Response

Since our class continually went back to the example of plumbing in Palestine, I figured I would go back and touch on it now that I have something to add. Anything, such as the failure of a government to provide basic services to its constituents, can elevate to an issue of world concern. However, considering there is no way to judge if an issue is going to have a global effect at its onset, each instance must be judged on a case-by-case basis. If the plumbing goes out in Palestine, an area where there is already a large amount of tension, people will generally be much more willing to elect a radical leader into power if they will provide basic services. And considering Palestine is Palestine and already being watched closely by the world, the chances that another government or private entity will get involved is much higher. If the plumbing went out in Parker, Colorado, we wouldn’t elect a radical who advocated occasionally shooting rockets into Franktown, and I would venture a guess to say it would never become an issue of world politics. However, the problem with this is that it requires a definition of “world politics”, which is something our class realized is rather difficult to ascertain. As I said earlier, I believe defining world politics must be done on an individual basis, but a basic definition must be established. If a state’s government or its people must turn to an outside force, be it a state or private enterprise, to provide something, I consider it an issue of world politics. Of course I am expecting to have to change my already broad definition, but I think it’s a decent starting point.