intro to international relations

international relations

the study of interactions among the various actors that participate in international politics

institution

a broad governing body of international affairs and global policy

state

an entity with a territorial base, geographically defined borders, a stable population within those borders which owes allegiance to an effective government, and is recognized by other states in the international community

nation

a group of individuals who have common characteristics to one another, such as a shared ethnicity, language, or religion

nation-state

a state that consists of nation, meaning that a nation governs itself according to its shared interests formed because of the aforementioned shared characteristics

Hobbes

IR philosopher; believed that the greatest problem is anarchy, or disorganization without any kind of inherent hierarchy; proposed the solution of a single, centralized global government, or “leviathan”

Rousseau

IR philosopher; believed that humans are inherently selfish and mainly motivated by their own interests; proposed the solution of individual, specialized communities that serve their own collective interests

Kant

IR philosopher; believed that smaller, individual states should form a centralized federation to prevent conflict, but operate individually to a certain extent

realism

theory: human nature is bad ⇒ all states are unitary actors who act in a singular national self interest
- relative gains (power must be taken, it doesn’t appear from nowhere)
- anarchy (no central government)
- focus on hard power

neorealism

world system theory; balancing and polarity
- states seek power and security in international system
- still anarchic system

paradox of unrealized power

significant power that can’t be exercised

liberalism

theory: states largely cooperate with each other (complex interdependence)
- absolute gains (cooperation leads to gains for everyone)
- accomplished through international organizations (IOs) that foster trade etc.
- cooperation & collective goods lead to the free rider problem

neoliberalism

international political economy (IPE) ⇒ more interconnected post WWII
- emphasizes idea of complex interdependence in international relations

constructivism

alternative theory; created by postmodernism ⇒ deconstruction, postcolonialism; predominantly english ideal
- centers on narratives, identities being socially constructed, connected to larger theories
- focus on not just states, but how states’ actions are shaped by occurrences within them

feminism

alternative theory; focuses on difference and liberal theory in relation to gender equality and interactions

difference theory

states that there are inherent differences between men and women and how they’re viewed in the international system

liberal theory

states that women act no differently in men’s roles than men (no inherent difference)

rational actor model/RAM

realist model of decision making
- states are unitary actors ⇒ state to state
- states conduct cost/benefit analyses before making decisions
- states have perfect information on what’s going on

organizational process model/OPM

- multiple organizations involved in decision making ⇒ multiple actors on roughly the same level
- SOPs — standard operating procedures
- resistant to change
- not universal, can cause confusion

bureaucratic politics model/BPM/pluralism

- lots of interest groups that effect decision making ⇒ multiple actors on different levels
- integrates backchannel diplomacy

backchannel diplomacy

communication through third-party actors coordinating/delivering messages

groupthink

the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility

spiral of silence

the theory that people’s willingness to express their opinions on controversial public issues is affected by their largely unconscious perception of those opinions as being either popular or unpopular

satisficing

the process of reaching suboptimal outcomes that are agreed upon by the majority of decision makers (compromise)

united nations

an organization of independent states formed in 1945 to promote international peace and security which consists of many moving parts and branches

general assembly

part of the UN which recommends policy
- all 193 member states (1 country = 1 vote)
- creates non-binding resolutions
- branches: economic and social council, ICC, ICJ, UN organs and specialized agencies

international criminal court

branch of UN general assembly
- handles individuals who have been charged with crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression, genocide, etc.
- judges are chosen as individuals, not as citizens of a certain country
- ad hoc (temporary, case-by-case) tribunals existed before this body

international court of justice

branch of UN general assembly
- only responsible for country vs. country
- non-binding results, selective jurisdiction (countries can choose not to abide by rulings on a case-by-case basis)
- victor’s justice

security council

part of the UN which decides on policy
- creates binding resolutions
- P5 (5 permanent members, have veto power) — Russia, France, UK, China, US, based in 1945 distribution of power
- ten rotating members based on regional blocks within UN (eg. Latin America), serve for 2-year terms
- allocates peacekeeping forces

secretary general

part of the UN which implements policy
- currently António Guterres of Portugal

treaties of Westphalia

policies which first established secularism in Europe, preventing religious leaders of states

multipolar system

a system in which several, ie. three or more, states share a roughly equal balance as the most powerful states in the world

bipolar system

a system in which two countries share a roughly equal balance of power as the most powerful states

unipolar system

a system in which a single country holds most of the world’s power