Global Security and the Third World

Just throwing out a thought for the day—feel free to comment.

Subaltern Realism gained some steam in the early 1990s thanks to Professor Mohammed Ayoob. His theory goes beyond Kenneth Waltz’s systematic approach of neorealism. Basically, neorealism claims that the structure of the international system regulates or constrains state behavior. Different states will behave similar and rationally, just like billiard balls. Hence, outcomes of certain state interactions can be predicted.

Ayoob came around and applied Waltz’s theory to the third world in an attempt to analyze conflict to the developing regions.

Anyway, here is my question: when discussing matters of global security, does the third world really matter?

Their resources do—you cannot deny that—but, what about their own balance of power?

The global power horses can sometimes make decisions unilaterally. Do the superpowers need to take into account the security dilemma’s or desires of third world countries?

Do not think about this morally; think about this idea realistically in terms of International Relations.

Is the global balance of power altered with or without the third world?

--spilks