seas, and the most important part of the speech was the League of Nat... ... middle of paper ... ...racy, 2008, BarackObama.com. • MacAskill, Ewen. "Barack Obama Ends the War in Iraq. 'Now It's Time to Turn the Page' | World News | The Guardian." Latest News, Sport and Comment from the Guardian | The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 1 Sept. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. . • Fedman, David. "Rethinking Asia: “Smart Power” and US-China Policy." The Olive & Arrow. The Word Press, 8 Mar. 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. . • Dimitter, Lowell. World Politics. 1st ed. Vol. 55. New York: Johns Hopkins UP, 2002. 38-65. • Flannagan, Michael. "Foreign Policy Better with Obama than Bush" The Lantern - Ohio State University. College Publisher Network, 25 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. .
...troops are withdrawn. The government in Afghanistan will be able to run itself with guidance from America, shifting to the supporting role. Obama’s plan was more effective than Nixon’s in that it actually worked and did not need to be faked. President Obama’s approach to ending the war greatly helps to benefit America and its people.
Washington Times - Politics, Breaking News, US and World News. 6 Jan. 2010. Web. 16
In his book, “Woodrow Wilson Revolution, War, and Peace” by Arthur Link, Link walks step by step through President Woodrow Wilson’s career beginning from the time he was born and focuses on his role during and after World War I. Through his entire book, Link acts as an apologist for the actions of Wilson as well as argues against the opinions of other historians. Link speaks about Wilson almost as if he idolizes him; as if despite what other historians and public opinion might say that he can do no wrong.
Frieden, Jeffry A., David A. Lake, and Kenneth A. Schultz. World Politics. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2013. Print.
In recent years, President Obama and the way he handles things has become a very controversial topic. In the article “Obama’s ‘Where’s Waldo?’ Presidency” Ruth Marcus describes that controversy, in which she gives her opinion of President Obama. Marcus begins by discussing how in Barack Obama’s campaign he talked about “change we can believe in”, but she later tells the reader that he has “been missing in action” (Marcus, Paragraph 1). Throughout the article, she tells of numerous issues that Obama seemed to be missing on, and presents the reader with the question, where is President Obama?
argues that America needs to be more engaged in internationalism. On the other hand, realism
Mingst, K. A. (2011). Essentials of international relations. (5th ed., p. 79). New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company.
...“Obama Stokes Deficit Fight.” The Wall Street Journal Politics. The Wall Street Journal, n.d. Web. 6 June 2011. .
in a trance or sleep state where you at times may not be able to tell
Lott Jr., John R.. At the Brink: Will Obama Push Us Over The Edge?. Washington DC: Regnery
...r, Daniel. "Tone-Deaf at the Listening Post." Foreign Policy. N.p., 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Mar.
The military strategy in Afghanistan was lined out for Obama by General Stanley McChrystal. It was made intensely clear that if the plan was denied, it would be almost like declari...
In International Relations it is commonly accepted that there is a wide range of different theoretical approaches which attempt to provide an explanation for the different dynamics of the global political system. Realism and Liberalism are well known theories which are considered to be two of the most important theories in international relations. They are two contrasting ideas when it comes to explaining how two states relate to each other in the absence of a world government. Both theories agree that the world is in anarchy and therefore it is helpful to start with a definition of anarchy and what it implies. This essay aims to discuss the contrasts between Liberalism and Realism as well as how these two theories agree that the world is anarchy.
Kegley, Charles W., and Eugene R. Wittkopf. World Politics Trend and Transformation. New York: St. Martin's, 1981. Print.
It was said by John F. Kennedy, “domestic policy can only defeat us, foreign policy can kill us,” this shows just how important it is when dealing with issues surrounding foreign policy. One of President Obama’s foreign policy achievements was in Lybia when he decided to join with N.A.T.O to remove Ghaddafi from power. Initially, this mission was criticized greatly by both sides for getting involved in the middle of the Libyan