polarity

what is unipolarity?

where one power pole is dominant in the international stage - through military, economic and culture - can create a hegemony, where the power plays a leadership role

what do realists think of unipolarity

they see benefits through a concentration of power

why do realists see benefits

the unipolar power can act as an arbiter to resolve disputes - such as iraq liberating kuwait from iraqi control

hegemonic stability theory - unipolar power is often benign and its domination means it can enforce the rules of the system it created - such as the us enforcing the bretton woods system

what do liberals believe about unipolarity

liberals dislike unipolarity as they think a concentration of power can lead to resentment and arrogance

why do liberals dislike unipolarity

arrogance seen through 2003 invasion of iraq as they defied international law

a hegemon can lash out to protect their power, such as in iraq and afghanistan, or others may try to challenge it - russia invading ukraine and china’s threat to taiwan

what is bipolarity?

a system where two evenly-matched dominant power poles effectively neutralise the threat to each other - cold war

what do realists think of bipolarity

realists prefer bipolarity to unipolarity because they believe it is more stable

why do realists like bipolarity

they believe it produces a zero-sum game that is predictable and simple

neo-realist - kenneth waltz - championed bipolarity as he belived the only check on power is power itself

each side has a sphere of influence - bipolar discipline

what do liberals think of bipolarity?

they dislike bipolarity as they think it leads to arms race, war plans and tension

why do liberals dislike bipolarity?

the cold war led to proxy ways that killed around 20 million and the cuban missile crisis

they believe Reagan worsened tensions by increasing spending and saying ‘evil empire’

what is multipolarity?

a system that involves three or more power poles

what do realists think of multipolarity?

they believe multipolarity is the least stable and most uncertain

why do realists dislike multipolarity?

miscalculation is likely and risk-taking is tempting

states shift allegiances leading to distrust

realists blame multipolarity for ww2

no balance of power due to fluidity

what do liberals think of multipolarity?

they believe multipolarity leads to equilibrium and peace, and fosters cooperation

why do liberals like multipolarity

they believe power is more evenly distributed and that britain in the 1800s is an example of successful multipolarity as they only intervened in europe to protect british interests

what is the power transition theory?

war is more likely when states are rapidly rising or declining in power - states can make miscalculations in a flux period

who came up with the hyperpower theory

hubert verdine

what is the hyperpower theory

US power and influence is so great that it is now a hyperpower, not a superpower

who came up with ‘the unipolar moment’ theory

charles krautharmer

what’s the ‘the unipolar moment’ theory

US is vastly stronger than any other states in a unipolar moment

who came up with the nonpolarity theory

richard haas

what is the nonpolarity theory

polarity doesn’t accurately describe power relations now due to the number of states, NGOs, IGOs, TNCs and terrorist groups that act internationally

who came up with the limited unipolarity theory

john t rourke

what is the limited unipolarity theory

the US has great power but it is limited by the interconnectedness of the world and its political system - the us wants status of hegemonic power, but the electorate does not want to pay the costs

who came up with the back to bipolarity theory

hans binnendijk

what is the back to bipolarity theory

argues that the international system will always return to bipolarity - other countries will grow to rival the us

who came up with the emerging multipolarity theory

samuel huntington

what is the emerging multipolarity theory

the us being a superpower does not make the world unipolar - the us faces challenges from others - as power shifts the world will become more multipolar