World Of Affairs

It’s a Small World, after All

The world is a happy place where people are sympathetic with one another and united despite their differences—this message encapsulates one particular understanding of the world in which the normal condition is one of harmony and accord, where people are naturally good and kind.

From this perspective on international politics, cooperation is normal, understanding between people is easy once we get to know one another, and disputes are superficial anomalies that can be resolved amicably. (Ties...