Essay Sample on Transnationalization of Borders

Introduction

Immigration is one of the main political and social issues facing the world today. Governments are considerably unstable in various regions of the world and people tend to migrate to countries where the political and economic environment is stable. Uncontrolled immigration can result to a wide variety of crises which can subsequently destabilize the political and economic systems in those regions. Therefore, governments of stable regions enforce a number of policies and regulations in a bid to control immigration and this leads to transnationalization of borders (Baylis, Smith & Owens, 2017). For example, the governments handle the problem of refugees and immigrants by intensifying the interdiction processes abroad. In addition, they can handle this issue by creating "no man's lands" or stateless areas inside major entry points such as airports and border crossings. These areas can be used to process immigrants or refugees seeking asylum in a particular country. Finally, nations can address this issue by detaining immigrants and refugees in regions outside the country in which they would like to move to. They can process these groups in these regions and thereby allow them to enter the country or decline their asylum applications (Baylis, Smith & Owens, 2017). Subsequently, transnationalization of borders leads higher levels of efficiency and effectiveness in allowing governments from different countries to further their cooperation.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The ambiguity involved when good intentions are used to try to stop the consumption of conflict commodities. Why might there be unintended consequences?

In many cases, human conflicts are fueled by resources. Actually, it is arguable that people engage in conflict as they scramble for resources and seek to control territories that hold vast natural resources. Subsequently, the warring factions tend to sell the resources and thereby generate revenues to fuel further conflict (Sending, Pouliot & Neumann, 2015). However, global bodies, which have good intentions, can prevent further chaos by imposing sanctions on the sale of conflict goods or commodities. By doing this, the aim of the global bodies is to reduce the financial capabilities of the parties involved in war and consequently restore order. However, such intentions may result in unintended consequences (Longo, 2017). For example, as the country degenerates into further chaos and poverty, basic commodities such as food, water, and medical supplies will become even more expensive for the local communities. As such, the country/region becomes even worse because of the restriction of conflict goods whereas the step aimed at restoring order to the society.

Name and discuss the ways in which armed conflict and HIV transmission intermix in devastating ways.

HIV has been a global epidemic for a long time and this problem has been bigger in war-ravaged regions. Therefore, it would be easy to argue that there is a direct connection between armed conflict and the transmission of the virus. By assessing the conditions in areas affected by armed conflicts, one can easily see the factors that lead to widespread transmission of HIV. One of the many driving factors of transmission is the fact that regions facing armed conflict lack law and order. Therefore, crimes against humanity are widespread (Ahall & Gregory, 2015). For example, crimes such as rape are often ignored in such regions, and this can lead to high levels of transmission. Additionally, if the parties involved in the war do not adhere to international war conventions, they may use rape and other practices as strategies to demoralize the enemy. In addition to these practices, countries and regions affected by armed conflict may experience extreme shortages of drugs and basic necessities. Therefore, the spread of epidemics such as HIV can be easy and fast. In essence, it is highly perceptible that the transmission levels of the virus rise as more communities are displaced because of war and conflict (Sending et al., 2015). As the vulnerable populations become displaced, they are exposed to threats that may increase their chances of becoming infected with the virus.

Please comment on something you found intriguing/surprising/disturbing from your video link viewing.

As seen and heard from the panelists in the video, interest in investing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is growing. The demand for oil and oil products is expected to grow over the next two to three decades and corporations are seeking to maximize their profit making capabilities by investing in new technologies and partnering with the biggest producers of this product. Considering the fact that the Kingdom is one of the biggest suppliers of oil in the world, it is not a wonder that countries such as Japan and the United Kingdom are interested in developing stronger partnerships. With this information in mind, it is imperative to evaluate the strategies adopted by these two countries since issues such as environmental pollution and global warming are gaining higher levels of relevance in the world today. While the world is striving to find alternative energy sources, it is actually surprising seeing these nations gaining more interest in the investment opportunities offered by the oil industry in Saudi Arabia.

Response

In his response to the fourth prompt, Raymond has highlighted the fact that Japan has gained more interest in the oil industry as they seek to grow their economic productivity by sourcing for cheaper and better quality energy. I do not disagree with him completely but I think he should have noted the interests of the other groups represented in the conference. Actually, he should have noted that Japan should be focused on the development of new technologies that utilize better and cleaner resources other than oil and their relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be anchored in their ability to support each other in the development of these technologies. In essence, I think that the ability of the Kingdom to embrace new technologies will be a major determinant of its relationship with other countries across the globe.

References

Ahall, L., & Gregory, T. (2015). Emotions, politics and war. Routledge.

Baylis, J., Smith, S., & Owens, P. (2017). The globalization of world politics: an introduction to international relations. Oxford University Press.

Longo, M. (2017). The politics of borders: sovereignty, security, and the citizen after 9/11. Cambridge University Press.

Sending, O. J., Pouliot, V., & Neumann, I. B. (2015). Diplomacy and the making of world politics (Vol. 136). Cambridge University Press.