5.3 Theories and the case studies

Discussion

You may have noted a number of points in response to the questions posed. Key aspects of the liberal approach that William Brown noted were that while states were key actors, NGOs, campaign groups and international organisations were as well; that human rights and economic issues were important alongside security; and that states could find ways to cooperate if conditions were right. Both speakers note aspects of great power competition in Africa that liberalism would highlight: the potential for cooperation, where there are shared interests (for example, between some African states and China), and the potential for conflict where you have clashing political agendas around human rights, for example. Key aspects of the postcolonial approach that Claire Malcolm mentioned were the importance of the legacies of colonialism, the inequalities between states and the importance of economic and racial inequalities and resistance to those. In terms of great power competition in Africa, postcolonialism might highlight the cooperation between states from the Global South or draw attention to the parallels between current intervention in Africa and that of the colonial era.

Discussion

As Claire Malcolm notes, realists focus on states as the most important actors and security as the most important issue. Through this lens, terrorism is seen as a high priority for states and the use of violence to counter terrorism as a priority.

Tom Martin points out how constructivism emphasises the fluid nature of state identities and interests; these are formed though ‘social’ interaction between states. States are important but non-state actors, including NGOs and international organisations, are also important – it is they that create the ideas that states and others hold about the international system. In analysing terrorism, constructivism would ask questions about why some acts are deemed ‘terrorist’ and some aren’t.