Final Reflection

Today in class, we discussed that politics is partisan by definition. A politician is always expressing a viewpoint that is going to go against another politician. There is no way to pinpoint how someone arrives at a certain viewpoint. Statistics show that people are likely to have the same political view as their parents, but what speaks for the exceptions? It is impossible to understand exactly where someone is coming and the reason for faith, certain political beliefs, interests, etc. The complicated nature of understanding one person's political views can be seen as a microcosm for the complicated nature of international relations as a whole. It is impossible to dissect why a certain country acts the way it does. There are so many elements that shape a country. Each theory that we have studied, attempts to understand certain aspects to explain the system and behavior of countries or nonstate actors. Although it is impossible to understand the whole picture, the more angles that you examine a specific issue or country, the more full your understanding is, and the more likely it is that your actions will produce positive results. For example, it is important to remember that economic interest almost always plays a role in the behavior of states, but the form this interest takes can vary, or the legacy of colony may be remembered very differently depending on whether a country is the colonizer, the colony, or a bystander. Further, how can you separate the role of economic interest from the relationship between the colonizer and the colony. This example shows how hard it is to truly understand the relations that states have with each other, and how important it is to try to understand in any situation where you are trying to make a change.