1. Can Political Globalization Increase Global Peace and Security?

"A peaceful world requires [political globalization:] collective measures for the prevention of war, international cooperation to solve economic and social problems, and respect for universal human rights."

- Former Prime Minister of Sweden, Goran Persson

Liberalist (or liberal internationalist) and realist theoretical approaches to international politics have different explanations for the causes of war and insecurity in the world and the conditions needed for peace and security. Proponents of liberalism argue processes of political globalization create a more cooperative international environment and peaceful, secure world. Realists counter that international politics is still based on the sovereignty and self-interest of states and the constant struggle for power, rendering the prospects for political globalization and peace through mutual cooperation unlikely (Maclean and Wood, 2010, p. 323). Can political globalization, informed by the international politics approach of liberalism, increase global peace and security? Why or why not?After investigating the relationship between political globalization and global peace and security, create an argument to answer this question. Identify and explore at least three reasons for your answer/argument in your essay

Your assignment is to write a 750-1000 word, short formal essay, responding to ONE of the above central questions (in bold above).

1. Clearly state your answer to the question in an argument (ideally a one sentence thesis with three premises) in the introduction of the essay.
2. Adequately define/describe any core concepts and ideologies/theoretical approaches that are central to your main argument.
3. Support the argument (thesis) in the body of the essay with at least three premises. Back up the reasons with specific evidence/examples from the required course readings and other independent research for this assignment.
4. Clearly re-state (paraphrase) your thesis in the conclusion of the essay and recap the three premises.
5. Flawlessly apply APA citation style in the essay and list of references. [Marks will be deducted from the total if there are errors with writing conventions]

Required Readings on Political Globalization

Maclean, G. and Wood, D. (2010). "International Politics and Foreign Policy." In Politics: An Introduction (1st ed.) (pp. 284-293). Oxford: OUP.

Steger, M. B. (2017). "Chapter 4: The Political Dimension of Globalization." In Globalization: A Very Short Introduction (4th ed.) (pp. 62-79). Oxford: OUP.