‘The Whole World Should Be Concerned’: U.S. Allies React to Bolton’s Appointment

‘The Whole World Should Be Concerned’: U.S. Allies React to Bolton’s Appointment

In an article by Steven Erlanger and Gerry Mullany for The New York Times, they discuss the different reactions to John Bolton's appointment as national security adviser. The overall reaction to this news seems to bring in many different emotions from people. Some believe that Bolton is very intelligent who has deeply conservative, nationalistic, and aggressive views about American foreign policy, which may help bring more consistency and predictability to President Trump's ways. So while some are positive of his appointment, others are worried that his strong views may bring President Trump into seeking military solutions to diplomatic problems, which would result in terrible outcomes. But between the negative and positive views some are just worried for Bolton's well being, not sure whether or not the high pressure job is something he will be able to handle. 

Americans are very wary if Trump will be able to even carry out this new relationship because he has shown time and time again that he can tire out quickly of anyone who is working for him besides his family who tries to restrict him in any way. 

The main reason the world should be concerned with Bolton's hire though is that his views are known to be very similar to Trump. Along with Trump, Bolton believes"the Iran nuclear deal is flawed and should be scrapped; North Korea must denuclearize or face military action; the United Nations and most other multilateral institutions are of little use to Washington. In this sense, said Josef Janning, a German policy analyst, Mr. Bolton will provide significant support and intellectual ammunition to President Trump."

One other concern people have with Bolton is that he has a past with different countries through the George W. Bush administration. During the Bush administration he tried to push policy with Britain in a much more extreme direction and did not seem to think much about allies and multilateralism. Along with Britain Bolton seems like he will have some issues with Iran. "Mr. Bolton's opposition to the negotiations with Iran is longstanding, dating from his days in the Bush administration, when he helped derail European talks with Tehran at a time it still had only a few centrifuges." Mr. Heisbourgh, of the International Institute for Strategic Studies who is also a French military analyst, says that, "Bolton wanted us to fail." This attitude towards Bolton's past actions are not very reassuring for his future actions.

I think that it will be interesting to see what happens during Bolton's time with the Trump administration. If people are already worried and scared with what he will do I do not think it is a good idea to have him on the administration, but clearly Trump hasn't had the best run in office so far to begin with anyways.

Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/world/asia/trump-john-bolton-reaction.html

What Black Panther Can Teach Us About International Relations

What Black Panther Can Teach Us About International Relations

In an article for Vox, it takes a look at the new movie, Black Panther, as a hidden metaphor. In the movie the director uses an imaginary African country, Wakanda, as a source to explore the issues of racism, ethical response to oppression, and the global African diaspora. In the article it takes a look at this issues in a way that relates to international relations. "The subfield of international relations has spent decades accumulating knowledge about how countries decide on policies of isolationism versus interventionism, why revolutionaries like Killmonger succeed and fail, and how racism shapes the way international politics operate. A lot of this work applies just as well to a world where Wakanda is real as to our own, more mundane reality." The way the movie relates to the real world of international relations is because it uses a classic hereditary monarchy. This movies monarchy seems to have adopted a consistent foreign policy and work to overriding national interest to avoid being conquered or otherwise interfered with in a way they did not want. Wakanda's stance is to not be aggressive, but defend itself from an invasion. Wakanda also uses a form of isolationism that goes beyond just military restraint, their government has cut off any economic help from foreigners like foreign aid or immigration. 

The reason this all relates to international relations is because it takes a look at what is called defensive realism. Defensive realists believe in the root cause of international conflict is insecurity, "because countries cannot be sure that other nations have peaceful intentions, they have to arm themselves to ensure survival. The problem, though, is that countries can’t tell if another country’s army is for defensive purposes or offensive ones." So in conclusion, in the movie Black Panther, it takes a look at a different form of government that can be looked at in an international relations viewpoint.

Link to article: https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/27/17029730/black-panther-marvel-killmonger-ir