Global Politics Exam 2

My own flashcards crying

Transnational Movements

Refer to organized efforts that span multiple nations, often advocating for social, political, or economic change beyond national boundaries. These movements arise in response to global issues and seek to mobilize support and create networks across countries to address shared challenges, such as human rights, environmental protection, or economic justice.

Ethnonational movements

—- movements are social and political campaigns that seek to assert the rights and identity of a specific ethnic group within a larger national context, often advocating for greater autonomy or independence. These movements arise from a desire for self-determination and can challenge the existing political boundaries and structures of sovereignty, often leading to tensions or conflicts with the state. These movements often emerge in response to perceived marginalization or discrimination against an ethnic group by a dominant national government. —- movements can lead to conflict, including civil wars or violent clashes with state forces, as groups assert their demands for autonomy or independence. Examples of —- movements include the Kurds in the Middle East, the Catalans in Spain, and various indigenous groups in the Americas seeking recognition and autonomy.

Transnational crime

The word transnational describes crimes that are not only international (that is, crimes that cross borders between countries), but crimes that by their nature involve cross-border transference as an essential part of the criminal activity. Transnational crimes also include crimes that take place in one country, but their consequences significantly affect another country and transit countries may also be involved. Examples of transnational crimes include: human trafficking, people smuggling, smuggling/trafficking of goods (such as arms trafficking and drug trafficking and illegal animal and plant products and other goods prohibited on environmental grounds (e.g. banned ozone depleting substances), slavery, terrorism offences, torture and apartheid.

States

territory under a central govt (emerged as empires declined), empires were a thing until the mid 20th century, states and empires started to become into being once they started to decline

Nations

A —- is a type of social organization where a collective identity—a national identity—has emerged from a combination of shared features across a given population, such as language, history, ethnicity, culture, territory, or society.

Nation-states

• territory under a central government and shared identity (ex. Japan, not very common, most states have multiple cultures residing within them)

States as “imagined communities”

• reinforced by institutions (congress, judiciary, etc) practices (civic rituals like doing the pledge, going to jury committee, big spectacles when presidents are inaugurated, fourth of july celebrations reinforce the imagined communities)

Banal nationalism

• Michael Billig’s — idea held that common symbols reinforced state power, such as flags, national anthems, etc. 

State fragility

— are defined as states that are failing, or in danger of failing, with respect to authority, comprehensive socioeconomic entitlements or governance legitimacy. A fragile state or weak state is a country characterized by weak state capacity or weak state legitimacy leaving citizens vulnerable to a range of shocks.

Soft power

• the ability to accomplish goals without resort to force (treaties, meetings, alliances, professional negotiators, have a good democratic corp) 

Hard power

• ability to coerce another country (by force if needed) to control outcomes (think of the US interacting with other countries)

Smart power

Using both hard and soft power to achieve foreign policy goals. Use the right tools/right mix of tools.

• Examples: countries banned from the olympics, the US asking a country to do something and if they don’t, they will use force (russia/ukraine, israel, greenland) 

• Substantial trade/resource dependence handy for coercive purposes (Russia and Europe), like Europe rescinding resources because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

• Sharing needed technology during crises (COVID)

• Threatening to withhold cooperation (Mexico on migration?) (another source of power)

State power potential (and its components)

• Power potential: depends on resources

SPP Components

Natural Resources…

• Geography (size, location, climate)

• Natural resources (oil, mineral wealth, arable land, which means worked land for agriculture) 

• Population
  

Tangible source..

• Industry

• Infrastructure

• military

Intangible sources…

• National image

• Public support for government/national duty

• leadership

Categories of states based on power

• Four power-based categories of states

• Superpower… dominant global power (like the US and China)

• A super superpower is a hegemonic power

• Great powers… can’t be ignored but not dominant (often aspire to be #1) (Britain, North Korea, India, etc.)

• Once a country gets nuclear capability, they become a great power because they can’t be ignored

• Regional powers… can’t be ignored in their region. Not totally a straight line from a great power. Specifically means the people in the region who have the most power, like the Hindus in India, factors in by thinking about the region specifically, can be in different aspects of power

• Minor powers…majority of world’s countries. Most countries are not huge players. 

• States pursue strategies consistent with their power

Types of interstate war

• How they are fought is key…

• Conventional and unconventional (explain)

• Dimensions…

• Limited, general and global

• How many countries involved and how long

does war last?

Examples of real wars

• Iraq invaded Kuwait (1990) to control oil resources 

• US invaded Panama (1989) over its drug smuggling policy

• US invaded Iraq (2003) over regime differences (oust Saddam, promote democracy)

• India and Pakistan fought three serious wars (1948, 1965, and 1971, 1971 war birthed Bangladesh) over ethnic identity

Conventional and Unconventional War

• Conventional (two countries with equal footing(?) fighting each other) and

• unconventional (unconventional is like not two equal sides, one country might be fighting for another, one country might be fighting insurgents, might be fighting in a way that countries don't)

Intrastate war

• Define… conflict within borders

• Internal (civil) wars; most common type

• Unrest may spread to neighbors

• ^ Ex. Rwanda genocide threatened Burundi and spilled over into DRC

• ^ Afghanistan and Pakistan constantly fighting within borders

• May provoke an interstate war (between two countries)

Compellence (Use of Force in Statecraft)

• threaten the use of force to get another state to do something or stop doing it (we r currently doing this to Iran, we have a flotilla over there). More demanding

Deterrence (Use of Force in Statecraft)

•  Commit to punish another state if they take an undesired action (this is a threat, but intent is different. Means, if you do this, we’re gonna punish you.) like, you can make nuclear weapons, but if you use them, we will get you

• Often applied to nuclear weapons strategy

• Led to nuclear triad (ICBMs, SLBMs, strategic bombers)

Types of Intrastate/civil wars

• Civil war… wide spread war between government forces and organized opposition forces

• Secessionist civil war… when the rebel group wants to break away from teritory to form a new state (Kurds, Philippine independence, US civil war bc the south tried to secede)

Intrastate vs interstate war

Intrastate is conflict happening within the country (civil war), interstate is a conflict between two countries or more (what war usually is seen to be)

Structural causes of war

• Economic resources (oil, water, etc.)

• Policy differences 

• Incompatible regimes

• Ethnic identity

Proximate causes of war

(immediate or primary causes that make them happen immediately)

• Assassination of a national figure (archduke franz ferdinand for WWI, etc)

• Harboring enemies (osama)

• Border skirmishes (korean war, happens with afghanistan and pakistan all the time, this is very common)

• Aggressive action (ex. Closing border or an embargo)

• Cross-border criminal activity (raiding across borders, 

Positive illusions of military power

Proximate causes: optimism and opportunism

• Positive illusions = overstating utility of force (like the US always thinking they can win bc we have so much weaponry)

• Sudden increase in military power (e.g. getting nuclear weapons) can make leaders belligerent

• (opportunism) Sudden decrease in rival country’s power (death of leader; economic/social chaos)

Factors promoting civil war

• Exclusive identity groups ex. clans/tribes present

• Government favors one group over others

• State capacity to keep order and resist insurgency declines

• Rule of law is weak/failing/non existent (and its fraternal twin.. v)

• ^ Corruption is endemic (another word for weak government)

Fragile vs failed states

• Fragile states see rule of law failing and corruption rising; unstable governments, while

• Failed states lack ability to keep order and collapse into civil war 

• 20% of world’s population in failing or

failed states! (approx. 1.5 bil people)

• Characterized by violence and human

suffering

• Major producers of IDPs and refugees

Cooperation problem

• Understanding “relative gain” 

• What does relative gain mean? Usually has to do with bargaining, compromise, usually wanting more than the other person in a compromise, people dont cooperate if youre not getting the same or more as the other person, even if youre getting more than you would have if you didnt compromise

• Challenges to international cooperation include national interests that may conflict with global priorities, as well as rising nationalism in some countries that can hinder collaboration.

• Which theory best captures the cooperation problem? Realism

Prisoner’s dilemma

The prisoner's dilemma is a fundamental concept in decision theory that highlights the challenges individuals or organizations face when making choices between cooperation and self-interest. It is typically illustrated through a scenario involving two parties who must decide whether to betray each other or work together. The optimal collective outcome occurs when both parties choose to cooperate, resulting in a lesser penalty for each. However, if both act solely on self-interest, they may end up worse off than if they had worked together. The concept also extends to international relations, where countries might face similar choices regarding cooperation versus conflict.

Disadvantages of negotiation

• Power imbalances

• Miscommunication

• Non-Binding

• No Third Party

Public International unions

Practical need for common standards and practices led to creation of public international unions (PIUs)

Jus ad bellum (Just War Theory)

the justice of a war (Is the

war itself just?) Just war theory deals with the justification for overriding this strong presumption and waging war. Historically, the just war tradition represents the effort of Western cultures to regulate and restrain violence by establishing widely recognized rules of combat.

principles:

1. Just cause/intention

2. Just authority

3. Last resort

4. Proportionality

5. Probability of success

Jus in bello

…justice in a war (Is it being

fought in a just manner?)

The rules of jus in bello aim to confine the destructiveness of war, rule out certain kinds of weapons, protect civilians, and limit the area and range of fighting.

• International humanitarian law (IHL), the law that governs the way in which warfare is conducted

principles:

1. Just authority

2. Non-combatant immunity

3. Proportionality

4. Prohibited targets

5. Prohibited weaponry

Preemption

The —- doctrine is the idea that a higher authority of law will displace the law of a lower authority of law when the two authorities come into conflict.

Military necessity

Doctrine of “—”…do the ends

justify the means?

—, along with distinction and proportionality, is one of three important and key principles of international humanitarian law governing the legal use of force in an armed conflict. — is governed by several constraints: an attack or action must be intended to help in the military defeat of the enemy; it must be an attack on a military objective;^[1] and the harm caused to civilians or civilian property must be proportional and not "excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated".^[2]

International law vs supranational law

Supranational law (also known as regional law) is a legal framework created when sovereign states transfer parts of their sovereignty to a common supranational organization. This practice establishes a higher authority that can issue laws and make decisions with direct effect within member states.

The European Union is a prominent example of a supranational organization whose laws have supremacy over national court decisions on matters covered by EU law. This type of law differs from traditional international law because member states transfer their right to make certain judicial decisions to institutions such as the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).  

International Court of Justice

also known as the “World Court”. Settles disputes between countries.

International Criminal Court

deals with crime against humanity.

Realities of International Law Enforcement

• ICJ is pretty weak…

• Findings against country in “contentious cases” are often ignored

• US and China examples stand out

• Has heard few ruling in contentious cases (178+; a few cases pending)

• Issues advisory opinions that have even less weight

• Few advisory opinions…27

• Pressing issues like current war on Iran are not taken up

• Standing is limited to recognized states

• Non-state actors (NGOs, transnational corporations) lack standing

Collective good

Items and resources that benefit everyone, and from which people cannot be excluded. This includes examples like water, food, housing, etc.

Functionalism

— is a theory in international relations that emphasizes the role of international organizations in managing conflicts between nation-states and fostering cooperation on shared issues. It emerged in the interwar period, influenced by ideas from figures like Woodrow Wilson, who advocated for collective efforts to maintain peace through frameworks that would allow nations to collaborate on scientific, social, and economic challenges. — posits that many issues faced by states cannot be adequately addressed by individual nations alone; instead, collaboration through supranational organizations, such as the United Nations, is essential.

Main parts of the UN

Agenda for Peace (1992)

•Commissioned by S-G Boutros Boutros-Ghali

•Spelled out UN’s post-Cold War peacekeeping role

• Preventive diplomacy…confidence-building measures, fact-finding, and preventive deployment of UN-authorized forces

• Peacekeeping (traditional)

• Peacemaking…bring hostile parties to agreement, peacefully

• When all peaceful means have failed, peace enforcement authorized under Chapter VII of the UN Charter

• Post-conflict peace building…develop the social, political, and economic infrastructure to prevent further violence and to consolidate peace

Types of Peacekeeping

“Old School” Peacekeeping:

• UN forces placed between warring parties after ceasefire

• Go “light”…no armor, artillery, air support…small arms only for self-defense

• Must have consent of host state

• No troops from major powers

• Not mentioned, but based on Chapter VI of UN Charter

• First used in 1956, when a UN force was sent to Egypt

• Other cases…Green Line in Cyprus, Golan Heights in Israel, Kashmir, Sinai

• Shortcoming…warring powers must want peace.

Post-Cold War Peace Enforcement

•More likely to use force to achieve humanitarian ends

•Go “heavy”…armor, artillery and air assets as needed

•May require great power support (ex. Kosovo)

•Based on Chapter VII of the UN Charter…civil wars a threat to peace

•Key problem…peacekeepers have difficulty remaining neutral and are targeted by belligerents

•Examples…Somalia early 1990s, former Yugoslavia in mid-1990s

Essay Question 1: Explain the cooperation problem.  How do Realists, Liberals and Constructivists differ in their views on solving the cooperation problem?

Liberal Options:

• Promoting democratic practices

• Building negotiating skills

• Promoting economic interdependence

• Providing venues for cooperation

Constructivism Options:

• Cooperation most likely between similar states

• Build cooperative norms

Essay Question 2: Explain the evolution of the international law, noting challenges and complexity in enforcing international law and the rules intergovernmental organizations enact.  How do Realists, Liberals and Constructivists differ in their views on the effectiveness of international law and organizations in controlling state behavior?

UN:

•UN has no standing army

•Missions authorized by the Security Council

•Role in peace and security has been shaped by global politics and changes in international society since 1945

•Use of veto prevented UN action during the Cold War…

• 193 vetoes from 1945 to 1990

• 42 vetoes from 1990 to 2019

• Last three…Syrian situation (R/C); Palestine (US)

• The effectiveness of these institutions is evaluated based on their ability to constrain state sovereignty and reduce anarchy.

Realism vs. Liberalism and Constructivism

• Realists view the international system as anarchic, making cooperation difficult due to concerns over relative gains.

• Constructivists argue that global norms favoring cooperation can shape state behavior, emphasizing shared identities among states.

• Liberals focus on the institutionalization of norms through international law and organizations as essential for cooperation.

• The realist perspective is skeptical of the effectiveness of international laws and organizations, citing the lack of enforcement.

• Abba Eban's quote highlights the challenges of enforcing international law, suggesting that laws exist but are often ignored.

Essay Question 3: Identify and discuss the terms intergovernmental organization and international non-governmental organization.  Give at least two (2) examples of each type of organization.  How do Realists, Liberals and Constructivists differ in their views on the effectiveness of IGOs and INGOs in addressing global problems?

Notable IGOs (international gov org):

• UN (193 members)

• European Union (27 members)

• NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

• APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation)

• OIC (Organization of the Islamic

Conference)

• OPEC (Organization of Petroleum

Exporting Countries)

Notable INGOs (non-gov international org):

• Doctors Without Borders

• Save the Children

• Islamic Relief

• Human Rights Watch/Foundation, etc.

Realists believe IGOs and INGOs are useless/unimportant don’t help to exert control over weaker states. Liberalism believes that international institutions are crucial to goster global harmony and cooperation (most supporting of it).

Constructivists think They serve as norm entrepreneurs that socialize states and teach them new norms.

Essay Question 4: Identify and discuss the major types of state power.  Explain how these powers are used to create 3-4 categories of states in the global system.  (Good answers will offer concrete examples of each category of state you mention.)

Major types:

Hard Power: ability to coerce another country (by force if needed) to control outcomes (think of the US interacting with other countries)

Soft power: the ability to accomplish goals without resort to force (treaties, meetings, alliances, professional negotiators, have a good democratic corp) 

• States may rely on one or the other or some combination of the two

• States can also be categorized according to how much power they wield

Smart Power: using both hard and soft power to achieve foreign policy goals. Use the right tools/right mix of tools

• Examples: countries banned from the olympics, the US asking a country to do something and if they don’t, they will use force (russia/ukraine, israel, greenland) 

• Substantial trade/resource dependence handy for coercive purposes (Russia and Europe), like Europe rescinding resources because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

• Sharing needed technology during crises (COVID)

• Threatening to withhold cooperation (Mexico on migration?) (another source of power)

Categories of states based on power:

Superpower: dominant global power (like the US and China). A super superpower is a hegemonic power

Great powers: can’t be ignored but not dominant (often aspire to be #1) (Britain, North Korea, India, etc.) Once a country gets nuclear capability, they become a great power because they can’t be ignored

Regional powers: can’t be ignored in their region. Not totally a straight line from a great power. Specifically means the people in the region who have the most power, like the Hindus in India, factors in by thinking about the region specifically, can be in different aspects of power

Minor powers: majority of world’s countries. Most countries are not huge players. States pursue strategies consistent with their power