Machiavelli in his famous work "The Sovereign" gave a lot of practical advice to novice politicians and rulers. Taken from the particulars of the general, the meaning of the art of management on a macro scale is that there are no moral and non-moral decisions, good and bad. There are right and wrong, useful and harmful. Modern international relations are no exception in this regard.
Abandoning the Law of the Jungle
In the twentieth century, after two monstrous, unprecedented scale wars, the concept of international relations has changed. The previously absolutely Darwinian laws governing international relations have lost their shameless obviousness. It is impossible to make imperious decisions without taking into account the opinion of society. One should not think that the largest army is the key to success in international relations. Modern international relations have become very humanistic. No, of course, they never turned into a mutually beneficial union of equals. But there are humanistic tendencies.
Why are these positive developments ininternational relations become possible?
Peacekeeping weapon
In recent years, the influence of society on power structures has increased significantly. Therefore, decisions related to conflict situations are made solely with an eye on the opinion of voters. In many respects, positive phenomena in international relations are due to this factor. Examples confirming this thesis work, as they say in mathematics, from the opposite. The number of armed conflicts in the world has drastically decreased, European countries do not participate in them, except perhaps in the role of peacekeepers. And parties that call to take up arms are heavily criticized by the public and rarely win enough votes to put their plans into action.
Right is not strong, but smart
In the twentieth century, nuclear weapons were created and tested in practice, and this, of course, is terrible. The events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were so monstrous that mankind never again tried to repeat such an experience. This applies even to the most radical states known as strongholds of militarism. This is how positive relations developed between the most irreconcilable enemies, which is a rarity in international relations. Usually, if there is enough reason for a conflict, then it is only a matter of time before it begins.
A situation arose when all significant players in the political field had a nuclear card in their hands. And this led to a natural stalemate. None of the parties to the conflict can use nuclear weapons,knowing that the enemy will have time to strike back. The result will not be victory, but the total destruction of everything and everything. It turns out that the deadly power of the weapon provided benevolent, positive relations. In international relations, this is not a paradox at all.
Triumph of diplomacy
In the modern world, the meaning of a direct armed threat has lost its former strength. Gone are the days when everyone obeyed the man with the biggest club and the strongest muscles. Today, too much depends on the economy, on international trade, on the position that large corporations will take (and not only because of the corruption of the authorities). It's just that these monsters provide huge revenues to the state budget in the form of taxes and payments. Naturally, they have a direct influence on the policy pursued by the state. Positive phenomena in international relations, such as tolerance, tolerance, the desire to find compromises, largely stem precisely from the need to reckon with the laws of economics. Switzerland does not have nuclear weapons, but it does have powerful financial leverage. China has enough military power, but its influence is largely determined not by fear of an attack by a multimillion-strong army, but by a practical monopoly on the world's nickel reserves. High technology cannot do without this material.
International assistance and humanitarian aid
Many positive developments in international relationsare directly related to the monstrous wars that have thundered in Europe. Traditions of humanitarian aid are not at the level of private initiative, but at the level of the state, the practice of peacekeeping intervention in local conflicts. All these positive developments in international relations come from the Second World War. Never before has humanitarian aid from one state to another reached such proportions. And now the provision of food, medicine and clothing to the victims of environmental disasters and military operations is practically the norm of international etiquette.
Many examples of international cooperation are connected precisely with the awareness of some common threat. For example, terrorist attacks, which have become more frequent in recent years, have led to the need for closer cooperation between the law enforcement forces of different countries. And this, in turn, reduced the chances of criminals to escape using movements between states. Careful control over cash flows, also associated with the anti-terror campaign, has led to a tightening of financial regulations. The life of criminals who specialize in economic fraud has become much more difficult. These are undoubtedly positive developments in international relations. Examples of such fruitful cooperation are numerous.
Condemnation of non-interference policy
Another conclusion humanity has drawn from the last war is that there are no other people's conflicts. The policy of non-intervention is, of course, very reasonable and economical. But when she appearserroneous, it turns into a disaster. Even local military conflicts cannot be ignored, because it is difficult to predict exactly how the situation will unfold later.
In 1945, the UN Peacekeeping Forces were created, designed to provide peaceful ways to resolve both intra-ethnic and international conflicts. These troops include a limited contingent from every country that is a member of the UN, including Russia. Peacekeeping forces have taken part in armed conflicts in Yugoslavia, Liberia, Burundi, the Republic of Chad and many others.
Thus, once again, the bloody events of history have shaped positive developments in international relations. Vivid examples of events almost a century ago are still evident. World War II taught humanity a lot.
Geneva Conventions
Another consequence of those tragic events is the adoption of the Geneva Conventions in 1949. These regulations are dedicated to the protection of the civilian population during any armed conflict. If earlier the issue of the security of the population was just a matter of conscience of the belligerents, then since 1949 the situation has changed. International legislation clearly prescribes the norms and standards that must be observed during hostilities, up to the use of types of weapons and the ban on the production of the most dangerous, non-selective impact. Yes, there are and will be violations of these rules. However, positive developments in internationalrelations regarding control over the production of weapons is a definite plus.
