Case Studies
Unit Case study and contextual information Concepts Analysis
3 Venezuela’s crisis Development Although having natural resources is useful for creating economic growth,
Venezuela used to be one of the richest countries in Latin America, depending too much on exports can cause a country to be vulnerable to
and its democracy and government was praised worldwide. changes in the global economy. If prices of a country’s exports drop they
Venezuela’s economy is solely based on oil, and it has the biggest may experience an economic recession. The impacts of this recession may
proven oil reservoir in the world, following the oil price crisis in be more severe if exports are created by state or publicly owned
2014, the Venezuelan economy collapsed. Average consumer prices enterprises (e.g. oil production in Venezuela).
index changed from around 100$ in 2014 to over 2K in 2018. It has Thus, this becomes an economic factor that may inhibit development.
the highest inflation rates in the world (around 950%). Its GDP
dropped by 35% percent in the last 6 years and the murder rates are
standing at 91 people per 100,000, one of the highest in the world.
The poor in Venezuela make about 82% of the population
2,1,3 Philippines War on Drugs Human rights Despite the extrajudicial killings inciting massive protests and drawing
In the 2016 presidential election of the Philippines, one candidate Sovereignty international scrutiny, a large majority of Filipinos approve of Duterte’s
ran on the single promise of providing a crime and drug-free nation. Development administration and continue to pledge support for a drug and crime-free
As president, Rodrigo Duterte swore to handle crime with an iron Legitimacy Philippines. In comparison to Western-held views about human rights,
fist, showing no mercy to those who consume illegal drugs. countries in East Asia are more likely to prioritise public safety and
In a nation terrorised by drug abuse and crime, many political community security above civil liberties. (universalism vs CR)
candidates and figures in the past swore to resolve the issue; yet, any
policy pursued by the government has widely been ineffective and Amnesty International and the International Criminal Court have all
unsuccessful, citing problems of corruption and long processes. attempted to hold the Philippine government accountable and pressing
Thus, in 2016, the people of the Philippines elected a leader who charges against President Duterte. By and large, all of these attempts have
promised to change the bureaucratic, corrupt nature of the failed. These international organisations derive their legitimacy from
government, instead tackling the problem directly. agreements and statutes agreed upon by all member nations, but this case
The moment he took office, Rodrigo Duterte initiated the study displays how none of those regulations are binding. The jurisdiction
Philippines’ war on drugs. He gave police “shoot-to-kill” orders on of the state remains supreme; these organisations cannot do anything to
anyone who was suspected of drug use or resisted arrest. With this disrupt the sovereignty and absolute power governments have within their
newfound power and impunity, policemen exacted justice with their territories. (legitimacy of IGOs). The ineffectiveness and inactivity of the
own hands, arresting, murdering, and beating suspects without any international community in response to this human rights crisis can be
legal or court processes. Under Duterte, policemen operated outside tracked to the absolute rule of sovereignty in global politics. No other
of laws and the established judicial system, issuing harsh and violent entity is higher than the state in conducting affairs and exercising power
punishments extrajudicially. over their governed territory.
In September 2021, the International Criminal Court approved a
formal probe into the Duterte administration’s actions, attempting to
expose the president’s efforts to undermine human rights and legal
processes in the Philippines. The Duterte administration, however,
refused to cooperate with the probe, prevented ICC investigators
from entering the country, and denied any involvement in the abuse
of human rights.
Other IGOs like Amnesty International have been pursuing the
arrest and accountability of the president since his election. In 2019,
, President Duterte officially withdrew from the International
Criminal Court. No efforts have been successful.
1,2,3 Brazil Amazon Sovereignty The borders that indigenous populations insist that they have are being
As the demand for natural resources continues to increase at an Development challenged by the economic interests of the state, and in this case how
exponential rate, many governments, businesses, developers etc. are Human rights Bolsonaro’s government is prioritising the development of the Amazon
being faced with the question of where to source these resources for economic gain, therefore declaring their sovereignty over the area.
from, and often their head turns to land that has been historically It can also be seen that a realist approach has been demonstrated by
maintained by indigenous communities. Brazil. The state has taken the approach where they believe that they have
Bolsonaro, has cut funding to federal agencies that have the control and power over their own domestic affairs, and since the Amazon
authority to arrest and fine illegal loggers and miners in the falls within their state border, they have full sovereignty over what
rainforest and has advocated for development in the Amazon. This happens in that region. In this sense, one could argue that the government
has been met with criticism from prominent NGOs such as Amazon has full sovereignty over the Brazilian Amazon as the government holds
Watch, Association of Brazil's Indigenous Peoples etc. and have legal-rational sovereignty, meaning that it is given legitimacy through
called for a moratorium on these illegal activities occurring. democratic elections.
In August of 2020, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil took
their claim that Bolsonaro is inciting a genocide of indigenous
communities through the undermining of human rights violations.
However, genocide is often hard to prosecute due to the legal and moral
conundrums. Furthermore, if the ICC were to persecute the Brazilian state
for genocide, there is the possibility that this would make the situation
even worse, as Brazil would become isolated from other states, creating a
metaphorical border between the states.
Some states have taken the post-Westphalian route, where these borders
are near eliminated and interconnectedness of the world is prioritised, and
use power to affirm their say of sovereignty in the matter. However, in
response to these beliefs that external states have authority over Brazil’s
sovereignty, a spokesperson from the Bolsanaro government states that
“Our sovereignty is non-negotiable”. Brazil is shutting down the post
westphalian responses, so in this sense, they are reaffirming that their
sovereignty is within their borders.
During the fires in 2019 which plagued the Amazon, states that included
Ireland and France publicly threatened to use hard power against Brazil.
This hard power was in the form of opposing an economic trade deal,
which would economically benefit Brazil greatly.
1,2,3 El Salvador War on Gangs Legitimacy The social contract theory states that there is an implicit or explicit
A bitter feud has emerged between MS-13 and 18th Street, as they Human Rights agreement amongst the population to abide by the laws and rules and thus
both fight for the top spot in many parts of Central America, Development accept punishment from the government.
including El Salvador. In this state, these two gangs have been According to this social contract, El Salvadoran residents accept to abide
extorting the population and gaining legitimacy through fear and by the Salvadoran laws set by Bukele and his government. Under this
their cruel status that has been fortified by actions such as displaying government, gang members have been labelled as terrorists and harsher
the dead bodies of their foes. repercussions have been set for them. The labelling of terrorists justify the
Unit Case study and contextual information Concepts Analysis
3 Venezuela’s crisis Development Although having natural resources is useful for creating economic growth,
Venezuela used to be one of the richest countries in Latin America, depending too much on exports can cause a country to be vulnerable to
and its democracy and government was praised worldwide. changes in the global economy. If prices of a country’s exports drop they
Venezuela’s economy is solely based on oil, and it has the biggest may experience an economic recession. The impacts of this recession may
proven oil reservoir in the world, following the oil price crisis in be more severe if exports are created by state or publicly owned
2014, the Venezuelan economy collapsed. Average consumer prices enterprises (e.g. oil production in Venezuela).
index changed from around 100$ in 2014 to over 2K in 2018. It has Thus, this becomes an economic factor that may inhibit development.
the highest inflation rates in the world (around 950%). Its GDP
dropped by 35% percent in the last 6 years and the murder rates are
standing at 91 people per 100,000, one of the highest in the world.
The poor in Venezuela make about 82% of the population
2,1,3 Philippines War on Drugs Human rights Despite the extrajudicial killings inciting massive protests and drawing
In the 2016 presidential election of the Philippines, one candidate Sovereignty international scrutiny, a large majority of Filipinos approve of Duterte’s
ran on the single promise of providing a crime and drug-free nation. Development administration and continue to pledge support for a drug and crime-free
As president, Rodrigo Duterte swore to handle crime with an iron Legitimacy Philippines. In comparison to Western-held views about human rights,
fist, showing no mercy to those who consume illegal drugs. countries in East Asia are more likely to prioritise public safety and
In a nation terrorised by drug abuse and crime, many political community security above civil liberties. (universalism vs CR)
candidates and figures in the past swore to resolve the issue; yet, any
policy pursued by the government has widely been ineffective and Amnesty International and the International Criminal Court have all
unsuccessful, citing problems of corruption and long processes. attempted to hold the Philippine government accountable and pressing
Thus, in 2016, the people of the Philippines elected a leader who charges against President Duterte. By and large, all of these attempts have
promised to change the bureaucratic, corrupt nature of the failed. These international organisations derive their legitimacy from
government, instead tackling the problem directly. agreements and statutes agreed upon by all member nations, but this case
The moment he took office, Rodrigo Duterte initiated the study displays how none of those regulations are binding. The jurisdiction
Philippines’ war on drugs. He gave police “shoot-to-kill” orders on of the state remains supreme; these organisations cannot do anything to
anyone who was suspected of drug use or resisted arrest. With this disrupt the sovereignty and absolute power governments have within their
newfound power and impunity, policemen exacted justice with their territories. (legitimacy of IGOs). The ineffectiveness and inactivity of the
own hands, arresting, murdering, and beating suspects without any international community in response to this human rights crisis can be
legal or court processes. Under Duterte, policemen operated outside tracked to the absolute rule of sovereignty in global politics. No other
of laws and the established judicial system, issuing harsh and violent entity is higher than the state in conducting affairs and exercising power
punishments extrajudicially. over their governed territory.
In September 2021, the International Criminal Court approved a
formal probe into the Duterte administration’s actions, attempting to
expose the president’s efforts to undermine human rights and legal
processes in the Philippines. The Duterte administration, however,
refused to cooperate with the probe, prevented ICC investigators
from entering the country, and denied any involvement in the abuse
of human rights.
Other IGOs like Amnesty International have been pursuing the
arrest and accountability of the president since his election. In 2019,
, President Duterte officially withdrew from the International
Criminal Court. No efforts have been successful.
1,2,3 Brazil Amazon Sovereignty The borders that indigenous populations insist that they have are being
As the demand for natural resources continues to increase at an Development challenged by the economic interests of the state, and in this case how
exponential rate, many governments, businesses, developers etc. are Human rights Bolsonaro’s government is prioritising the development of the Amazon
being faced with the question of where to source these resources for economic gain, therefore declaring their sovereignty over the area.
from, and often their head turns to land that has been historically It can also be seen that a realist approach has been demonstrated by
maintained by indigenous communities. Brazil. The state has taken the approach where they believe that they have
Bolsonaro, has cut funding to federal agencies that have the control and power over their own domestic affairs, and since the Amazon
authority to arrest and fine illegal loggers and miners in the falls within their state border, they have full sovereignty over what
rainforest and has advocated for development in the Amazon. This happens in that region. In this sense, one could argue that the government
has been met with criticism from prominent NGOs such as Amazon has full sovereignty over the Brazilian Amazon as the government holds
Watch, Association of Brazil's Indigenous Peoples etc. and have legal-rational sovereignty, meaning that it is given legitimacy through
called for a moratorium on these illegal activities occurring. democratic elections.
In August of 2020, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil took
their claim that Bolsonaro is inciting a genocide of indigenous
communities through the undermining of human rights violations.
However, genocide is often hard to prosecute due to the legal and moral
conundrums. Furthermore, if the ICC were to persecute the Brazilian state
for genocide, there is the possibility that this would make the situation
even worse, as Brazil would become isolated from other states, creating a
metaphorical border between the states.
Some states have taken the post-Westphalian route, where these borders
are near eliminated and interconnectedness of the world is prioritised, and
use power to affirm their say of sovereignty in the matter. However, in
response to these beliefs that external states have authority over Brazil’s
sovereignty, a spokesperson from the Bolsanaro government states that
“Our sovereignty is non-negotiable”. Brazil is shutting down the post
westphalian responses, so in this sense, they are reaffirming that their
sovereignty is within their borders.
During the fires in 2019 which plagued the Amazon, states that included
Ireland and France publicly threatened to use hard power against Brazil.
This hard power was in the form of opposing an economic trade deal,
which would economically benefit Brazil greatly.
1,2,3 El Salvador War on Gangs Legitimacy The social contract theory states that there is an implicit or explicit
A bitter feud has emerged between MS-13 and 18th Street, as they Human Rights agreement amongst the population to abide by the laws and rules and thus
both fight for the top spot in many parts of Central America, Development accept punishment from the government.
including El Salvador. In this state, these two gangs have been According to this social contract, El Salvadoran residents accept to abide
extorting the population and gaining legitimacy through fear and by the Salvadoran laws set by Bukele and his government. Under this
their cruel status that has been fortified by actions such as displaying government, gang members have been labelled as terrorists and harsher
the dead bodies of their foes. repercussions have been set for them. The labelling of terrorists justify the
