Communitarianism vs. cosmopolitanism Essay Example For Students

Communitarianism vs. cosmopolitanism Essay What are the differences between cosmopolitan and communitarian approaches to global politics? S) A P d x d AAT$ AA TA $ AA When looking at normative theories of politics, the main distinction is between cosmopolitanism and communitarianismA. In this essay the term community shall refer to political communities, or more specifically, states. It is important to note that these political communities have been defined territorially, and not necessarily by culture, although this is taken for granted to an extent by communitarianism. Communitarians say that each community is different, and therefore should act accordingly with each other. In other words, state autonomy should be absolute and law and moral standards should be self-determined by the community itself alone. Furthermore, communities should have no obligations to other political communities or any sort of international law. Contrastingly, Cosmopolitans say that there should be an overriding universal moral standard to which al l states (or communities) should adhere. If a state is infringing on the rights of the individual or humanity, then intervention is appropriate and just.S A @ A A Aa 0 t Na T| $ AAc Steve Smith, The Globalisation of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations p. 173A 8 T $ AA S A @ A A T $ AA S A @ A A T $ AAA Communitarianism says that communities themselves define what rightful conduct is, and therefore should not be obliged to follow any universal moral code. Morality arises from the culture that makes up the community, and therefore determines what is right for that community, whether it is or not for anyone else. Communitarians say that there cannot be a universal moral standard because where would these standards come from? Who would decide what is right and wrong? However, the argument communitarianism can be turned against it if these communities are nation-states. It is only the predominant culture that will determine what the moral standards of the community are. Cosmopolitans argue that there should be a universal moral standard to which every community must abide. They allow for state autonomy, but only to an extent. States must not be able to be completely self-determined and free from moral obligations to the rest of the international community. But this raises significant questions. Can a universal moral standard exist? And how can it apply to all states? While cosmopolitanism allows for some state autonomy, the moral standard would mean that some states would be favoured in terms of how much they have to conform. For example, in western countries stoning someone to death is barbaric, but while in other more traditional or religious states this is part of their culture. The Sharia Law of Iran actually specifies that the stones thrown should not be so large that the victim dies after a few strikesA yet be big enough to cause serious injury. It is communitarianism that allows this to be law, while cosmopolitanism often seeks to inte rvene in cases such as this. Who is to decide which course of action is more correct? S A @ A A A 8 : H A 8 a A Arial A 8 a * AA 0 A NA TA $ AAQ Unknown, Woman Stoned to Death in APS Diplomat Recorder, vol. 55 July 14, 2001 S$ A A d A @ A . A 8$ A 8 Q Arial A 8 $ Q A 8 $ 9 A 8$ 9 A 8 ; BA 8 1 AT $ AA S A @ A A TA $ AAA Cosmopolitanism is most commonly identified with human rights because of this doctrine of a universal moral standard. It is in favour of humanitarian intervention, whereas communitarianism frowns upon intervention of any kind. State autonomy and self-determinism rate above all else. Both of these approaches have their flaws, however on the surface it does seem that a cosmopolitan system favours individual rights. But then, who is to say this is what is most important?S A @ A A T $ AA S A @ A A T $ AAA Cosmopolitanism seems more sophisticated in that it allows for the fact that states have basically been determined by territorial boundaries. Indeed, liberal democracy p resupposed that national communities were based on the presupposition that political communities could control their destinies and citizens might act together with a view of the common goodA. Following from this, one cannot deny that because of the impact of globalisation, the collective fortunes of human communities have become intertwinedA. Therefore it does appear that cosmopolitanism is the more versatile theory in that it can allow for change and the adaptability of international relations.S A @ A A AA 0  NA TA $ AAA David Held. The Changing Contours of Political Community: Rethinking Democracy in the Context of Globalisation in Barry Holden (ed.) Global Democracy: Key Debates p. 18 A 8a A 8a A w AA z A+ 0 N T $ AA Ibid. T $ AA S A @ A A T $ AAA Communitarians stress the importance of culture and the difference between states, whereas cosmopolitanism leads to the homogenisation of communities. The main critique of cosmopolitanism in the communitarian view is that it does no t allow for cultural differences. Cosmopolitanism quite obviously also has its own problems with communitarianism. For example, the problem of self-determination is, as Geoffrey Robertson puts it, that is gives power to majorities and not minoritiesA. This is unavoidable in communitarianism, for it is not possible for each facet of a community to be represented and the moral standards cannot arise from every culture in a community. The self-determinism is based on geography, which allows for distinctions to be made between domestic and international politicsA. However because there is no way of telling whether or not this is the best way of defining communities, the theory of communitarianism appears fundamentally flawed. S A @ A A As 0 A Na TX $ AA1 Geoffrey Robertson. Crimes Against Humanity p.430A 8A 8+ AA 0 NE TA $ AAv David Held. The Changing Contours of Political Community: Rethinking Democracy in the Context of Globalisation p. 18A 8v T $ AA S A @ A A T: $ AA The clearest dis tinction between cosmopolitanism and communitarianism is that the former says normative theories of world politics should focus on either humanity as a whole or on individualsA, whereas the latter says their appropriate focus is the political community (the state)A. We can see hear clearly that significant debates cannot help but arise around these two intellectual movementsA. The core debates that do arise centre around three main issues: (as Chris Brown states) state autonomy, international justice and the ethics of the use of forceA. The cosmopolitan view is that states should only have a right to autonomy if it does not behave in a way that conflicts with the moral right of either humanity as a whole or of individualsA. In contrast, the communitarian line is that state autonomy cannot be restricted by anything but the community (state) itself. As one might assume, it follows from these differing standpoints that the way each theory view intervention, etc., will be in opposition. S A @ A A Aa 0 A Na T| $ AAc Steve Smith, The Globalisation of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations p. 173A 8 A+ 0 N T $ AA Ibid. Aa 0 ANa T| $ AAc Chris Brown, The Globalisation of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations p. 480A 8 Aa 0 4 Na T| $ AAc Steve Smith, The Globalisation of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations p. 173A 8 A+ 0 A N T $ AA Ibid. T $ AA S A @ A A TA $ AAa Cosmopolitanism and communitarianism differ vastly in the way they, as intellectual concepts, deal with international relations. Cosmopolitanism holds the view that the rights of humanity and the individual should override those of the state (or political community), whereas communitarianism is the opposite. It states that the rights of the community are more important than those of the state. It is because of these fundamental differences that they deal with international relations in significantly different ways. However, both theories have thei r flaws and it seems that we can have neither a fully cosmopolitan or communitarian world political system.S A @ A A T$ AA T4 $ AABibliography:S AP A 8 .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104 , .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104 .postImageUrl , .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104 , .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104:hover , .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104:visited , .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104:active { border:0!important; } .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104:active , .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104 .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue58bb1cf8f861e3464185e1aef0a8104:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Baca vs bradstreet Essay