POLITICS

Politics and Power



Politics and Power

Introduction

Politics does not only involve the balance of power but also a gamut of rules, activities, and goals which set the tenor for the whole society. When the rules and regulations are formed for the betterment of the society, social inequalities decrease.

It is important to comprehend that politics is not mainly about power. The realisation of the actual purpose of politics can help people clear their misconceptions. It is imperative to comprehend the actual role of politics because there is a common tradition that politics is mainly about power.

Politics in today's industrial period is mainly about control and distribution of quantitative wealth including money and material. Politics is also about the relative power between groups in social structures based. At its most basic level, politics can be defined as the control of the means of production.

Discussion

Political authority is the ability of the state to make and enforce laws. From this definition, it can be comprehended that the supreme function of political authority is to implement laws for the state. Therefore, political authority can best be described as an amalgamation of political power and legitimacy. From this explanation of political authority, it can be comprehend that the focus of political power is to formulate and enforce laws for the society. These laws and rules are the basis of social development and welfare (Hoover, 2004, 121 and Seiple, 2004, 165).

In order to comprehend the relation between politics and power, it is imperative to shed light on the term civil republican. The term civil republican is a constitutional government that is based on the principles of power sharing. The purpose of power sharing is to prevent arbitrary authority. The participation of the public is encouraged for the mutual benefits of people and the community. The civil republican concept can also be used to support the fact that politics should not focus on power solely. The focus of politics is to encourage the public participate in the overall development of the country.

There are several issues which are dominating the world politics. One of these issues is how to deal with cultural diversity. In today's world, the focus of politics should be to take into account cultural diversity. In today's world, governments are confronting demands from cultural minorities for recognition, protection, and political autonomy within the boundaries of the state. Around the world, minorities have started to realise their rights. For this reason, these minorities are demanding social equalities. In order to provide social justice to minorities, it is imperative to prevent power politics. When the focus of politics is on power, cultural minorities do not get the recognition. This argument supports the fact that the focus of politics is not only power. Politics also takes into account social justice and rights of minorities (Birch, 2007, 13).

The international society and its political institutions, as well as states themselves, have to deal with demands from various peoples for political recognition as independent nations, and for national ...