Definitions: contemporary issues

Nye reading.

1st face of power: decision making power

Dahl, the ability of A to get B to do something that B would not otherwise do.

2nd face of power: agenda setting

Bachrach and Baratz, ability to control what issues are discussed or excluded

3rd face of power: ideological power

Lukes, ability to shape preferences so other accept your goals as their own.

Hard power

Nye, ability to coerce others to do what you want. Main tools being military force economic sanctions, payments. Command power: get desired outcomes through coercion and payment.

Soft power

Nye, ability to attract and persuade others to want what you want. Main tools being culture, values, diplomacy, institutions. Co

Smart power

Nye, strategic combination of hard+ soft power. Main tools being a mix of coercion + attraction depending on context.

Conversion power

The ability to convert resources into geopolitical power.

Possession goals

Specific and often intangible objectives (access to resources, basing rights, a trade agreement)

Milieu goals

Structural and intangible objectives ( promoting an open trade system, free markets, democracy, human rights)

Structural power

Power embedded in the arrangement if all the parts of a whole.

Power resources

the tangible and intangible raw materials or vehicles that underlie power relationships. Like military capacity, large population, economic strength, institutions, ideas, culture)

Power as resources

Nye: the raw materials that underlie power relationships.

Power as outcomes

What the states skills are in conveying the resources into preferred strategies.

Power as behaviour

The ability to alter others behaviour to produce preferred outcomes.

Posen reading

Unipolarity

Posen, system in which one state possesses overwhelming power relative to all others, allowing it to dominate global politics and security.

Bipolarity

Posen, international system in which two states hold dominant power, shaping the structure, alliances, and security dynamics of the world.

Multipolarity

Posen, international system in which multiple powerful states share influence, requiring constant balancing and alliance management to maintain stability.

Latent power

Underlying capacity to generate power. Like population size, economic capacity, and productive resources.

Imminent power

State’s readiness or immediate ability to convert its latent power into actual power.

Distillation

The process of converting latent economic power into actual military power

Diffusion of power

A phenomenon where power, especially military capability, spreads from great power to middle power, small states and non

Power resources

the tangible and intangible raw materials or vehicles that underlie power relationships. Like military capacity, large population, economic strength, institutions, ideas, culture)

Emerging multipolar world

A global order in which power and influence are distributed among several major states, rather than dominated by one (unipolar) or two (bipolar) superpowers.

Class

Neorealism

Kenneth Waltz, theory of international relations that explains state behavior by the structure of the international system, which is anarchic (lacking a central authority). Because all states must ensure their own survival under anarchy, they act as rational, security

Offensive realism

Mearsheimer, holds that in an anarchic international system, states seek to maximize their relative power and pursue regional or global dominance because only by being the most powerful can they truly ensure their survival.

Constructivism

Wendt, holds that the international system is socially constructed through shared ideas, norms, and identities, meaning that state behavior and interests depend on social interaction, not just material power — because, as Wendt famously wrote, “anarchy is what states make of it.”

Europe reading

Playground vs. player

Europe’s situation. Autonomy, wedging and binding interplay determines if Europe is a playground or a player. If Europe is seen as fragmented, it is more likely to be treated as a playground.

Playground

Europe as a target. An important prize in the US

Player

Europe as a player.

Second

tier state

China objectives towards Europe

De

United states objectives towards Europe

Alliance activation/ re

Regionalism

Regionalism is the pursuit of closer collaboration among neighbouring states to promote common interests, stability, economic growth, and political influence.

Internal binding

If wedgers are trying to create division, counteraction to that is binding. Keeping up a united front.

Autonomy

Self

External wedging

Any active effort to stop a hostile group from forming or to break up one that already exists. Breaking up opposing coalitions or alliances.

Strategic economy

Goal for Europe, envision to decide its own policies and being able to integrate them without turning to outwards pressure.

Centralisation

If centralisation within a country is low, the national government has less freedom of action because power is dispersed. This makes it more vulnerable to external wedging, since outsiders can exploit internal divisions or reginal differences. wedging= soft targets.

Qualified majority vote

system where a decision passes only if it meets a higher or weighted threshold than a simple majority — for example, a certain percentage of both member states and population (as in the EU).

Crawford reading

Selective accommodation (SA)

theory of selective accommodation holds that a dominant power can weaken opposing alliances by selectively accommodating certain states, encouraging them to defect, stay neutral, or shift allegiance.

SA target selection

Dividers (powerful states) should target states that are potential movers on the margins, have strategic weight, and are not the primary adversary, in order to weaken opposing alliances by encouraging shifts in allegiance or neutrality.

SA reward power

Targets must be states that the divider can influence with rewards. In other words, the powerful state (the divider) should focus on countries it can persuade or entice by offering benefits, incentives, or support.

SA alignment goal

The goal is usually to make small, gradual changes, nudging the target state toward a neutral or cautious position rather than forcing a complete shift in allegiance.

SA alliance constraints

Accommodations (means making concessions, offers, or adjustments to satisfy or win over other states.) may need to consider the interests of important allies, often offering side deals or incentives to keep them supportive while pursuing broader goals.

India readings and class

Power transition theory

Classic theory arguing that a rising power means challenge and conflict the existing order.

Globalisation

Process by which people, goods, services, capital, information and ideas move more freely across national borders, leading to increased interconnection, interdependence, and integration of economies, societies, and cultures worldwide.

Homogenisation

Process through which social differences are reduced, resulting in uniformity in culture, consumption patterns lifestyles, or social practices across regions or societies.

G

X multilateralism

QUAD

Main partnership for India, between India, Japan, Australia and the US. Seen as a response to China.

Super power

The US or the Soviet Union, where the power has a comprehensive global reach.

Great power

Stretches beyond its intermediate region but not global in the same way as a superpower.

Middle power

A rising power that lacks system shaping capabilities. Gaps stopping India from being a great power is: no real global strike capability, limited ability to predict serious military power far beyond its region, do not decisively dominate its own neighbourhood Southeast Asia.

scenarios for India in the world politics

Increased US dominance  India drifts closer, unlikely as full binding alliance with US is difficult due to geographic realities. Increasing Chinese ascendancy= worst case scenario for India. China dominance China

Shift one, two and three

Key changes for India. Shift one: Balancing China in the Indo

IOR

Indian Ocean Region.

CPTPP

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans

Malacca strait

2/3 of all trade passes through the strait and 9/10 crude oils exporters are resident in the IOR. 80% of all Chinese trade goes through it.

Command and control vs. democratic pluralism

China vs. India when it comes to organising political, economic and social systems. (based on lecture)China: control, Chinese socialism. (Tianxia– all under one heaven. One emperor, that all should pay tribute to)India: democratic pluralism. (Vaudhaiva Katumbakam

Performative democracy

A political system in which democratic institutions and practices exist in form of appearance, but real citizen influence, accountability or decision

Prescriptive democracy

Refers to the ideal, normative or theoretical model of democracy: how it is prescribed to operate according to democratic principles, constitutions and political philosophy.

Maritime security

Crucial part for India, because of its strategic positioning in the Indo

Entrepreneurial norms

Project based capacitation, ground level stakeholder transformation, unlocking precious opportunity for landlocked miniature states.

Strategic capacitation

is the deliberate development and enhancement of resources, skills, institutions, and structures that allow an actor to project power, influence outcomes, or respond effectively to opportunities and threats over time.

Strategic autonomy

the capacity of a state or actor to pursue its own strategic objectives, maintain freedom of action, and manage external dependencies while protecting its security, economic, and political interests. India and EU’s strategic autonomy chimes, by ensuring economic, technological and strategic cooperation, sans security entanglements

Strategic resilience

ability to anticipate, absorb, adapt to, and recover from internal or external disruptions in a way that protects and sustains strategic goals, interests, and capabilities.India and European partners advance global commons, through in

Strategic accommodation

is the deliberate adjustment of strategy or policy by a state to manage power relations, mitigate threats, or maintain stability, without fully yielding or surrendering sovereignty.India and EU remain advocates of non

Strategic stability

he condition in which the structure of international power, military capabilities, and deterrence relationships reduces the likelihood of conflict, encourages restraint, and maintains predictable interactions among states.India and EU uphold rules based on international order through G/, G”=, UN, WTO, etc. both ensure China, as an economic partner, strategic competitor, and a systemic rival.

Strategic standards

the established principles, performance benchmarks, or operational criteria used to measure, guide, and coordinate strategic decision

Union of diversity

A democratised and multilateral way of cognition and action. India and Europe embody this.

Hardin reading

Invisible hand

Adam Smith, free market. Market as self

William Lloyd

Rebuttal of the invisible hand in population control is found in pamphlet by Lloyd. The concept of the “tragedy of the commons” is credited to him.

Garrett Hardin

Global commons and the tragedy of the commons.

Global commons

Shared global resources, like ocean, wind, space etc.

Tragedy of the commons

How individuals acting rationally I their own self

Solution of tragedy of the commons

Governmental regulations, privatisation of resources and community

Positive and negative utility

Positive: function of the increment of one animal, positive utility is +1. Negative: additional overgrazing created by one more animal, effects are overgrazing shared by all herdsmen fraction of

Waltz reading

Idea Waltz

Text provides a rich analysis of globalisation, interdependence, and the resilience of the nation

Kenneth Waltz

Governance without government is impossible. States remain the dominant actors for international politics. The “end of the state” rumour is a myth.

Interdependence

The mutual relationship between states, often measured by metrics like trade or capital flows as percentage of GNP.

Complex interdependence

An argument that simple interdependence has tightened the economic and political interests of states, limiting the use of force.

The “electronic herd”

Term for the vast amounts of capital moving across borders, rewarding countries with stability and openness.

The “golden straitjacket”

The package of policies a country must adopt to attract capital from the “electronic hers” and gain benefits of technology

Transformative capacity

A state’s ability to adapt easily to rapid technological innovation and changing economic conditions.

Ikenberry reading.