ULUSLARARASI İLİŞKİLER TEORİLERİ I

Every human being was seen as a citizen of the world in his capacity of “reason” regardless of bloodlineage and racial origins.

Normative theories, essentially are related with the subjects of philosophy and ethic. Perpetual peace approach of Kant and European federation idea of J. J. Rousseau were interesting examples for normative studies.

Normative theories rest on value preferences which cannot be tested or verified with factual experiments and this is an important difference from empirical/positivist theories. Moreover, they are not concerned with the proposition related to “what is” but “what ought to be, what should be”.

However, either normative theories or empirical theories are also criticized for some perspectives. In other words, both have certain weaknesses. Since normative theories are claimed to be utopist and idealist and empirical theories too, they are condemned to be over factual for consideration of being scientific.

Normative writers criticize the relativist approach and if everything is accepted to be relative, then nothing would have any concrete meaning. On the other hand, those scholars that base their arguments on relativism refuse cosmopolitanism. In other words, they do not accept the universality of some values. Universal law, natural law, universal peace, universal morality, universal human rights are not accepted by them. What Cicero is ultimately saying here and elsewhere is that there is the law of nature, and there is human nature. These are of necessity harmonious with each other (and, ultimately, the same thing) because both reflect the will of a benevolent Supreme Being who creates and governs the universe.

It is the meta-ethical position that some system of ethics, or a universal ethic, applies universally, that is, for “all similarly situated individuals”, regardless of culture, race, sex, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, or any other distinguishing feature. Moral universalism is opposed to moral nihilism and moral relativism.

The approach of social contract is another important approach which should be regarded for normative thought. According to Locke and Rousseau, by forming a higher authority, individuals would accept voluntarily to leave their certain rights to preserve their freedoms and security (freedom of life). Social contract theory depends on the assumption that the individuals might voluntarily bind themselves to the certain principles. From this point, like stag hunt model of game theory, individuals would sacrifice their small satisfactions to reach a highest satisfaction.

For utilitarianism, the social and individual interests overlap (harmony of interest thesis). As individual might seek for his own interest, he would play for the increment of the interest of society. And as he works for the happiness for himself, he works for the happiness of other people. Utilitarian philosophy assumes that the individual who works for his own utility, automatically works for the utility of community.

The prohibition against the use of force amongst States and the exceptions to it (self-defence and UN authorization for the use of force), set out in the United Nations Charter of 1945, are the core ingredients of jus ad bellum.

The principle of non-intervention involves the right of every sovereign State to conduct its affairs without outside interference; …“the principle forbids all States or groups of States to intervene directly or indirectly in the internal or external affairs of other States” and that “a prohibited intervention must accordingly be one bearing on matters in which each State is permitted, by the principle of State sovereignty, to decide freely. Intervention is wrongful when it uses methods of coercion in regard to such choices, which must remain free ones.”

Empirical theories intensify on the real reasons of relations between statesmen and foreign policy.

Normative theories, essentially are related with the subjects of philosophy and ethic. Perpetual peace approach of Kant and European federation idea of J. J. Rousseau were interesting examples for normative studies.

According to Hobbes, good or bad are relative concepts and consequently there is no absolute good and absolute bad. There are no sensible and objective criteria to divide the good and bad; in contrast, it depends subjectively to the individuals themselves.

Natural law moral theory, the moral standards that govern human behavior are, in some sense, objectively derived from the nature of human beings and the nature of the world.

According to Kant, an individual has the freedom to choose right, ethic and moral, and his behaviors are not determined in advance. But, he has responsibilities and obligations to perform and to obey to the ethical laws accepted as right by universal reason. The ethical laws are known to individuals, and they are universally obligatory rules for all humankind.

In the writings of Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), it is claimed that the principle of utilitarianism (principle of pleasure and satisfaction) should be obeyed to reach to the best.

Social contract theory depends on the assumption that the individuals might voluntarily bind themselves to the certain principles.

The approach of social contract is another important approach which should be regarded for normative thought. According to Locke and Rousseau, by forming a higher authority, individuals would accept voluntarily to leave their certain rights to preserve their freedoms and security (freedom of life).

The principle of non-intervention involves the right of every sovereign State to conduct its affairs without outside interference.

In particular, according to realist writers, in a real world, sovereign state seeks to increase its power. States looking for power and national interest are not expected to be ethical. Moreover, since there must be numerous moral principles depending on the number of sovereign states, a universal normative theory which is valid for all states is not plausible to establish.