I was very intrigued with our discussion in class about IR Theory as Everyday Practice. After the general consensus was reached that IR Theory as Everyday Practice does not matter, I could not help but pose a question to myself: If all events in IR are shaped and executed by humans how can the everyday experiences not play a role in IR?
If one examines that question it seems absurd to say that IR Theory as Everyday Practice does not matter as a way of looking at IR. Humans do live lives shaped by different individual experiences only to forget those experiences once they are in a position to make some sort of impact in the world of IR. The most notable impact of everyday practice on IR comes in the form of cognitive dissonance. Take for example President Bush’s administration’s lead-up to the Iraq War. The Administration had a poor case for invading Iraq. Inspections yielded no evidence of WMD and let us recognize that Saddam Hussein’s regime was just the type of non-Muslim government that Osama bin Laden’s Salafist doctrine called for eliminating, so there was no link there. However the Bush Administration made a strong push for war in the face of this and other opposition because the individuals involved had been shaped by their own everyday experiences to arrive at a place in their lives where they felt that this war needed to happen and as a result developed a cognitive dissonance against any action but the invasion of Iraq.
Examples abound of this from the American and French Revolutions, where individuals to sparked these revolutions were shaped by everyday experiences, to World War II where Hitler had a huge impact on the world of IR as a result of his individual experiences shaping his life and beliefs. All that occurs in IR is the result of the thoughts and experiences of individuals that, given the right opportunity (leadership positions, right to vote, military power, etc.), can be carried out on the world stage. Consider this, right now as you read this blog there are individuals on this planet who will one day become players on the global stage who are being shaped by every day events into the type of person that they will e one day when they have the power to effect change and impact the lives of others. To say that their experiences right now do not matter is flat out wrong.
So again, why is this way of looking at IR Theory shrugged off as in our class discussion? I believe that it is out of simplicity. While it is important to recognize the impact of everyday events on IR, it is far too daunting a task to think about IR on the level of everyday events and it would be near impossible for any leader of a global actor to govern effectively by doing this. Stepping back and looking at the world from a more general standpoint makes decision making easier and less complicated as every single experience of every single individual cannot be taken into consideration. It is important to keep in mind however that all decisions affect individuals and individuals affect all decisions, so I believe that IR Theory as Everyday Practice should be looked at as a strong supplement to more broad-looking forms of IR Theory.
1 comment:
Excellent and thought-provoking post Erik. Your point about "simplicity" caught me in particular. Is it perhaps too difficult to wade through a theoretical perspective that emphasizes the importance of everyday life because it doesn't offer cookie-cutter explanations? Perhaps we are intimidated? Perhaps we are trained to look at different things? Perhaps the cookie-cutter approach of prioritizing only security or focusing on self-interest too are products of theorists' daily lives and must be examined as such?
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