Philippine Democracy Online

By Christopher Ryan Maboloc, PhD The reality of power is an enigma. Stephen Walt explains that the "Great Powers act in terrible ways." They often find justifications for their rouge behavior, for instance, the great lie that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction to justify the US Invasion. The reason is, however, typical of how countries with military might behave, from the earliest of known conflicts until the most recent. Hitler justified the Second World War as Germany's revenge for its humiliation in the Great War that saw its society and economy spiral, only to be rebuilt by starting to rearm itself that was also accepted by its people as a path toward both economic recovery and military might.  In Realist theory, Walt argues that when it comes to powerful countries, "the idea that others must threaten them in the future makes them worry about their security and lead them to compete for power." In the mind of Putin, the North Atlantic Treaty Organizat...

 By Ayessa Kyla Siton The Rawlsian Theory of Justice John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice describes the meaning of justice in meticulous detail. To begin, the Original Position is described to be only a hypothetical concept that acts as a guide to help theorists or scholars understand where the “starting” point of equality and topics of justice should lie. This concept is in accordance to the traditional theory of the social contract, meaning that when in discussion about moral and political philosophy, scholars must put into account the first teachings and theories about the topics in order to have a base concept about justice. The concept of Original Position acts as a base or structure to study or create principles to provide equality of justice for everyone.  The Veil of Ignorance, another term related to the concept of Original Position, tells us that since "no one truly knows their position and status in society," people must assume that they are in equal standing in terms ...

By Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc After its defeat in the Second World War, Germany embarked on a rebuilding process that was both contentious and difficult. The Nuremberg Trials provided both the social and political mechanism to punish the perpetrators of Nazi atrocities in the Holocaust. But post-War reconstruction in Europe, through the Marshall Plan, was immediately overshadowed by the Cold War between two superpowers. The United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) were former allies who differed in political ideology, but were united by a common enemy in Adolf Hitler. The Russians controlled East Germany while the United States administered West Germany. The embargo and food blockade imposed by Joseph Stalin meant that basic goods were to be airlifted by the Americans into West Germany. The Berlin Wall served as the symbol of the chasm between communism and Western democracy. In 1951, the Korean War broke out when the forces from the North led by Kim IL Sung a...

By Juichiro Tanabe, PhD Many experts explain in detail the situation in Ukraine, which is very helpful to understand the dynamics. But one of the critical problems with the current situaiton is that both Russia and the West absolutize their own ideology, which narrows their visions. Russia must stop the invasion and it must not be tolearted that innocent citizens are killed or injured.  However, difficult as it may sound, reconsidering their fundamntal ideological clash is crucial. Though Russia's behavior must be criticized, the West is also responsible for what is happening. One of the roots of such situation would be what the West has done since the end of the Cold War. The end of the Cold War does not mean the triumph of liberal West. It should have been about the start of a new cosmopolitan and intercultural world, wherein former enemies step closer to explore common security while respecting each histories. It is challenging, but we have to embark upon such bumpy path. No one...