What International Relations Means To Me

International relations is the study of the interactions among the various actors that participate in international politics.  Before this course (250) I really thought the brief ceremonies and meetings between Bush/Condelezza Rice and the other heads of nations that I saw on TV, were the main interactions we, USA, had with other countries.  I was [...]

Rule-based/Ends-based Morality in China/Darfur Trade

One of the most controversial issues in arms trade today is the China-Darfur link.  China has been accused of providing the Arabic janjaweed with the arms they have used to destroy villages in Darfur.  In return China receives oil to sustain its growing population and economy.  Is this moral?  Should China be allowed to provide [...]

States and Middlemen

             There are 4 important views of the state: Realism, Liberalism, Radicalism, and Constructivism.  Realism views that the state is the main actor in the international system; it has definite power, and is able to exercise that power in many ways.  The state is constrained by the anarchy of the international system and it is [...]

The Dealing of Arms and International Relations Theory

First an introduction to the dealing of arms is appropriate.  This industry is most developed in the most powerful countries in the world.  The website http://www.controlarms.org/  provides pertinent and eye-opening information.  The five permanent members of the United Nations (US, UK, France, Russia, China), sell 80 percent of the legal weapons worldwide.  From 1998-2001 the [...]

Our Topic

We would like to explore and discuss the international effects of the selling of arms.  Who sells the arms?  Who buys the arms?  What is done with the arms?  Who gains and who loses?  These are all questions we hope to address throughout the semester.  The movie, Lord of War, starring Nicholas Cage, portrays in [...]

How I Blaze my Own Trail

I, as a consumer, have the power to dictate what occurs within the realm of international relations, simply by existing. Since I have the will power to decide what different products I want or even purchase, I also create a necessity for these products to exist. And, as incredible as the United States [...]

Senior Year Retreat

So far, the most meaningful event in my life has been my experience on a Kairos retreat my senior year of high school.  The bases of this retreat are openness and understanding.  At this retreat I truly realized what it meant to be a compassionate human in this world and how I want to live my life.
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Pre/Post Abroad

If there were one event that had such an impressive impact on my life, so that I could divide my existence into two separate eras, I believe it would have been the collective experience of studying in Spain. This past fall semester I studied and lived in Valencia for close to six months. [...]