Realism v. Liberalism to fight terrorism.

The definition of terrorism varies to each state. The actions that each state choses to take against terrorism, depends on many factors including; assumptions made concerning the threat, the capabilities of the state as, well as the capabilities of its allies, and how the rest of the international community will grade the threat. The Obama administration decided to tackle terrorism based in the European model, which, takes into account that each state wants to stay as independently as possible, when it comes to economy and security.

Strategies made by any given state rely on the risky obligations and hidden opportunities. How a state chooses to encounter the issue is based on how they state will use the opportunities and oblations in its favor based on how they perceive the magnitude of the threat is, knowledge of other states involved, and how they assume the reactions will be at home, as well as abroad.

Basically, a state should make a decision keeping in mind the major facts of realism, while trying to maintain a liberal view on foreign policy. For example; the Bush administration viewed the issue as very important and high threatening towards the stability of the United States. They decided to choose the main theoretical proposition of realism, which states that each state has self-interest and they must always be fighting for security and power. By choosing this theoretical ideal the United States stopped us from relying on international institutions, depending on alliances and to shape the international systems trough spreading democracy, even if it was by force.

On the other hand we have the Obama administration, which chose a more liberal approach, which is concerned with power overridden by economic and political considerations and the desire to prosper but, commitment to liberal values. And they did this by using every resource of American power, using alliances, partnerships, working with “multilateral institutions”, and the combination of hard and soft power.

But, which approach was more successful? I would like to argue that because of the strength and the spread of globalization and the popularity of organizations that have significant political influence but are not allied to any particular country or state; A.K.A nonstate actors, the liberal approach is more affective. Although, I personally think hat the use of the realism principles used by the Bush administration set up the stage for the Obama administration and their success.

I think the liberal approach to counterattack terrorism is a good way to tackle the problem even though; liberalism ignores the role of power, it increases the cooperation of other states that share the same rules of values. By using rationality and mitigating anarchy with international intuitions, for example; IOs and NGOs, liberalism makes tackling the problem such as terrorism, easier. It sends the message of informality with other states that share the same points of view. Let’s face it when it comes to war or other matters of importance, it is better to be standing with a lot of people to back your opinions and believes up, then to be standing alone. Liberalism urges states to work together because institutions have more legitimacy than solo actions.  

While, in the other hand we have realism, which basically tells us that states are like a bowling ball and are ready to attach or “knock down any pins in their way” because, each state that is a realist will act in their own benefit with anarchy always in their mind and with strong military to back them up.

So, in a way the Bush administration, which was all about realism, used the power of the military to fight terrorism but did not get very far. It costs a lot of money and a lot of lives. Sure, it set the United States aside form the rest of the world because, after 9/11, nobody will mess with the United States, in a way I like to think that it reminded everyone that once we did drop two-atomic bombs, and it seems like sometimes the world forgets who dropped them. However, it seemed like the United Sates alone was fighting this war against terrorism and we were alone in the fight. With the Obama administration and their using of liberalism to fight terrorism, gets not only one or two states to work together but, it gets the entire world aware of this issue.