Introduction
Reuters (2023 November) news report discusses Australia’s recent security and migration pact with Tuvalu, using the Realism school of thought in international relations as a counterpoint. It focuses on Australia’s strategic play, stressing a security guarantee—military assistance and resisting China’s influence in the Pacific. Realism provides a fertile avenue for understanding the events described by the language of security commitments, strategic positioning and geopolitical considerations encapsulated in one pact. This analysis will highlight central ideas and statements from the article’s Realist standpoint.
Realist World View in The News Article
Reuters (2023) delves into Australia’s diplomatic and strategic outreach to Tuvalu to underpin Realist principles thinking. The focus on security considerations emerges explicitly as one of the central themes. This is particularly apparent in Australia’s pledge to guarantee Tuvalu’s security completely. This commitment is more than empty talk, including military assistance upon request–a central postulate of Realist international relations theory. Australia also conforms to strategic manoeuvring because it wants to oppose China’s hegemony in the Pacific (Reuters, 2023). The realist argument is that states act in their interests, and the article shows how Australia positions itself strategically in Pacific geopolitics. These ideas about an anarchic international system mesh well with national interest, power dynamics and strategic thinking.
Arguments/Ideas/Concepts Supporting Realism
Security Guarantee and Military Assistance: Australia’s promise to provide a security guarantee for Tuvalu, that is, military help on demand, represents the application of Realism. In the eyes of Realism, states maintain their security as a priority; this agreement establishes that nations are prepared to use military force to protect national interests (James, 1995).
Counteracting China’s Influence: The pact, the article says, aims to balance China’s growing influence in the Pacific. Realists believe that states seek to further their interests. To balance against the interference of other great powers, they can form alliances or act (Antunes & CAMISãO, 2018). This focus on countering China conforms to the Realist understanding of strategic competition and power balancing.
Words/Expressions Indicative of Realism
Key terminology in news such as ‘security guarantee’, ‘military assistance’, ‘opposing China’ and ‘strategic positioning’ reveal a Realist thought. These phrases reflect Realism in international politics, stressing the need for states to band together and protect themselves, alliances, and ever-stronger armies. Resisting China reflects a Realist perspective in which nations interact with other significant actors and strive to enhance or maintain their authority. Strategic positioning also includes geopolitical awareness, representing a Realist perspective prizing national interest and power in an inter-concurring international realm.
Proof Supporting Realist Perspective
Threalistle presents A Realist pin the article position through Australia’s giving Tuvalu a security guarantee and supplying it with the military as terms embody Realist ideals in which states work toward security and use force to protect their interests. The article’s focus on pitting oneself against China establishes that states compete strategically to maintain or improve their place in the world. The provision allowing Australia to call for a review of Tuvalu’s security arrangements with other states reflects the realist tendency toward alliances and dependencies as conducive to national interests. Australia’s prominence as Tuvalu’s major security partner in the treaty is more evidence of a realist strategy to increase its influence.
Reference
Antunes, S., & CAMISãO, I. S. A. B. E. L. (2018). Introducing Realism in international relations theory. International Relations Theory, E-International Relations Publishing”. Access on the internet: https://www. e-ir. info/2018/02/27/introducing-realism-in-internationalrelations-theory.
James, P. (1995). Structural Realism and the causes of war. Mershon International Studies Review, 39(Supplement_2), pp. 181–208.
Reuters, (2023, November). Australia signs security and migration pact with Pacific’s Tuvalu. Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-offer-climate-refuge-all-residents-tuvalu-report-2023-11-10/
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