The concept of power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The concept of power - Essay Example Mistrust among nations, fear of attack by other nations, breaking of international agreements by some nations and urge to establish supremacy over other countries had continued unabated even after the Second World War leading to cold war among nations. The most unwanted result of this mad military race among nations was the diversion of public welfare funds to create nuclear weapons. Now, the concept of power had crossed all boundaries and reached the ultimate to convey the special meaning of an irrepressible nuclear power. More power means nature that is more destructive. All most all countries are afraid of USA. Why The answer lies in the naked truth that this country possesses most of the world's nuclear bombs and weapons indicating that it is more destructive than any other country. Unfortunately, the concept of power had also taken away the discretionary powers of these nuclear powers due to their "Power is something of which I am convinced there is no innocence this side of the womb," says Nadine Gordimer, South Africa's well-acclaimed novelist (Internet, quotations). Russian socialist theoretician Mikhail Bakunin comes out very strong on the concept of power: "The instinct to command others, in its primitive essence, is a carnivorous, altogether bestial and savage instinct. Under the influence of the mental development of man, it takes on a somewhat more ideal form and becomes somewhat ennobled, presenting itself as the instrument of reason and the devoted servant of that abstraction, or political fiction, which is called the public good. But in its essence it remains just as baneful, and it becomes even more so when, with the application of science, it extends its scope and intensifies the power of its action. If there is a devil in history, it is this power principle" (Internet, Mikhail ). People normally talk about the concept of power in terms of theoretical sense. Practically speaking, power is nothing but a state of commanding others to do certain things, though the methods of commanding vary from person to person and from country to country. When it comes to international relations, the meaning of power assumes serious dimensions. In the international arena, power is interpreted as the capacity of a country to dictate terms to other 3 countries. The Great Britain used its power once and ruled most of the world for more than two centuries. Now USA has been using its power to dominate and control most of the world. The great Mahabharata war occurred centuries ago because of the power struggle among Pandava and Kaurava brothers. Nowadays, in most of the third world countries, joint families are breaking up due to power struggle between brothers for controlling the family properties. The break up of the Ambani family controlling India's number one industrial empire, known as the Reliance Group, is the most recent example of a power struggle. The source for any power struggle normally generates in the people's urge to dominate others and control things at their will and pleasure. When you extend this analogy to countries in international relations, the comparison throws up innumerable similarities. A country