International Relations at The Eighth Factor of Culture!

Air vehicle emissions factor: U.S. freeway in Riverside, California

The end of the Cold War has made known to the multipolar world. Sorry, the new power players, and there is generally a remarkable unity. At least judging by the statements of the G-8 and G-20 Summit and the UN negotiations. General goals such as economic growth and free trade, climate change mitigation and biodiversity loss, financial market reform or elimination of poverty consensus. Diagnostician time as Francis Fukuyama have therefore the rhetoric of the philosopher Hegel, the “end of history” revived.

Yet for all ideological and normative convergence, there is a lack of instruments, institutions and actors, the consensus into reality. An example of this is the world’s most vaunted two-degree target, so that affirmed by a majority of states intent of the international community to limit man-made global warming to two degrees above the base year 1880. Lack of binding global agreement to control the world but in fact to a warming of more than two degrees, and thus a dangerous tipping points, which implies the existence of humanity at stake.

Why is that? Are there insurmountable differences of interest? See and judge the people the world situation is different, they follow different values? Or is it just myopic utility maximization? Other diagnoses of view of culture or civilization differences as causes of denied cooperation. Whether culture is now an obstacle or a catalyst for cooperation, however, depends on what one understands by this term.

The research knows little about the culture factor

If one culture for an indissoluble, transplant able hard substance, then one assumes – as Samuel P. Huntington – rather a conflict between cultures. Considering, however cultural difference – not only between ethnic groups and religions, but also between genders and generations, between the top and bottom, attitudes and environment – is considered the normal relationship of modern society, then try it are conditions under which these different worlds common goals can best achieve.

It’s amazing how little research on the cultural factor yet know. Cooperation is studied mainly in small groups to achieve common goals. This assumes you above all a community benefit and a common cultural background. Where co-operation but, contrary to expectation does not materialize, then argued with the culture – just to explain the failure, but also in order to avert or overcome it. Such as cooperation in larger groups in major international organizations or even between societies work, the culture is different in one way or another, remains a mystery.