Communitarianism vs. Cosmopolitanism Essay -- Politics Political

Normative Theories of Politics - Contrasting Cosmopolitan and Communitarian Approaches When looking at normative theories of politics, the main distinction is between cosmopolitanism and communitarianism. In this essay the term community shall refer to political communities, or more specifically, states. It is important to note that these political communities have been defined territorially, and not necessarily by culture, although this is taken for granted to an extent by communitarianism. Communitarians say that each community is different, and therefore should act accordingly with each other. In other words, state autonomy should be absolute and law and moral standards should be self-determined by the community itself alone. Furthermore, communities should have no obligations to other political communities or any sort of international law. Contrastingly, Cosmopolitans say that there should be an overriding universal moral standard to which all states (or communities) should adhere. If a state is infringing on the rights of the individual or humanity, then intervent ion is appropriate and just. (Steve Smith, The Globalisation of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations p. 173A) Communitarianism says that communities themselves define what rightful conduct is, and therefore should not be obliged to follow any universal moral code. Morality arises from the culture that makes up the community, and therefore determines what is right for that community, whether it is or not for anyone else. Communitarians say that there cannot be a universal moral standard because where would these standards come from? Who would decide what is right and wrong? However, the argument communitarianism can be turned against it if these communities are nation-states. It is only the predominant culture that will determine what the moral standards of the community are. Cosmopolitans argue that there should be a universal moral standard to which every community must abide. They allow for state autonomy, but only to an extent. States must not be able to be completely self-determined and free from moral obligations to the rest of the international community. But this raises significant qu estions. Can a universal moral standard exist? And how can it apply to all states? While cosmopolitanism allows for some state autonomy, the moral standard would mean that some ... ...t state autonomy cannot be restricted by anything but the community (state) itself. As one might assume, it follows from these differing standpoints that the way each theory view intervention, etc., will be in opposition. (Steve Smith, The Globalisation of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations p. 173A) (Chris Brown, The Globalisation of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations p. 480A) (Steve Smith, The Globalisation of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations p. 173A) Cosmopolitanism and communitarianism differ vastly in the way they, as intellectual concepts, deal with international relations. Cosmopolitanism holds the view that the rights of humanity and the individual should override those of the state (or political community), whereas communitarianism is the opposite. It states that the rights of the community are more important than those of the state. It is because of these fundamental differences that they deal with international relations in significantly different ways. However, both theories have their flaws and it seems that we can have neither a fully cosmopolitan or communitarian world political system.

Growth In Population Essay

Delhi has been experiencing phenomenal growth in population in the last few decades. So, the number of vehicles has been increased to 40 lakhs, these are more than that of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai put together. Today traffic on the roads of Delhi is a mix-up of cycles, scooters, buses, cars and rickshaws, resulting fuel wastage, environmental pollution and increasing number of rod accidents. To rectify the situation the government of India and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, in equal partnership have set up a company on 03.05.1995 named Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (DMRC). This necessitates a policy shift to discourage private modes. So, introduction of a rail based (MRTS) Mass Rapid Transport System is called for. MRTS will result in time saving for commuters, reliable and safer journey, reduction in atmospheric pollution, reduction in accident rates, reduced fuel consumption, reduced vehicle operating costs and increase in the average speed of road vehicles. The proposed Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) is going to be one of the most eco friendly projects in Delhi. With international consultants Ms. PCI (Japan) is associated with DMRC which is, building MRTS aims at using the latest technical knowhow available in Metro systems worldwide. The general consultants consisting of (PCI-PBI-TON1 CHI-JARTS-RITES) is overseeing the construction management. The total .and requirement of the land for the construction is about 458,256 hectares. DMRC has two types of corridors, underground, partly elevated and partly on the ground, having a total length of 52.60 kms. Out of which 11 kms. is underground from Delhi University to Central Secretariat There are 41 stations on the entire corridors. There are three different routes of MRTS, Vishwavidyalaya-Central Secretariat, Shahdra – Barwala and Tri Nagar- Nagloi. There are certain other routes under consideration with the DMRC. The train will run on broad gauge. Number of passenger; using the service per day is estimated to be 19.5 lakhs. The train will run at a speed 30 kms per hour. The coaches will be 3.2 M wide. The maintenance depots for underground corridor are at Khyber Pass and Nagloi, for surface and elevated corridors at Trinagar and Barwala. The Chairman and Managing Director of the project are Sh. K. Kosal Ran and Sh. E. Sreedharan respectively. All the three corridors are scheduled to complete by March, 2005. The first phase of the project from Shahdra to Tis Hazari has already been inaugurated by Prime Minister of India, Sh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee The contract for the Metro Section between Central Secretarial to ISB’ has been awarded to consortium of five companies led by Ms Dyckrhoi & Widmann AG, Germany while section between Delhi University to ISBT has gone to a consortium led by Ms Kumagi (Japan). All contractors have Indian partners. At the underground corridor Metro Stations will be located 12.8 meters below ground level, except Chawri Bazar station which will be located at 20 meters below ground level. All the stations at every corridor will be air conditioned; interchanging of commuters between Metro Corridor and rail Corridor will be at ISBT station. The completion cost of the Delhi Metro Project is Rs. 8155/- crores.

Same Sex Parenting and Adoption Essay - 1902 Words

Adoption for same sex couples is a very controversial topic in Family Law, and often same sex couples face many unique issues if they wish to adopt. Many states have different laws that apply for gay and lesbian adoption, as opposed to heterosexual couples. Several states also have special rules that apply when a child is born into a gay or lesbian partnership. Gay and lesbian couples may sometimes opt to bring a child into their lives through conception and birth as well. For a lesbian couple, this is usually done through a male donor or a sperm bank and having one of the couple become pregnant. Similarly, gay men may use a surrogate mother and then become a legal parent through adoption. The other parent then can become a legal second†¦show more content†¦In fact, code of VA 63.2-1201 says that â€Å"any natural person who resides in the Commonwealth† may file a petition for adoption. Also, VA code 63.2-1225 states that â€Å"In determining the appropriate home in which to place a child for adoption, a married couple or an unmarried individual shall be eligible to receive placement of a child for purposes of adoption.† The Commonwealth of Virginia takes into consideration the birth parents of the child and holds the position that adoptive parents must meet the requirements for the â€Å"best interests of the child†. Specifically, in code section  § 63.2-1205 the following requirements are stated: In determining whether the valid consent of any person whose consent is required is withheld contrary to the best interests of the child, or is unobtainable, the circuit court or juvenile and domestic relations district court, as the case may be, shall consider all relevant factors, including the birth parent(s) efforts to obtain or maintain legal and physical custody of the child; whether the birth parent(s) are currently willing and able to assume full custody of the child; whether the birth parent(s) efforts to assert parental rights were thwarted by other people; the birth parent(s) ability to care for the child; the age of the child; the quality of any previous relationship between the birth parent(s) and the child and between the birth parent(s) and any other minor children; the duration and suitability of the childs presentShow MoreRelatedGay Adoption And The United States1412 Words   |  6 Pagesit.What kind of impact do gay couples have on adoption agencies in the United S tates? â€Å"An estimated 65,500 adopted children are living with a lesbian or gay† parent (Lifelong Adoptions)​.†Ã¢â‚¬â€¹There are 1 million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents raising about 2 million children in the U.S† (Why Gay Parents Are Good Parents). ​Even though people believe gay adoption will cause children to act different Gay adoption positively affects adoption agencies because most kids end up with gay couplesRead MorePersuasive Essay About Gay Adoption1639 Words   |  7 PagesWhat do these words have in common? 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To have a better understanding on why same sex parenting should be commonly accepted, one must acknowledge the opposing viewpoints. Some people