Wendt: Constructivism

According to Wendt, what does constructivism concern?

Sociological identity formation and interest formation

According to Wendt, how does Constructivism link to liberalism?

Both have an interest in identity and interest formation

Both are interested in how knowledgable practices constitute subjects and how institutions change interests

According to Wendt, how is constructivism different from realism?

Self-help is not given by an anarchic structure

Self-help and power politics not the natural next steps from anarchy

What does Wendt identify as the key principle of Constructivism?

People act based on the meanings that people have for them

One analogy from Wendt to explain constructivism

'enemies are threatening and friends are not'

According to Wendt, what tells us more about who will be enemies rather than anarchy?

interaction

According to Wendt, who defines relationships?

Actors

According to Wendt, why are actors rational?

Form their identity by interacting

According to Wendt, can states have multiple identities and give 2 examples.

America:

Sovereign

Leader of the free world

According to Wendt, what informs identities?

Interests

How does Wendt define institutions?

stable structures of identity

According to Wendt, what is the outcome of institutions?

internalising identiites

According to Wendt, how can institutions vary?

co-operative or conflictual

According to Wendt, why do states subscribe to collective security?

states identify with a community

creates altruistic practices

According to Wendt, why may states move to collective security in the long term?

Move towards shared norms rather than relative power

According to Wendt, what must we use to determine if a state is selfish?

history of interaction

According to Wendt, what is self-help?

an institution

According to Wendt, how could self-help develop?

Over time

How does Wendt's constructivism oppose realism's use of the worst case outcome?

Decisions should be made on probability

According to Wendt, what is the first step in interaction called?

Signalling

According to Wendt, what occurs after an actor makes the first social act?

Others judge

For Wendt, what is the danger of competition?

self-help system

Instead of all states being aggressive, how does Wendt explain aggressive states?

Some states predisposition to agression due to domestic politics

What is Wendt's critique of realism's view that all states are power seeking?

reductionist

How does Wendt explain the potential rise of self-help?

Rewarded competition

What does Wendt say that we need to do to change the cycle odf self help?

Move past the stability that defined roles and identity have

For Wendt, what is sovereignty?

An institution

According to Wendt, how can states become sovereign?

Behaving as sovereign

What does Wendt highlight territorial property rights are made of?

Mutual existence and agreements

For Wendt, what is the most essential part of sovereignty?

Preserving property rights

How does Wendt explain the decline in conquest?

Intangible feeling actors are friends

According to Wendt, what does sovereignty do to the state of nature?

reduces the fear of losing territory

What is 'altercasting'?

trying to change other states identity

What is the caveat of trying to change international order using constructivism that Wendt highlights

One actor cannot guarantee other states are going to reciprocate

According to Wendt how can we support states attempting change in the international system?

reward those who seek change

One weakness of constructivism Wendt highlights

Devote too much time to creation of system not enough on how identities and interests are produced.