Constructivism And Constructivism

In our globalized world, the issue of terrorism is the most significant issue to contemporary world deals with today concerning international politics. Terrorism is a complex issue in the world and in political science because it is hard to define. Generally, terrorism is the use of violence that target civilians in the pursuit of political aims to generate fear. In the last year, countless headlines around the world dealt with the growing occurrences of terrorism in our world.Terrorism is not a new phenomenon dating back to the 1950 's, but social media makes its presence greater in the world. Groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda are harming people to gain attention and spread their ideas. In 2014, 32,658 …show more content…
It is a social theory where individuals socially construct reality. Constructivism’s main point is that material factors only take on meaning when we give them meaning. This means that things like terrorism matter because we allow it to matter. In constructivism, the social structure defines the identity of individuals or organizations which then defines their preferences and interests. Ideas have great power in constructivism and those ideas of individuals or organizations drive the world. Constructivism explains terrorism, unlike the other theories of realism and liberalism because terrorist organizations like terrorists in Al-Qaida base their organization on values, “idealogical entity, and the embodiment of the idea of fundamentalist Islamic hegemony (Shahar)". Most terrorist organizations are based on values, even though they are not usually ever good values to have. Their ideals drive them to reign havoc around the world since their ideals do not match up with most of the world. Terrorists have a political motive to instill their ideas on the people who do not share their ideas. They are upset with the norms of society and wish to change those norms through violence. Constructivism would also argue terrorism is a social construct; “there is no universal and objective standard of what terrorism is and who [the] terrorist are (Nimmer)”. Those in the majority see terrorism as evil, however, those committing acts of terror do not see what they are doing as bad since it fits in their beliefs and preferences. The idea of terrorism is more subjective rather than objective - based on facts. Constructivism helps explain the causes of terrorism more effectively than realism or liberalism since terrorism focuses on