International History: Information and International Politics

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
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Information and International Politics
International politics serves to critically examine the numerous actors that are shaping the world economy, security, development in terms of politics and policies as well as the overall concept of globalization. At the center of international politics is the concept of international relations which mainly focuses on politics, power, and struggles between states and international organizations in the global arena. The role that information plays in the management and interrelation between nations in the global arena is quite immense, and the advent of information technology has accelerated the rates at which information is available publicly. When countries share information, they are in a position to develop best practices on matters to do with globalization and significantly reduce the shortcomings associated with globalization. Also, financial information from the relevant institutions is vital in this era of a globalized economy. The role that information plays in the global economy is undisputed, evident by the struggling nature of underdeveloped countries due to inefficiency in accessing vital financial information affecting the global economy.[Njabulo Bruce Khumalo and Miniyothabo Baloyi, “The Importance of Information in International Relations,” Library Philosophy and Practice, 2018, 1.]
The world's most powerful countries are constantly developing top-notch technologies used in gathering military intelligence information in a bid to bolster their military strengths and lethality. Information is therefore very crucial in ensuring world peace. Propaganda, choreographed use of information to distort the intended meaning and possibly spread misinformation, has entered into the global arena, causing a blurred distinction between facts and fiction and consequently interfering with the outcome of international politics. The ease with which members of the public access information through the power of social media and other emerging technologies has also weakened government control on its citizens while bolstering the sovereignty of the people.[Khumalo and Baloyi.] [Pawel Surowiec, “Post-Truth Soft Power; Changing Facets of Propaganda, Kompromat, and Democracy,” Geo. J. Int’l Aff. 18 (2017): 21.]
One of the main objectives of international relations is to strengthen corporation with allied countries while eliminating conflict. Shared information between allied nations eliminates the suspicion with one another and the countries become aware of the partner nations' motives, thus strengthening collaboration between nations. Countries import and export knowledge in vast amounts these days. Export of ICT products and military weapons for instance would require the source country to yield all the vital information regarding the products in order for the receiving country to assess compatibility with their technologies. Diplomacy has been credited as the most efficient and effective method in resolving international conflicts. However, diplomacy only works when vital information leading to the international conflict is carefully assessed and a meaningful decision is then made, bearing in mind that world information is pretty much a major commodity in almost every factor affecting international relations.[Khumalo and Baloyi, “The Importance of Information in International Relations.”] [Paul Musgrave, Relating Diplomacy to International Relations (Oxford University Press, 2017).]
There is no doubt that information plays a significant role in shaping world politics among other factors affecting the global environment. The global economy, a critical element of international relations, relies on shared financial information. Similarly, military intelligence information has become crucial in strengthening countries' military powers. Propaganda has become the new strategy of spreading misinformation to influence world politics. International conflict is a menace that is currently wrecking the international community, necessitating the effort of diplomats to make good use of vital information and resolve the conflicts amicably.
Human Rights Violations
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) has since its inception in 1948 become the basis of all human rights, including international human rights and those outlined by the different constitutions for different countries. At the core of international human rights is the principle of universality, to imply that all humans are entitled to human rights and the governments should uphold the fundamental right of every individual. Nonetheless, incidences of human rights violations occur often in the contemporary era even among the most civilized countries. Numerous factors can be attributed to the violation of human rights: the marginalization of persons, inefficient government structures, armed conflicts, and economic inequalities.[OHCHR, “What Are Human Rights,” accessed June 26, 2021, /en/issues/pages/whatarehumanrights.aspx.]
Although human rights are considered to be inherent for humans by virtue of being humans, governments have the primary responsibility to uphold and ensure the rights of their citizens are not infringed. Unfortunately, some systems of government, in particular, authoritarian governments, choose to repress human rights in the fear of free citizens threatening and overthrowing the existing political order. Some young democracies also repress human rights in some circumstances either inadvertently due to deficient understanding of human rights provision or intentionally. The heightened marginalization of persons based on their social-economic backgrounds, ethnicity, gender, education, disability, and even sexual orientation has also fueled the violation of human rights. This is evident by the various protest by human rights activists across the globe in the recent past.[David Weissbrodt and Patrick Finnegan, “Human Rights Conditions: What We Know and Why It Matters,” Minn. J. Int’l L. 28 (2019): 1.]
Armed conflicts especially in volatile stat...