Example of Realism - Sarah Seeliger

Afghanistan: an Example of Realism 


Since 1999, there has been a war between the U.S. and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, the U.S. is fighting against the Taliban and Al -Queda. There are lots of important things that have happened over the course of this war, one of the most important being the 9/11 attacks. One of the other important things that happened was when the UN National Security Council adopted Resolution 1267 at the start of the war, which imposed sanctions on the funding, travel, and arms shipments of Al - Queda and the Taliban. In 2001, shortly after the 9/11 attacks, President Bush signed a law that allowed the use of force against those involved in the 9/11 attacks. My final example from early on in the war is the end of the Taliban regime, which is December 9, 2001. More recently, President Trump was wanting an end for the war, but now is overseeing an increase in bombing. The expenses of the war in Afghanistan have been great in recent years, as well. Just to start, the war costs about $50 million per year. Also, the DoD budget for 2019 is $700 billion. 

The U.S definitely used realist theories of power in the war against Afghanistan. The U.S. has used both sanctions and military power during the war. To name an example of military power, President Bush signed a law after the 9/11 attacks that allowed the use of force by the U.S. against anyone involved in the 9/11 attacks. An example of sanction that was used during the war was the sanction that was part of Resolution 1267. These things are examples of realist theories of power because in the chart of perspectives on power in the Global Politics book, it says that Realism uses military power and economic sanctions. Although the sanction that was part of Resolution 1267 wasn't economic, it was still a sanction. Another way that the war against Afghanistan is an example of realist theories of power is that the U.S. has shown its hard power capabilities throughout the war. 

Because of the war, the U.S. hasn't been respecting Afghanistan's sovereignty, according to China. The reason China is saying that the U.S. should respect Afghanistan's sovereignty is that there have been reports that Trump is planning to deploy more troops. This is a problem for China because Afghanistan borders Xinjiang, which is currently a very volatile place. The second reason China is saying that Afghanistan's sovereignty should be respected is that Trump has given Defense Secretary Jim Mattis authority to determine troop levels in Afghanistan. 

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