Sovereignty

The world is an integrated whole, but throughout history, society has divided itself. The modern geopolitical imagination is the latest in a line of the ever-changing ways we organise the world. While it has its benefits, it also has limitations. It seems like an efficient structure of independent states but these divisions are essentially imagined by the dominant society. In some cases, the modern geopolitical imagination was thrust upon a region and is not a perfect system; international…

To the people of Fontenay-le-Comte, I thank you all for having provided me with the opportunity to represent you in the National Assembly. In the past few months, I had listened to and voted on each proposition with only your best interest in mind. Despite my efforts, not only have we lost the National Assembly, we have lost our beloved country of France to Austro-Prussia. Despite the loss of our country, I write to you in good faith that the invasion and takeover of France will in fact greatly…

The introduction of “Rebels without Borders” starts with a quote from Max Weber, “The state is a human community that claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of force within a given territory” It goes without saying that the rebel organizations - a human community - are not based on this principle. I want to emphasize that this critical response is based on the book's introduction, my critical arguments may be specified later in the same book, but, I will focus on talking about the topics…

PS4217F Major Political Thinkers: Hobbes Assignment 1: What are the main strengths and weaknesses of Hobbes’ theory of civil order? Name: Denise Cher Yan Wen Matriculation Number: A0127001A Word Count: 1887 Introduction Hobbes’ theory of civil order is based on the fundamental law of nature, which is to seek peace (Hobbes 2012, 200). According to Hobbes, to seek peace is necessarily to seek peace in the condition of war, and justice is therefore a legal compliance with the terms of the…

One of the most frequent criticisms of Hobbes’s Leviathan is that the powers of the Sovereign are too sweeping, too potentially tyrannical, for the Commonwealth to be any less terrifying than the State of Nature. (Let us briefly note that Sovereign may refer to one individual who is sovereign or a sovereign body, as dependent upon the Contract formed which created the Sovereign in the first place). Yet, Hobbes was not unwise to this criticism, and indeed, addressed this within the bounds of…

Introduction Defining global citizenship is not as easy as it may seem. According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, the term "global" is defined as "covering or affecting the whole world." The term "citizenship" is defined as "the legal right to belong to a particular country," "the state of being citizen and accepting the responsibilities of it." Putting together the two definitions "global citizenship" would mean, the legal right to belong to a particular country, here the whole world…

In his work Leviathan, Hobbes likens the state of nature to a state of war, a brutal, continuous conflict ending only in untimely death. He contends that while through reason humanity is able to develop certain laws of nature conducive to peace, human nature is incapable of abiding by such rules. He goes on to suggest that a commonwealth is the solution by which such precepts can be enforced. However, by examining both Hobbes’ argument as well as the objections to his view, one can see how…

Absolute monarchs and democracies are both types of government, however there are some major differences that set the two apart. In absolute monarchies the people have little to no power to influence governmental decisions. In Document 1: This illustration depicts the government of France from the mid-1600s to the early 1700s, the absolute ruler appears to be King Louis XIV. He is looking down upon his subjects, the nobles, as they kneel before him. When Louis ruled over France, he chose the sun…

What would happen if someone had complete power over you with every aspect of your life? Some people believe they should certainly follow the rules of absolute monarchs, while other people believe the absolute monarchs should have no right to grant any rules without the society having a say. In some degree, the absolute monarchs should have came to a compromise with their people before they make laws. Absolute monarchs have caused negative ramifications with their type of power. However, the…

Alike to the melting icecaps of the North, politics and the environment are rapidly changing. Currently, Arctic sovereignty is in dispute between the Arctic countries over resources, trade, and territory. The message presented in the source confidently exemplifies the opinion that in the 21st century, the Canadian government is obligated to pursue the sovereignty claim over the Arctic, regardless of the international opposition from America and the Arctic countries. These countries are Russia,…