Role of Competition in Global Affairs

            In a world filled with so much international conflict and war, it’s easy to ask yourself “why?”.  What’s the point of all of this fighting? What is America benefiting from involving itself in conflict in the Middle East? Why do we continue to involve ourselves in international affairs when we seem to be doing just fine on our own? In chapter 2 of Mearshemier’s piece, he attempts to prove how competition for world power is the main factor behind all international relations.

            Now, initially after reading Mearshemier’s piece I viewed it as insight as to why world peace is impossible to achieve. He often reiterated the idea that global competition largely revolves around fear. Because there is no clear governing force bringing together all the governments below it, states are forced to act on their own. They have no idea what other states could be planning or how much military power they actually have, forcing states to do everything they can to maximize their own power, ensuring the utmost security of their state with no mercy of other states around them. Essentially, he concludes that in international relations, there is no trust. And just as in life, we as humans need trust in order to feel safe and progress our relationships with other people, the same goes for states in international relations. With no trust, governing bodies need to be ready in case another state strikes, thus reinforcing competition of which state is most prepared for the unknown. While I once thought that one day there could be a time where all states were in peace and there would be no international conflict ensuing, I now see that in the political system our world has created, that is simply not the case. The only way peace could ever be achieved is if we all felt secure enough to let our guards down. Unfortunately, however, that would require a complete balance of power among states, which judging by how much imbalance there is today, seems pretty impossible.

            On the contrary, while it’s easy to think global competition is solely the source of conflict, it’s also important to view it as a positive force that drives states to progress in an evolving world. Without competition, it’s likely the world wouldn’t be nearly as advanced as it is today. A prime example of this is the space race of the mid-twentieth century. Competition between the US and the Soviets to become the more dominant power led to discoveries in space we would have never found otherwise. Assuming every country lived in peace, unaware and uninterested in what other states were doing, there would be no need for any type of advancement in society, whether it be military, technological or economical. Competition is one of the most important aspects in society today, and without it there would be no room for growth or improvement.

It’s also necessary to look at how global competition affects states on a more domestic level. Later on in the chapter, Mearshemier delves further into the idea of hegemony.  He argues that while global hegemony is virtually impossible to achieve, it is possible to establish regional hegemony. He talks about how the US is the only state which holds regional hegemony, which makes the US, arguably one of the most powerful states in the world. Now, America is also prided on being the land of the free, proving that the more powerful the government, the more powerful the citizens of that land. While some may view global competition in a negative light, I believe if competition results in more freedom in the people and the ability for society to evolve with the times, then maybe competition is not such a bad thing after all.


Source:

Mearsheimer, John J. The Tragedy of Great Power Politics. New York: Norton,

2001, p.29-54.