Environmental Threat in Amazon: an indicator of renewed conflict between developed and developing countries
My MPhil dissertation will put forward a new connection between politics and environment through applying a realistic to environmental crises that the developing countries are currently facing. The thesis will mainly focus on president Jair Bolsonaros’s policies on the environment on the Amazon forest. Proving Brazil started to speak out their right to exploit the natural resources for the “well-being” of the people of Brazil despite the robust opposition from developed countries including the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the president of French Emmanuel Macron. It attempts to interpret environmental threats with the conflicts between developed and emerging countries. It could offer a clear solution for politicians, international organizations as well as civil societies who are trying to alleviate the environmental problems in different ways. Also, it could provide vibrant evidence on how nation-states should deal with environmental threats focusing on the ‘pursuit of national interest’.
There have been numerous attempts trying to explain environmental issues in the perspective of international relations (IR), mostly through idealism. To overcome the transnational feature of environmental crisis, in Saving the Mediterranean: The politics of international environmental cooperation, Peter M. emphasizes on the role of international organizations, such as UNEP, facilitating agreements at international negotiations. However, the optimism of international cooperation overlooked the fact that national interest can have superiority on over an effort of preserving nature frequently when it comes to economic benefit even though international organizations only exist for a few centuries. However, though Ans Kolk’s From Conflict to Cooperation: International Policies to Protect the Brazilian Amazon paid attention to the Brazilian’s steadfast rejection of international interference in Amazon forest, Ans no longer explain fully the cause of repetitive criticism towards the policy of Mr.Bolsonaro, cutting the transfers of fund from the Amazon Fund to NGOs. Ans concluded his thesis with an optimistic analysis that the position of Brazil started to change after the get up of international environmental coalition.
My research paper will heavily rely on analyzing IR theories and environmental policies. My undergraduate coursework that examined Machiavelli’s realism, and my working experience in environmental organizations, such as DMZ Research Institution and East Asia-Australian Flyway Partnership, will improve the quality of my research by sorting out suitable advanced researchers. In conjunction with my past experiences, Cambridge’s Centre for the Study of the International Relations of the Middle East and North Africa (CIRMENA) would be vital to my dissertation. My research will also explore media in developing countries to track the trends of their environmental policies. Therefore, by doing through this, the thesis will meet the intended purpose.