USA Realist Paradigm
Barber believes that the realist paradigm does not provide guidance to the USA in its pursuit of foreign policy in the 21st century. Barber argues that the dispersal of the American culture and interests on the global scale have provoked resentment in many parts of the word. The concept of the USA paradigm emerges from the globalization and dependency on other weaker world states for foreign aids. According to him, making generalizations about the superiority of the American culture over other cultures is the greatest evil made by the American administrators. In some cases, its involvements in the protection of human rights in war stricken zones, especially in the Middle East has been criticized for violations of international law. The death of innocent civilians in such countries has provoked opposition from human rights groups. For example, the opposition of the USA war mission in Iraq indicated the discontent to the USA interests into other nation’s affairs.
The acceptance of the American culture in some of the African and Asian states, have been received with mixed perceptions. On one hand, it shows the dilemmatic situation faced by these nations in safeguarding their national interests from the American aids and international influences. On the other hand, it represents nations torn between the acceptance of modernity and the ancient values of these states. According to Barber, the US administrators disregard to the world perceptions of its culture fails to offer guidance in its pursuit of international interests. Barber believes that the American’s policy popularity scores in Europe are irrelevant to the developing countries of Asia and Africa.In summary, the realist paradigm does not favor the American foreign policies. The resentment of the American policy pursuits stems from its subjective treatments of other countries cultures and interests. Unless the administrators change their perceptions on these smaller world economies, its policies will fail to gain worldwide acceptability.
Work Cited
Pillar, Paul. Intelligence and U. S. foreign policy: Iraq, 9/11, and misguided reform. Columbia: Columbia University Press. 2013. Print.