international relations final - study guide questions

judicial romanticism (1)

• individuals who violate human rights are going outside boundaries

• should be treated as criminals, should be arrested, placed on trial, courts should decide the punishment

• should overall face criminal justice no matter what —> law is supreme and the same law should apply to everyone

pragmatism (1)

• depending on the political situation and objectives

• pursing this type of criminal justice may conflict with other political goals that may be more important (ex: more difficult to sign a peace agreement)

• you do not always have to pursue the criminal justice

responsibility to protect or R2P (2)

• states are obligated to intervene to prevent human right abuses

• ex: when a state fails to protect its population for mass atrocities like genocide or war crimes)

4 aspects of sovereignty (3)

1. international legal recognition

2. domestic sovereignty

3. westphalian sovereignty

4. interdependent sovereignty

international legal recognition (3)

• a state becomes sovereignty when it receives the recognition from other states, other states accepting you into the club of nations

• ex: taiwan

domestic sovereignty (3)

• does the state exercise supreme authority within its own territory?

• ex: yemen

westphalian sovereignty (3)

• principle of nonintervention —> are other countries interfering in your domestic affairs?

• Is there some type of influence from other countries?

interdependent sovereignty (3)

• globalization

• removing control out of the hands of the government

• not in control of who goes in and out of your country, who can bring goods in and out

• ex: germany

drawbacks of nuclear proliferation (4)

• deterrence is less likely to be effective with newly proliferating states

• greater instability due to incentives to launch preventive strike and proliferation

• new proliferating countries lack the ability to make arsenals invulnerable

• higher risk of accidental launch

• less survivable weapons, “use it or lost it” incentives

• violations of NPT require secrecy —> may involve loose safety standards

• closer geographic distance between newly proliferating nations —> gives less time to identify false alarms

advantages of nuclear proliferation (4)

requirements for the effectiveness of deterrence (5)

• 1. second strike

• 2. credibility

second strike

• having a well protected arsenal, having weapons left over to protect your this

credibility

• convincing others you can carry out a second second attack if needed

international law (6)

• binding rules and principles governing relations between sovereign states and international organizations (derived from treaties and custom)

why comply with international law (6)

1. reciprocity/retaliation: most treaties are self-enforcing

2. non-compliance will trigger non-compliance and punishment by others

3. costs of long-run punishment outweigh the short-run gains from defection

4. rules are seen as legitimate and compliance is “normal” behavior

strategies of development adopted by developing countries (7, 16)

• ISI (Import Substituting Industrialization)

• EOI (Export-Oriented Industrialization)

ISI (Import Substituting Industrialization)

• domestic production instead of foreign import

• high tariffs on manufactured goods

• more manufacturing will lead to the development of skills and economic growth

• erect trade barriers to protect infant industries

EOI (Export-Oriented Industrialization)

• exporting goods to speed up industrialization process

• the market is the “international” market rather than the “domestic” market

• products tend to be higher quality and more competitive

• avoids debt crisis problems

natural law (8)

• through reasoning and logic, you can discover what is considered right/wrong and just/unjust —> universal principles

positivism (8)

• based on treaties, documents, agreements (through some custom or established practice)

causes of underdevelopment (9)

1. extractive institutions

2. corruption

3. colonialism

4. specific types of economies

extractive institutions

• rules in society that impede development and innovation

  • states with these are “hijacked” by some small portion of the population

corruption

• the use of public office for private gain

  • may reduce government revenue but does not necessarily impede economic activity

colonialism

• one state exercises political, economic, or cultural control over another

  • colonies set up extractive institutions

specific types of economies

• may lead to poor institutions

  • greater inequality contributes to non-democratic institutions

  • greater equality contributes to democratic institutions

sources of international law (10)

1. International conventions (treaties) —> reflect the type of lawfully binding obligations that are voluntarily entered into by states

2. International custom, general practice —> reflects the actual practice and values of a state

3. General principles of law

4. Judicial decisions and writing of publicists/jurists/scholars

why countries seek nuclear weapons (11)

• security: nuclear weapons as the greater equalizer

• response to nuclear proliferation by other states

• to serve political interests

• a status symbol, designed to enhance prestige and influence

actions that are considered war crimes (12)

contributing factors to the development of the modern state (13)

• needs of making war

• needs to maintain domestic stability and security

• changes of military technology —> transforms how wars are fought

• survival of the fittest, natural selection —> organizations disappear because they are not competitive enough against modern states

hecksher-olin/stolper-samuelson model (14)

• assumption that factors of production are mobile across industries

• predicts that what is good for capital is always bad for labor

• trade only works one way, depending on whether a country is rich in labor or rich in capital (cannot be both)

ricardo-viner model (14)

• assumption that capital and labor are not mobile across industries or in the short run (less labor mobility)

• people who work in a certain industry will be stuck in that sector

• ex: if factors of production are not mobile, then the industry of capital and labor in the same industry are actually the same

role of the dollar as the international reserve currency (15)

• 1. unlimited demand for the dollar

  • foreigners are always willing to purchase the dollar for economic reasons, as there is always credit for the US dollar

• 2. gives the US a tool of leverage, can impose sanctions, and can threaten to cut off companies and countries

  • can put pressure on countries if policies are not in favor of the US, in other words countries will lose business

• 3. creates the context of the global economy as a whole

  • 80% of transactions are carried out by using dollar, creating the structure of the economy

  • creates the conditions and scope of everything that happens, whether directly or indirectly

international humanitarian law (17)

• agreements regulating the relationship of states and individuals

• restricts arbitrary abuses by the states

• always applies, with no exceptions or qualifications (non-deogable)