Costa Rica vs Realism.

COSTA RICA

Costa Rica is a small, beautiful, and peaceful country in middle America. Known for its natural beauty it is a popular tourist destination. Costa Rica is also known for having a great degree of biological diversity and is very proactive and involved with preserving and exploring the important natural splendor that Costa Ricans call home. It is even considered THE greenest nation on earth by the Happy Planet Index. The environment is constantly being explored to find new species of plants and animals, in the hopes of learning something from nature to apply to human problems (specifically for medical purposes). This is called biomimicry, a growing, important, and interesting new frontier for science.


Costa Rica is also special in being the first country to ever abolish it's own military. This was done after a civil war in 1949, they have not had a civil war since, unlike many of it's neighbouring countries. It is also the site for the UN's University of Peace, which I would love to attend one day.

So that's Costa Rica.


REALISM - Classic Political Realism

Classical political realism is all about power.

Realists believe that humans are fundamentally self interested, greedy, and anything but altruistic. Political realists suppose these ideas about human nature onto the nature of states' behavior within the international system.

So in this sense, self interest for individuals translates to national interest for states. States are fundamentally nationally interested, especially when it comes to safety and security. Realists believe that one, when looking at behaviors of states, does not have to look within any country when looking to learn and predict state behavior. They believe that the state will be doing whatever it can to serve its national interest by exerting as much power as it can, and by attempting always to gain more power than other nations, which it is in competition with due to the "zero-sum" nature of the world. Basically this means that when one gains another will lose. In a sense it is similar to the laws of matter and energy, in that there is a finite 'amount' of power and that if one state is gaining, another is losing.

Realists believe that, as a policymaker:
it is rational to accumulate power and exert power over lesser states whenever possible.
it is irrational to not use superior power on lesser states, and to attempt to exert power on a state with superior power.


Here is what I have drawn from comparing this nation to this concept:

• The policymakers in Costa Rica are not classical political realists

• The peaceful existence of Costa Rica undermines the ideas of classical realism

• While realism does explain much of the conflict the world has experienced throughout history, starting with Thucydide's History of The Peloponesian War from 431 BCE. There are now examples of states in the international community who have chosen to opt out of the realists' model of constant power struggles in preference of relationships of peace and harmony.
  

• Humanity is growing, evolving, and moving towards more a cooperative existence.

• Costa Rica is a bright example of intelligent, and creative ideas at work. Hopefully more nations can follow their lead!
  

a warm welcome back.

"Nothing really exists, but human life is governed by convention"

"Nothing is in itself more this than that"

(Diogenes Laertius IX.61)

I found this today while chasing an interesting word combination I havent seen before:

Greco-Buddhism.

I then looked at the wikipedia article. Today my program head, who is also my professor for 2 consecutive classes likened Wikipedia to something good for bullshit and barfights, in a medium length verbal lashing of the prodigous user-based online encyclopedia.

I found this word while on a rampant quest to learn as much as I can about Afghanistan, but avoiding wikipedia in my research like the plague, or H1N1 (which I learned is being taken very seriously. Seriously enough, that I am somewhat concerned that I may be mistaken for having H1N1 when hungover, or getting H1N1 from someone I may or may not know, yikes!).

This is part of why I love university. I enjoy having the time to explore something interesting looking, and end up finding a nice little proverb, by a wise antiquitous greek buddhist. I love learning.

So Afghanistan, I was informed today that a large part of one of my classes is based on a simulation of NATO involvment in the war torn middle eastern nation. After our two professors (both dope) finished the syllabus. We made groups, and now I am in a group with two new, like minded friends in the challenging role of "ambassador" which is simultaniously daunting and exciting to me. The other 2 members of my group (The Foreign Minister and The Foreign Ministry Representitve) will pick the country in my absence this friday.

Exciting stuff. I am glad to be back at school learning all sorts of crazy things. I am also excited to play rugby and get drunk with my friends, and make some new ones along the way. All is well.

I'll try to update this more often now that I am actually using my brain. Good riddance summer!

:)

Oh so fun.

Parkour is something that has recently came into my life and I am really excited about it. Its such a beautiful and organic way to go about getting from A to B. By definition parkour is about moving forward in the most efficent way possible, using your body, mind, and whatever is around you. This is not exactly the way I have been practicing but I recognize the value and artistry in this method.

What me and my hell raiser friends have been doing is just a little more fun. Our work invovles codenames, bandana's to conceal idendity, and doing some serious tresspassing. Hopefully I can get some pictures of us in action before the snow begins to fly.