The Role of Politics

Politics has played a very important role in the world throughout history. Most of the wars that took place in the 21st Century is because of conflicts been nations and nation-states. Although politics does help resolve most of the issues, it can end up being negative also. A key question confronting world politics in the 21st Century is how the world should be governed: through the traditional nation-state or through international organizations (IGOs). Nation-states have a rough time deciding whether to go with the anarchical world structure or the hierarchical world structure. Anarchical world structure is made up of 193 equal countries with no superior collective power. It supports the realist approach. The hierarchical world structure is also made up of 193 equal countries but it supports the idea of superior collective power (IGOs) and represents the idealist approach. Diplomacy also plays an important role in world politics today. Nation-states employ diplomacy to advance their national interests and because of this IGOs today are attempting to restrain the power based pursuit of self-interest by nation-states.

Nation-states had a very rough time absorbing the idea of superior collective authority IGOs at the beginning of the 21st Century, but as time has passed and the world has seen very hurtful events which had led many nation-states to give up a degree of their sovereignty in order to protect themselves, and the world itself. Nation-states don’t really abide by international law today, but under such situations such as Apartheid, the whole world will help out the superior collective power to make the world a better place to live in.