International Politics Mid-Term

Actors in IR

• STATES (authority over their territory & population)

• International Organizations/IGOs (created by states to work together. They help states cooperate, establish rules, solve problems, and coordinate policies.)

• Non-state Actors ( NOT governments but can still influence IR)

• Individuals ( influence international affairs)

Great Powers

• A sovereign state recognized for its ability and resources to exert political, economic, and military influence on a global scale.

• EX) USA, China, Russia

IOs/ Intergovernmental Organizations

• Organizations created by states to help countries cooperate and address international issues.

• Facilitate cooperation between states.

• EX) UN, NATO, World Trade Organization

NGOs/ Non-governmental Organization

• A nonprofit organization that is independent of governments and can influence international politics.

• EX) Greenpeace, Human Rights Watch

States

• Territorial entities with a government, SOVEREIGNTY, must be recognized and have defined borders

• developed/developing could be seen as First World/Third World

• Great powers (US, CHINA), hegemon, rising powers

• political and legal governing system with a fixed territory.

Nations

• group of people- shared sense of identity, common history/culture/narrative, “we” ness

• Japan, Iceland, Portugal

• 
  

Nation-States

• identity+territory+sovereignty

• Example:

  • International Organizations (UN, WHO, FIFA)

  • Transitional Actors (NGOs, MNCs, etc)

  • Sub-state actors (lobbies, firms)

  • Individuals (leaders, CEOs, activists)

• Political state matches a SINGLE distinct cultural group

Hegemons vs Hegemony

Hegemons:

• The dominant or most powerful state in an international system.

• WHO is dominant

Hegemony:

• The dominance or leadership that a powerful state exercises over others.

• the dominance ITSELF

Free riding

• Liberalism (interdependence)

• Realist fear

• Happens when a country benefits from something that other countries are paying for or contributing to without contributing its fair share.

• EX) US with NATO - nato member benefiting from the alliance’s security while contributing relatively little to defense.

Sovereignty

• NOT absolute and MUST protect people

• States’ right and ability to govern themselves without being controlled by another state or outside authority.

• CHALLENGES: military intervention, separation, cyber attacks

• SANCTIONS: economic penalties

Concepts of Sovereignty

• Domestic: guarantees that governments have the ultimate authority over what is going on. INSIDE your borders.

• International: indicates a certain equality between countries- no matter their size or financial standing.

• Popular: power comes from the people.

• Westphalian: states should not interfere in each other’s domestic affairs.

Applications of Sovereignty

• Dominance- stable, but can create resentment and hierarchy.

• Reciprocity- works until someone cheats, then can escalate

• Identity can create an in vs. out-groups

Levels of Analysis

1) system level

2) state level

3) group level

4) individual level

Apply Levels of Analysis

1) INDIVIDUAL LEVEL

• Individual explanation, perception, choice, actions. They involve where they come from.

• Personality.

• Psychological.

2) DOMESTIC LEVEL

• Within-state influence on IR

• Considers culture & the type of political system/ “Democracies are more peaceful”

• Concerns actors/ factors within states (nationalism/ethnic conflict)

3) INTER-STATE/ INTERNATIONAL

• Focuses on interactions between and among states.

• Alliances, power struggles between states.

4) GLOBAL/SYSTEMIC LEVEL

• Transcends interstate interactions: beyond specific states

• Big systems and structures.

  • Effects of imperialism & colonialism

• Global movement, norms, and beliefs

• Global Problems

Anarchy

• Absence of a central governing authority to enforce rules.

• central power in IR

Anarchy (REALIST POV)

• Very important.

• Anarchy causes states to prioritize survival, security, and power.

Anarchy (LIBERAL POV)

• Anarchy exists, BUT institutions and cooperation can help states overcome its problems.

• Cooperation is possible.

Anarchy ( CONSTRUCTIVIST POV )

• Anarchy itself does not determine behavior; ideas do. Identities and norms shape how states respond to it.

Melian Dialogue

• REALIST THEORY

• The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer as they must.

• From the Peloponnesian War.

• Athens demanded that the small, neutral island of Melos surrender and join the Athenian empire. Melians refused and argued they should be allowed to remain neutral. Athens argued that power matters more than morality or justice. Melians appealed to justice, morality, etc. Athens rejected these arguments. Eventually, Athens attacked Melos and conquered them.

Self-Help System

• REALIST THEORY

• There is no world government above states; each state is ultimately responsible for protecting itself and its own security.

• “No one is guaranteed to protect me, so I have to protect myself”

• EX) Cold War, the US and soviet untio both built enormous nuclear arsenals. Neither could completely rely on an international authority to guarantee its survival, so each developed its own military capabilities to deter the other.

Relative Gains

• REALIST THEORY

• How much more do I have than you? Not that both of us get more power

• “Even if you have 3 nukes and then another nation has 1, but then gets another you are unhappy”

• you lose when someone else gains

Absolute Gains

• LIBERALISM THEORY

• A state cares more about how much it benefits overall, rather than whether another state benefits more.

• EX) US gains 10B, and China gains 20B; they both benefit. It does not necessarily matter that China gained more.

Zero-Sum

• REALIST THEORY

• Leads to security dilemma

• One state’s gain is another state’s loss.

• Tied to relative gains

Non-Zero Sum

• LIBERALISM THEORY

• One state’s gain does not have to mean another state’s loss.

• Similar to Absolute Gains

Hard Power

• REALIST THEORY

• Military or Economic

• Economic strength is important bc it is fungible.

Soft Power

• LIBERALISM/CONSTRUCTIVISM

• The ability of a country to influence others through attraction and persuasion rather than force or pressure.

• EX) religion

Security Dilemma

• REALIST THEORY

• Happens when one country tries to make itself safer, but its actions make another country feel less safe, causing that country to respond by increasing its own military power.

• “I am building up my defenses because I am scared of you; you see my buildup as a threat; you build up your defenses, now I am even more scared of you.

• Cycle of fear and competition.

Prisoner’s Dilemma

• LIBERALIST THEORY

• Used by realism to explain difficulties in cooperation

• A situation where two actors would both be better off cooperating, but each has an incentive to act in their own self-interest instead.

• AI- we could both stop using it, but how do I know you actually will?

The Logic of Realism

1) Actors: rational states; structure: anarchy

2) self help/ fear

3) survival/security

4) maximize power (military)

5) security dilemma

6) conflict inevitable

• States want to survive, so they seek power and security because there is no world government they can completely rely on.

Neo-Liberal Institutionalism

• LIBERALISM THEORY

• Adds actors, changes incentives, reduces anarchy/security of dilemma

• Increases transparency and communication

• Create rules and norms

• ADDS REGIMES

• even within anarchy, organizations can create order/regimes which facilitate cooperation

Complex Interdependence

• LIBERALISM THEORY

• Adds actors, focuses on economics as a goal, changes incentives, reduces fear/security dilemma

• States care about economic welfare, which depends on interdependence.

• Interdependence makes war costly/irrationally.

• War distrupts trade and economic welfare

• States can forgo short-term interests or gains for long-term interest of gains for long-term gains through trade.

Collective Security

• LIBERALISM THEORY

• An attack on one is a concern for all, so everyone works together to stop aggression.

• Instead of each country protecting itself alone, countries agree to work together to maintain peace and respond to aggression.

• EX) NATO, UN, The Quad

  • The United Nations is designed around a collective-security idea: states can work together to respond to threats to international peace and security.

Regime Type

• LIBERALISM THEORY

• The type of political system a country has- basically, how its government is organized and who has political power.

• TWO TYPES:

  • Democracy- power is based on the participation of citizens, usually through elections. (US, Canada, Germany)

  • Autocracy- political power is concentrated in one leader or a small group, with limited political competition. ( North Korea, Saudi Arabia)

Democratic Peace Theory

• LIBERALISM THEORY

• Democracies are more peaceful with each other.

• Less likely to go to war with other democracies.

• WHY? democratic norms, transparency, institutions.

Self- Interest/ Enlightened Self-interest

• LIBERALISM THEORY

• Self-Interest: a country acts to benefit itself.

• Enlightened Self-Interest: a country realizes that helping others or cooperating can ultimately benefit itself too.

Shadow of the Future

• LIBERALISM THEORY

• States are more likely to cooperate when they expect to interact with each other again in the future.

• US and China make a trade agreement, and they know they will continue trading and negotiating in the future, they have an incentive to follow the agreement.

Logic of Constructivism

• CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY

• Countries’ behavior is shaped by ideas, identities, norms, and shared beliefs- not power or material interest.

Norms

• CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY

• Actors learn how to behave ‘correctly’, not just to maximize power.

• LOGIC OF APPROPRIATENESS.

• Reputation matters.

Identity

• CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY

• States/Actors are NOT the same- they have distinct “ways of thinking: and “being”; they have identities.

  • Interests come from identities.

  • Identities are fluid/can change/

• So CHANGE in interest- therefore, change in behavior can be explained.

Socialization

• CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY

• A process.

• States/Actors can be socialized- their behavior can change over time due to the social environment, learning, and relationships.

Logic of appropriateness

• CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY

• Caring about what is the appropriate thing for someone like me to do in this situation.

• Caring about how others view them, NOT because of consequences.

• System guided by behavior.

• REALIST DOESN’T understand.

• EX) Africa with Israel and sanctions within Africa.

Logic of Consequences

• CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY

• “what will happen if I do this, and which choices gives me the best outrcome”

• Actions are based on possible consequences and choose the option that best serves your interest.

Patrick Article (10 pillars)

• LIBERALISM THEORY

1) COLLECTIVE SECURITY

• Countries cooperate to maintain peace and respond to aggression.

2) Economic multilateralism

• Countries cooperate through an open, nondiscriminatory global economy.

3) Political self-determination

• Peoples should be able to govern themselves rather than live under empire/colonial rule.

1) sovereignty and non-intervention

• States have the right to govern themselves and should generally not interfere in other states.

2) No altering borders by force

• States should not use military force to take another state's territory.

3) No use of force without Security Council approval

• Military force generally requires UN Security Council authorization, except for self-defense.

4) Nonproliferation of WMDs

• Countries should cooperate to prevent the spread of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.

5) Obligations to combat terrorism

States are expected to cooperate against international terrorism and terrorist financially .

6) Maintain an open, nondiscriminatory world economy

• Countries should maintain an international economic system.

7) Mitigate and adapt to climate change

• States need to cooperate to address global warming, including determining who should bear the costs.

8) Promote human rights and democracy

• The international order increasingly recognizes that states' treatment of their own citizens can become an international concern.

9) Protect the global commons

• Countries should preserve open access to areas that aren't controlled by one state but that everyone depends on.

10) Regulate new technologies

• Countries should preserve open access to areas that aren't controlled by one state but that everyone depends on.

Glaser on Security Dilemma

• REALIST THEORY

• How can rational, security-seeking states end up competing with each other even when neither actually wants war?

• His answer builds on the security dilemma: because there is no world government, states cannot be completely certain about each other's intentions. A state may build weapons to protect itself, but another state may interpret that buildup as a threat and respond by building its own weapons. This creates a cycle of competition.

• A state can be greedy and insecure.

• Deference; a way to make someone not doing something by instilling fear.

China

• China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and continues to oppose Taiwan's independence

• Taiwan has its own democratically elected government.

• Security issues involving China, Taiwan, and the US.

• US and China are competing over military power, technology trade, and influence.

• China is facing economic challenges, including weakness in its property sector and concerns about domestic consumption- not telling the public how severe.

AI

• China is trying to become a global leader in AI.

• US has restricted exports of some advanced chips and semiconductor technology to China.

• A source of international power.

Iran War

• US and Israel went to war with Iran on Feb 28th with major strikes against Iran.

• The conflict continued for more than seven months.

• Issue with the Strait of Hormuz.

• Diplomacy is still being attempted.