world civilizations ap edition glossary of accounting

For example, it is erroneous to say that China, the US, Israel or Japan, think and act in their security policies solely based on “rational” calculations.

It is hard to argue against the fact that countries are influenced in their strategic thinking and security policies by historical narratives of their respective national ‘cultures’, which have sources in history, a shared sense of identity, folklore and cultural heritage. The debate on strategic culture in international relations has emphasized divisiveness along similar lines.

Countries are influenced in their strategic thinking and security policies by historical narratives of their respective national ‘cultures’/ Image: Flickr, Ben Stephenson Huntington furthermore contends that cultural differences are more constant and thus less easily compromised and resolved than political and economic ones. States continue to be the primary actors in an anarchical system with scarce resources and where self-help is required for survival, but cultural fault lines – arising from civilizational differences – rather than ideological or economic issues are posited as the dominant source of conflict in global politics. Samuel Huntington’s well-known “clash of civilizations” theory, while notable for implicating culture more deeply in geo-political power relations, nonetheless essentially maintains the commitments of traditional Realism. In a larger sense, “man” can refer both to individuals and to larger communities (or tribes, in ancient times) that one belongs to and toward which one feels protective – by virtue of sharing an in-group identity.įor some thinkers, including some Realists, the origin of this perpetual conflictual mode can be traced to irreconcilable cultural differences. It is also a reflection, and extension, of the competitive, selfish and power driven nature of man.

According to Realism, the predominant theory of International Relations, conflict arises inevitably, and is a natural outcome of a highly competitive international environment. Many interpretations of international conflict share common assumptions regarding the default oppositional nature of states or cultures.

World civilizations ap edition glossary of accounting