PSC 2440 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Al-Qaeda
1 Jun 2019
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Constructivism therefore shows how conflict, especially the events involving the 9/11 terrorist attacks, grows out of human interaction and is socially constructed. It recognizes the non-state actors, such as terrorist, and the historical basis of how the identities are formed about themselves and one another. It shows how the u. s. and al-qaeda were mutually constituted in their beliefs about one another, and proves how the mutual othering can make conflict worse. The language component proves how we don t simply learn meanings of words, but we learn how to act in response to those words. This means that a leader of the state has a tremendous amount of power -- only if everyone agrees to give them this power -- in order to perform actions that are perceived as rational. Realism lacks this same level of comprehensiveness, because it overemphasizes how military power influences the international system. Although parsimonious, many more factors are involved in explaining international outcomes.
