The Kellogg-Briand Pact, often known as the Paris Pact, was a treaty signed on August 27, 1928 in Paris. It was signed in order to avert the possibility of another World War. By 1934, 63 countries had joined the Pact, representing nearly every existing nation on the planet. However, nations began invading each other shortly after the agreement was signed. Japan, for example, attacked Manchuria and China in that order in 1931 and 1937, respectively, and Germany invaded Poland. The Pact was later abandoned because it proved too idealistic and ineffective in stopping further invasions after the First World War. In idealism, foreign policy should be based on universal principles, and nations should agree to things like out crying war since it is undesirable. Several countries like Japan and Italy could not agree to this. Hence they started invading other countries; this made the Pact to be ineffective thus it had to be dismissed (Menand 1).
Question 2
Menand (2017: 3-5) argues that liberal idealism led to the formation of the League of Nations to unite the world. Alliances such as NATO also got formed because of this ideology. However, the formation of the League of Nations failed to stop several invasions by member countries resulting to build up tension, and finally, the Second World War. These were failures because the League of Nations was unable to prevent another war (this is one of the primary motives for its formation) (Menand 3-12). A reconsideration would, therefore, not solve anything but rather it deserved total scrubbing.
Question 3
According to Hathaway and Shapiro, the Kellogg-Briand Pact was a long-term success. They argued that the Pact reshaped the world map and speeded up the evolution of human rights. The world map got reshaped because most of the conquered territories that were not recognized by the international communities since 1928 were restored in 1945. Human rights evolved because everyone is subject to dignity and rights, the Nazis were tried and brought to justice (Hathaway and Shapiro 53-55). Additionally, Hathaway and Shapiro also posit that the Kellogg-Briand Pact made it possible for countries to use economic sanctions as a method of enforcing laws. The Pact also led to the formation of many international organizations which regulate many things in our lives. For example, the United Nations got established in 1945 to conserve global peace. The UN is still functional up to date, and it has helped to solve many crises, and their soldiers have been sent to various countries for peacekeeping missions. The membership of the United Nations has also grown from 55 member states when it was formed to over one hundred and ninety members currently. Another long-term effect of the Kellogg-Briand Pact according to Hathaway and Shapiro is seven decades of peace and prosperity as countries have been able to grow regarding their social, economic and technological attributes (Hathaway and Shapiro 54).
Question 4
Menand's review is anchored in a realist perspective. In this review, Menand states how things happened and how they should happen realistically. Liberal ideas are just good when drafted on paper but implementing them is nearly impossible, because every country will want to take care of its interests and this can sometimes lead to conflicts. Moreover, the review contains the shortcomings of Hathaway and Shapiro's theory, for instance, he points out that the two do not mention anything about America-Iraqi war and they do not give a good explanation on the return of the conquered states. Finally, another thing that makes Menand's review to be anchored in the realist perspective is the fact that he talks about all ideologies in their own point of view and he is not biased. This shows that he was not taking sides with all those ideologies that came about in the 20th century thus proving that he is anchored to the realist perspective (Menand 12-17).
Question 5
As a Neo-Marxist/Dependency theorist, I believe that resources flow from deprived and weak states to the affluent and industrialized ones hence elevating them at the expense of the latter. According to the book, the world has enjoyed seven decades of unprecedented peace and prosperity. However, that is not the case because we have witnessed situations where developing countries get exploited by developed ones. For instance, countries such as the United States and Japan import minerals in their purest state. This means that after mining, the exporting countries have to process the minerals themselves which is costly. The industries processing these minerals also pollute the environment of the countries they operate in. Most people working in the mines are poorly paid and subjected to poor working conditions which are perilous to their health (Boot par. 3-9).
The Kellogg-Briand Pact and the formation of the League of Nations did very little to maintain peace in the world. Countries invaded each other to colonize the weaker nations and exploit their resources, for instance, minerals and acquire cheap labor from those countries. Another thing to be considered is when the United States tested its chemical weapon in Vietnam (during a war) and killed hundreds of thousands of people and also polluted the environment (Menand 12-17).
Works Cited
Boot, Max. "When the Governments of the World Agreed to Banish War." The New York Times. Web. Sept 21, 2017.
Hathaway, Oona, and Shapiro, Scott. The Internationalists: How a Radical Plan to Outlaw War Remade the World. London: Allen Lane, 2017. Print.
Menand, Louis. "What Happens When Law is outlawed?" The New Yorker. Web. Sept 18, 2017,
We will email this sample to you with pleasure!
Type your email