How Does Power Affect International Relations

As sad as it is to admit, power really is one of the most important factor in international relations. Time has changed and we’ve seen wars of all sizes but there has only been little change in terms of how international relations work. Today’s international relations is slightly different than it was during the Ancient Greek because along with power or military might, money or economic capacity also plays a central role in diplomacy. And this is simply because money doesn’t incite as bloody wars as weapons typically would. They are better and pleasing to the eyes on moral grounds. The technological advancement we have experienced over the last centuries has also led mankind to think of international relations on a more rational, less deleterious ways. Before, countries had to conquer other lands to sustain their own that led to fierce wars and consequently changed the status quo periodically. However, …show more content…
People become desperate and do ill-conceived things when they are at their wits end, in order to survive. Take Nazi Germany, for example. Because of France’s desire to make Germany pay, the former made Germany take all the blame in the Treaty of Versailles (Article 231 “War Guilt Clause”) and the entirety of the German people suffered. Instead of thinking what is just and fair to sustain a better world, they used their power as the winner to decide how the loser would suffer. Even though they know it’d tremendously hurt the German economy. France didn’t understand the moral lesson from Mytilean Debate which was, power may be the only thing important in international relations but those who have them have to act with prudence. They justified and rationalized this by saying that Germany was at fault for attacking France first. As a result, desperate and suffering Germans who have nothing to lose were willing to do anything. Adolf Hitler comes and the rest is