Conspiracy Theories in IR

From 9/11 to the Paris attacks, from Ebola to Isis, every major global accident attracts a corresponding counter-narrative from the ‘truthers’, some so all-encompassing that they take over people’s lives. Are our brains wired to believe, as a new book argues? And could such thinking actually be beneficial?

There is not so much of a difference between conspiracy theorists and the rest of us. We are drawn to the idea of conspiracy because it resonates with us; we understand the idea of people being self-interested and not having our best interests at heart, and having hidden motives and getting together to do shady stuff. Conspiracy theories extend upon that and tap into these assumptions and fears we have about the world. But, we all have them, that’s why conspiracy theories make sense to us all.

Why do so many people believe in them?

Even the most rational people buy into conspiracy theories as a way of reacting to uncertainty and powerlessness in the modern world, there is a quote: "Believers are more likely to be cynical about the world in general and politics in particular''

US psychologist Rob Brotherton, the author of Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories, says many as 90 per cent of people acknowledge entertaining one conspiracy theory or another. "Given a handful of dots, our pattern-seeking brains can't resist trying to connect them," he says.

But Brotherton also suggests we shouldn't be so quick to reject even the stranger notions. "Dismissing all conspiracy theories (and theorists) as crazy is just as intellectually lazy as credulously accepting every wild allegation," he writes in the Los Angeles Times.

"If you had claimed, in the early 1970s, that a hotel burglary was, in fact, a plot by White House officials to illegally spy on political rivals and ensure President Nixon's re-election, you might have been accused of conspiracy theorising," he says.

We live inside this kind of illusion that our brains concoct for us that we are seeing the world objectively and that we are coming to our beliefs because they are just the most sensible beliefs to have, but all the research shows we have a whole host of biases built into our brains that shape and colour our perception and beliefs about the world constantly without us being aware of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3ETBtR6HeE&list=PLav_N2J8c3qg-q1EQfVKCG...

Discovery: How media lies, documentary film - CNN CBS FOX NEWS channels, distorted contents (2011) "An in-depth look into the bias of Israeli-Palestinian relations in British and American Media as told by experts"

This eye opening long documentary film elaborates on the discovery of American media lies by comparing how news are delivered to the US population and to other countries around the world. The film provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East zeroing in on how structural distortions in U.S. coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for example. This pivotal documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites - oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others - work in combination with lsraeIi public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported. Through the voices of scholars, media critics, peace activists, religious figures, and Middle East experts, the documentary carefully analyzes and explains how - through the use of language, framing and context - the lsraeI occupation of the West Bank and Gaza remains hidden in the news media, and lsrae colonization of the occupied terrorities appears to be a defensive move rather than an offensive one. The documentary also explores the ways that U.S. journalists, for reasons ranging from intimidation to a lack of thorough investigation, have become complicit in carrying out lsraeI's PR campaign. At its core, the documentary raises questions about the ethics and role of journalism, and the relationship between media and politics.

From the other hand, assumption about this documentary and Discovery channel is that in this film indicated anti-Israel propoganda also, it's like a YouTube conspiracy documentary: "Poor, defenseless Palestinians agains big bad Isreal and Jewish propaganda machine" type.

My conclusion about this movie - "Propaganda comes from propaganda". 

Possibility of a non-Western IR theory in Asia

It is widely believed that the center of gravity in world politics is shifting away from the West; However, contemporary International Relations is still dominated by the powerful Western countries both with their values and theories of IR. Thereafter, there is increasing needs for Non-Western countries to develop their own IR theories to challenge Western IR theory that put Non-Western nations more as objects. That the West is in relative decline while the Rest is finally rising economically and politically. The global financial crisis and Western engagements in the Middle East only accelerated this process and developing ‘Third World’ countries now appear to be closing economic and technological gaps much faster than expected. The rise of non-Western countries represents one of the greatest challenges to International Relations in our time and yet it is one that we are particularly ill equipped to understand. With the rise of the rest, the structure of the international system is increasingly described as diffuse, apolar and regionalized. The future of global governance, international institutions and Western values is being questioned and traditional Western IR theories are skeptical that such changes of the existing world order, and power transitions in general, can be peaceful. Meanwhile, non-Western scholars have criticized existing theories for being Eurocentric, US-biased and the tools of Western hegemony. From this perspective, change is welcomed as an inevitable, peaceful and stabilizing force.
The building process of Non-Western International Relations theories should not only perceived as a Non-Western counter on the hegemony of Western International Relations. Furthermore, it should be perceived as an effort to provide better explanation and understanding on the International Relations on Non-Western countries. Furthermore, Non-Western International Relations theories also an attempt to counter the process of alienation from Western International theories to Non-Western International Relations scholars. Building Non-Western International Relations Theories as local values as the root also will bring International Relations easier to understand by Non-Western people that will generate awareness on International Relations phenomena. Acharya and Buzan (Non-Western International Relation Theory)argued that the practice of foreign policy is one of the source Non-Western International Relations theories. However, in practice there is cooperation between decision maker and International Relations scholars. In this sense, Non-Western International Relations theories will have significant impact on Non-Western countries’ decision making process. Thereafter, Non-Western International Relations theories will be presented in Non-Western countries’ foreign policy.
The third significance of Non-Western International Relations theories is its effect on shaping perspective of the International Relations academia in Asia and Africa countries. In long term, it will impact on shaping non-western perspective decision making culture on the process formulating foreign policy. In broader sense, it will shape different behavior of Non-Western
International countries in global politics. The changing nature of International Relations will change the discourse of International Relations.
In arguably, the rising discourse of Non-Western International Relations will create the complexity of International Relations theories in Non-Western academic community and the whole international relations academic community. This complexity will attract new form of theoretical debates in International Relations. Thereafter,Bandung Spirit could be adopted in International Relation theories interaction. 
Non-Western International Relations theories has been the growing discourse in contemporary International Relations. However, despite the growing interest from International Relations academia, there are still obstacles in its development: political domination of Western countries to Non-Western countries, academic domination on Western International Relations scholars, third, the trauma of colonization among Non-Western International Relations scholars.Local values of Non-Western nations could be adapted in building Non-Western International Relations theories. There are several widely known Non-Western International Relations perspective that based on local values such as Mandala system, Confucianism, and Pan-Africanism. The development of International Relations theories is essential on building foreign policy of Non Western countries foreign policy. Interaction between Non-Western International Relations theories should adapt respect each other principle of Bandung Spirit.