1. The concept POWER and the international system

INQUIRY PREAMBLE:

As you travel through this inquiry you will be presented with FOUR POSSIBLE CAUSES of the Iraq War:

• Neo-conservatism; 
• 9/11 (and the War on Terror); 
• Weapons of Mass Destruction; and 
• US oil interests. 

It will be up to you to decide which was most influential based on the evidence presented and that which you independently research.

 will be prompted twice throughout this inquiry into the Iraq War to write an extended piece of writing in preparation for THE CATEGORY 1 EXAM. Use these opportunities to demonstrate your critical interrogation of source evidence and ability to communicate your historical thinking in a coherent manner. Be sure to support your conclusions with the synthesis of evidence throughout the inquiry, and don't be afraid to TAKE A POSITION on debatable issues!

Key Question that will guide this inquiry:

What motivated the United States to invade Iraq in 2003, and was it in their national interest?

- Link for collaborative class notes where teacher instructs: SHAMBLESPAD NOTES
- Backchannel on TodaysMeet: CLICK HERE

LEARNING INTENTION FOR THIS PAGE: By the end of this section, 

• UNDERSTAND the concept of 'power'
• UNDERSTAND two key political philosophies - Liberalism and Realism -  and how they are used as differing ways to view the world.
• UNDERSTAND the way in which power relates to world politics and EVALUATE the extent of its changing nature over the past century (revision of past learning in the 2 year course)

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INITIAL DISCUSSIONS AROUND THE CONCEPT OF 'POWER'
As we come to end of the two year course of Senior Modern History it is time to take stock of what we know and how this knowledge can help us understand more contemporary issues and events such as the Extremist Terrorism, the Afghanistan and Iraq War, and the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

Firstly, as we know music is a great vehicle for and conduit of society's sentiments. Let's use the Hilltop Hood's song 'Fifty in Five' from their 2009 album to reflect on the learning that has taken place over the past two years and stimulate discussion about the international community and the projection of POWER throughout the past two centuries.

'POWER', what is it? And, how does it affect the world in which we live?

“it is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails. My view is that it is desirable to be both loved and feared; but it is difficult to achieve both and, if one of them has to be lacking, it is much safer to be feared than loved.”  

― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

ACTIVITY 1: The German philosopher Fredrich Nietzsche might be able to shed some light on this question... 

• Make a table IN YOUR NOTES with two columns - one titled 'Notes/Points' made by Nietzsche' that help to explain what power is, and the other titled 'Questions/Points on which you want clarification' about his thinking;
• Add points to your table from the class discussion/PowerPoint below >>> After responding to the questions in your table, post your responses in the Comment/Discussion Forum at the bottom of the page
• Read two or three posts and respond on whether you agree/disagree and why.
• Lastly, continue with your table of notes using the philosophical explanation in the video below (its heavy, but don't despair!)

ACTIVITY 1 RESOURCES:

1. PowerPoint on Nietzsche's theories 'The Will to Power' and Slave Morality': Click Here
2. Video explanation of Nietzsche's theories on power:

Does our 'world view' affect our actions in it?
By now you might be starting to realise that concepts such as POWER are quite subjective in their definition; they are subject to our personal experiences, ideologies, perspectives and 'world views'. Therefore, the meaning of 'power' can be quite difficult to define, but you would have noticed from Nietzsche's thinking and your class discussions that all definitions and ideas around the concept of 'power' will carry similar characteristics. However, the manifestation of power, for example war, can be better understood by investigating differing perspectives, or differing world views.

The world can be seen through different 'lenses', which often distort our view of the world when compared to those who hold differing perspectives. The discipline of History and the field of International Politics (political science), use differing 'world views' in order to understand the causes and motivations behind events in the past so that they may predict or prevent events in the future. Two significant political philosophies or world views are REALISM and LIBERALISM (sometimes known as IDEALISM). These two political philosophies offer insight into human and, as an extension, 'nation-state' behaviour.

ACTIVITY 2: Please add these definitions to your glossary - reword into YOUR WORDS where necessary for greater understanding. Then, consider with which worldview you most closely align your thoughts... PowerPoint class discussion.

• REALISM: The idea that people and nations are bound by inevitable conflict; and a balance of power is necessary to avoid major wars by controlling the threat. However, If power among nations is unbalanced and not recognised in the international system, major war breaks out in the absence of a 'policing authority'. Examples: balance of power during WWI - Alliances were made by nations to collectively balance the power of their enemies. Supporters of Liberalism view realists as taking a pessimistic view of the world.

• LIBERALISM/IDEALISM: The idea that there is a collective good in nations/people and through international institutions (UN, WTO, World Bank, IMF) and diplomatic approaches to conflict, a peaceful existence is achievable .eg. Syria – peaceful/diplomatic approach to rid chemical weapons and avoid escalating military conflict. Realists view Liberalism as over-ambitious, unrealistic and over-optimistic.

1. Definitions

ACTIVITY 3: Discuss at your table groups - research where necessary - and come up with shared definitions on the terms below. NOTE: please add an example to support your definition from any learning you have done over the past two years in senior modern history:

• POWER
• GEO-POLITICAL POWER
• NEO-IMPERIALISM
• SUPERPOWER
• BALANCE OF POWER
• POWER VACUUM
• HEGEMONY/HEGEMON

NOTE: Share the responsibility afterwards to have the best definitions & examples completed on the ShablesPad too!

ACTIVITY 4: What makes a 'powerful nation' powerful? Is there a criteria? How do the world views mentioned above influence your ideas? 

• After discussing at your table responses to the questions above, and NOTING IN YOUR NOTES a shared response, post your table's response in the Comment/Discussion Forum below.
• Then, read other tables' responses and find ideas you agree on ideas you disagree on. Respond with an explanation why.

2. Power, Change and Continuity

ACTIVITY 5:  Making deeper connections with past learning and synthesizing ideas:

Consider and discuss at your table the role of power in the following periods/events in modern history (revisiting the past two years of Modern History):

• Neo-imperialist tensions leading to WW1
• Anti-colonialism and the rise of nationalist powers, e.g. Vietnam
• Suppression of power in Germany/Japan leading to WW2
• Balance of power during the Cold War
• Power Vacuum with US left as Hegemon in the international system in Post-Cold War climate

Flow chart/concept map IN YOUR NOTES the ‘International System’ from late 19^th C to end of the Cold War from the discussions above.

How might power shape the world in the future?
A CONTEMPORARY LOOK FORWARD: 
American Professor John Mearsheimer from the University of Chicago explains clearly from a political realist perspective how power, or the imbalance of power, in an 'anarchic international system' (system with no police) will lead to conflict between the US and China once China becomes a superpower:

ACTIVITY 6: Discuss, in the Comment/Discussion Forum below, the earlier quote from 16th century political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli in light of your discussions over power, war and international politics. How accurately can we apply this thinking to the international system approx 500 years on?

ACTIVITY 7:  Here is a reading from two of the most influential theorists on post-Cold War conflict : FRANCIS FUKIYAMA'S 'End of History' and SAMUEL HUNTINGTON'S 'Clash of Civilizations'. Read the two extracts and answer the questions ready for discussion in class: CLICK HERE