"It is a myth that alcoholics have some spontaneous insight and then seek treatment. Victims of this disease do not submit to treatment out of spontaneous insight – typically, in our experience they come to their recognition scenes through a buildup of crises that crash through their almost impenetrable defense systems. They are forced to seek help; and when they don’t, they perish miserably." – Vernon Johnson, I will Quit Tomorrow, 1973.
“In a dynamical system, a bifurcation is a period of doubling, quadrupling, etc., that accompanies the onset of chaos. It represents the sudden appearance of a qualitatively different solution for a nonlinear system as some parameter is varied” (Weisstein, 2010).
Homeostasis: a relatively stable state of equilibrium or a tendency toward such a state between the different but interdependent elements or groups of elements of an organism, population, or group (Homeostasis, 2010).
“History is accelerating,” my son said to me recently. If history is an amalgamation of events sorted chronologically, then his statement implies that the number of events is multiplying at an ever-increasing rate; as each new variable comes into play, the ability to control or predict its effects is reduced. Just as any biological system, from micro to macro, seeks homeostasis, so does the human system, as complex as the interactions may be. The combination of accelerating, expanding input and natural tendency towards homeostasis is inherently conflictual and is resulting, in the international arena, in an increasing disparity between the affluent and least developed states, environmental degradation, political fanaticism, rising crime rates and such extreme onslaughts against humanity as genocide and mass killings as witnessed in Africa. The biggest challenge facing the international political system in the near future will be to create some degree of symmetry, proportionality and balance even as globalization incorporates ever more population groups into the expanding equation. Without a directed, focused and coordinated plan to achieve this “homeostasis,’ the bifurcation process will continue to increase its influence until the system will no longer be able to adapt and will perish.
Governments are social contracts-- “organizations of individuals who have the power to make binding decisions on behalf of a particular community” (Almond, Powell, Dalton, & Strom, 2006). Democratic governments reflect the mores, values and worldview of the people they represent, whereas authoritarian governments are more representative of the personality and ambitions of individuals or oligarchic groups (Almond, Powell, Dalton, & Strom, 2006). Given that the various governing bodies currently interacting on the international stage represent the values of their citizens and leaders, a quick survey of their domestic and international exchanges forces the conclusion that most are still operating under the Westphalian premises that nation states have sovereign authority over their citizens and territories as well as a “realist” worldview that includes a “ceaseless, repetitive struggle for power where the strong dominate the weak” (Kegley Jr & Blanton, 2010, 27). These two antiquated approaches are responsible for a world history replete with invasions, colonization, attempts at creating world orders based on imperial models (Blackburn, 2005), exploitation, environmental degradation, oppression and ethnic cleansing. The underlying ethical presumptions have been that “the pursuit of self interest and personal profit will in the long run benefit all” and that “pursuit of private gain with little restraint is a virtue” (Kegley Jr & Blanton, 2010,358). These paradigms seem to be largely responsible for much of the systemic imbalance as they endorse competitive, confrontational and aggressive behaviors.
The current world situation is replete with examples. Economically, the financial system is reeling from the sub-prime mortgage crisis; some economists forecast a continuing slide into outright insolvency for the United States (Roubini, 2008). Deregulation and its accompanying lack of accountability (“pursuit of private gain with little restraint”) permitted a massive defrauding of the American people and a serious blow to the international financial system (Roubini, 2008). Poor and developing nations have suffered from the unbalanced approach to globalization, wherein their ability to protect their emergent economies is seriously compromised by the intransigence of wealthy nations determined to continue their policies of expansion and domination. Benjamin Mkapa(2004), President of the United Republic of Tanzania commented on the collapse of the WTO talks in Cancun, stating that the wealthy nations ask concessions of the poor that they themselves are not willing to give (Mkapa, 2004). Even such organizations supposedly designed to assist in rectifying the immense gap between the very wealthy and poorest nations, such as the IMF and World Bank, impose conditions for the loans that require borrowing nations to impose severe austerity programs and cut subsidies, causing the already faltering economies to flounder (Appell, 2009). These cases in point reflect the ongoing universally accepted idea that the pursuit of gain, even if at the expense of others, is a legitimate pursuit at both the personal (micro) and national (macro) levels.
Intrinsically tied in to this worldview is disproportionate attachment to one particular group, or “ethnocentrism.” Nationalism is considered “the most virulent ideological force on the world scene” (Dougherty & Pfaltzgraff, 2001,250) and causes people to justify acts of aggression or cruelty towards others as “patriotism” or national pride.It is, according to Jack Levy (1989), a “powerful catalyst for war” ( as cited in Kegley Jr & Blanton, 2010); when the citizens of a nation grant an excessive importance or prominence to their nation and “acquire an intense commitment to the power and prosperity of the state and this commitment is strengthened by national myths emphasizing the moral, physical, and political strength of the state…nationalism contributes to war…” ( as cited in Kegley Jr & Blanton, 2010, 406-7). Complicit with jingoism are ethnocentrism and religious fanaticism in creating conflict; each and every one can be linked to the realist paradigms which basically state that “people are by nature selfish and ethically flawed and cannot free themselves from the ..fact that they are driven to…compete with others for self advantage, their instinctive lust for power and desire to dominate others is unchangeable, and “might makes right “(Kegley Jr & Blanton, 2010,28). Terrorism, whether by individuals, groups or nations, ethnic conflict, genocide, the invasion and occupation of nations for exploitation, “jihads”, civil wars, are all based upon concepts of ethnocentrism and varying aspects of nationalism, as well as the rationalization (read: acceptance) of paradigms that lead to deep division within and among societies.
There are a multitude of proposals being circulated for reducing the state of imbalance that now exists and establishing some form of homeostasis within the international political system. James Rosenau (2005) sees a gradual “disaggregation of authority” (Rosenau, 2005), wherein governments yield some power to organizations and “non-governmental actors” whose authority extends across numerous areas where it is more suitable to grant autonomy than to impose control from a central body (Rosenau, 2005). He forecasts that such disaggregation might be a “central feature of the human condition” and that it demonstrates ” the need to abandon the concept of empire as a means for framing meaningful schemes of world order” (Rosenau, 2005), that is, hierarchy, power and domination.
Robin Blackburn’s (2005) “just international order” includes requiring transnational banks and corporations to contribute to human welfare by funding literacy and social insurance programs as well as building needed infrastructure while encouraging sustainable development (Blackburn, 2005). Vladislav Inozemtsev and Sergei Karaganov (2005) suggest what they label “neo-imperialism,” wherein nations are allowed to “impose governance” upon failed states and thus seek to create order where chaos prevails (Inozemstev & Karaganov, 2005). They would reinstitute the concept of ‘trust territories” (Inozemstev & Karaganov, 2005) as “mechanisms for the developed countries of the Core to assist in the political, economic and technological modernization of these societies” (Inozemstev & Karaganov, 2005). The ‘world concert” they visualize would “establish norms of conduct on the international stage and limit the degree of government’s freedom with regard to their own citizens and verify the obervance of these norms,” while” human rights would take precedence over the rights of states” (Inozemstev & Karaganov, 2005).
While these (and other) proposals are important, they don’t address the underlying issues, which are the models that have led the world to its current moribund condition. Humanity must re-examine its values and abandon the obsolete concepts that it has clung to for millenia. Power and dominance, competition and “survival of the fittest” as paradigms can be traced back to such groups as the barbarian hordes that roamed Europe hundreds of years ago. In the western world, they have led to untold misery, exploitation, conflict and environmental devastation. Internationally, their effects are multiplying as increasing numbers of variables come into play, from sudden crop failures, to earthquakes (and their financial impact), to wars and genocide and financial meltdowns. It is said that addicts need a crisis before they actually realize the impact their behaviors have upon their own well being as well as that of others; treatment in many cases involves precipitating a catastrophic event in order to bring about this realization. Internationally, we can see the acceleration in number and severity of disasters as well as the complete inability of the political and social system to deal with them effectively. Theses abound , but are too often “descriptive” as opposed to “prescriptive.” Seldom do they include education and empowering women, even though these have been demonstrated to be among the most effective remedies for economic, medical and social issues (Basic Education and Gender Equality, 2010). The next decade will certainly test the will of the international community and force us to examine our assumptions. It is hoped that some form of balance can be achieved before we reach a point of non return; that is the international political system’s greatest challenge today.
References
Almond, G., Powell, B., Dalton, R., & Strom, K. (2006). Comparative Politics Today. New York: Longman.
Appell, A. (2009, October 7). IMF Loan Policies Worsening Crisis. Retrieved March 24, 2010, from Global Policy Forum: http://www.globalpolicy.org/social-and-economic-policy/the-three-sisters-and-other-institutions/the-international-monetary-fund/48273.html
Basic Education and Gender Equality. (2010, March 10). Retrieved March 24, 2010, from UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/girlseducation/
Blackburn, R. (2005). Emancipation and Empire, from Cromwell to Karl Rove. Daedalus , 72-89.
Dougherty, J., & Pfaltzgraff, R. (2001). Contending Theories of International Relations: A Comprehensive Survey. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.
Homeostasis. (2010). Retrieved March 24, 2010, from Mirriam Webter's Online Dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homeostasis
Inozemstev, V., & Karaganov, S. (2005). Imperialism of the Fittest. National Interest .
Johnson Model of Intervention. (2010, February 7). Retrieved March 24, 2010, from Addiction Intervention: http://www.addiction-intervention.com/addiction-intervention/intervention-style/johnson-model-of-intervention/
Kegley Jr, C., & Blanton, S. (2010). World Politics: Trends and Transformation. Boston: Wadsworth.
Mkapa, B. (2004). Cancun's False Promise. Foreign Affairs , 133-135.
Rosenau, J. (2005). Illusions of Power and Empire. History and Theory , 73-87.
Roubini, N. (2008). The Coming Financial pandemic. Foreign Policy , 44.
Weisstein, E. (2010). Bifurcation. Retrieved March 24, 2010, from Wolfram Math World: http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Bifurcation.html
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