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