Comprehensive Global Power and Politics: IR Theories, States, and International Organizations

What is the difference between a nation, a state, and a country?

Nation = people and human communities, state = government and legal structure. Country = a geographical territory.

What are the three main components of international politics?

Political actors, interactions between them, and the influence of international laws and treaties.

What does the term 'planetary politics' refer to?

Non-human actors and climate politics, including factors like bird migration routes and forest governance.

What is popular sovereignty?

The belief that a nation is foundational to how relationships are understood and represented in a democracy.

What is the significance of the Renaissance and Enlightenment eras in relation to nation-states?

Contributed to the development of the concept of nation-states, which are typically 400 to 200 years old.

What is a nation-state?

A political entity that combines the concepts of a nation (people) and a state (government), often associated with a specific territory.

What is the definition of a state according to Max Weber?

A human community that successfully claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.

What historical events led to the development of International Relations (IR) as a discipline?

The world wars and the Cold War, which highlighted the need for alliances and the prevention of conflict.

What was the impact of the Cold War on international relations?

Created a climate of tension and paranoia, with a focus on military power and the stockpiling of nuclear weapons.

Who was Joseph McCarthy and what was his role during the Cold War?

A politician known for accusing many of being communists, which contributed to the fear and paranoia of the era.

What is classical realism?

Emphasizes the national interest and the drive for power as fundamental motivators for states and nations. Drive -> Nation -> IR -> Balance of Power

What does 'energy sovereignty' refer to?

The control and ownership of energy resources by a nation, affecting trade routes and international relations.

What is the relationship between nations, states, and territory in international politics? (And when we talk about IP, what are we doing?)

Often assumes a relationship between nation, state, and territory, influencing how states interact.

What are some examples of nations without states?

Catalonia, the Kurds in the Middle East, and the Sentinalese of Sentinel Island.

What is the significance of the term 'nations without states'?

Groups of people who identify as a nation but do not have an independent state or government.

What is the role of financial cities and centers in global politics?

Integral to global finance, trade routes, and the flow of ideas.

How do tariffs affect energy politics?

Impacts trade routes and the flow of energy resources, influencing national economies and IR.

What does the term 'ethical and moral frame' refer to in global politics?

It encompasses the considerations of ownership and sustainability of resources, including those found in space.

What does the term 'global politics' encompass?

Maps, trade, negotiations, and the ownership of global resources.

What is the impact of climate change on global politics?

Introduces non-human actors and challenges that affect resource management and IR.

What is the balance of power in international relations?

Strong states seek to maintain dominance while weaker states seek protection for survival. Ascendant States wannt to shake things up.

What does classical realism emphasize in state behavior?

Highlights repeatable patterns of state behaviors driven by human nature and national interests. Understanding the interplay of national interests = international relations.

How do states maintain their survival?

Through state sovereignty, which includes legal capacity, law enforcement, and government structures.

What triggered the Russia-Ukraine crisis?

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, based on the belief that Ukrainians and Russians are one people.

What is international anarchy in the context of IR?

A structural condition where there is no central authority governing relations among states and creates certain specific incentives.

How does hierarchy differ from anarchy in international relations?

Involves structured relationships with defined roles, while anarchy is characterized by disorder and chaos.

What is the significance of anarchy in international politics?

Creates a self-help system where states prioritize their survival and maintain their sovereignty/independence (States are only integrated within).

What is Realpolitik?

Policy is made by ruler and state, made necessary by state competition. States calculate rational policies based on position and inyterest, primary measure of policy success is preserving and strengthening the state.

What is bandwagoning in international relations?

The tendency of weaker states to align with more powerful states, which is risky and rare due to potential domination. "States prefer to join the weaker of two coalitions"

What is internal balancing?

The process of a state building up its military capabilities and resouces to enhance its security. Survival is more assured amidst international anarchy.

What is external balancing?

The formation of alliances among states to counter threats from more powerful states. When a powerful state threatens to become a hegemon, states will balance against it.

What does polarity refer to in international relations?

The distribution of power among major states, categorized as unipolar (1 hegemon), bipolar (2), or multipolar (3).

What is Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)?

A doctrine that prevents nuclear war by ensuring that any nuclear attack would lead to mutual destruction.

What was the purpose of the League of Nations?

To prevent another world war, serving as a prototype for the United Nations.

What does liberalism in international relations advocate?

Creating international regimes (Orders) to promote long-term mutual benefits through cooperation, treaties, and international organizations, sustaining free trade.

What is the Democratic Peace Theory?

The idea that democratic states are less likely to go to war with each other due to shared values and accountability to costs of war, stronger ties to international institutions.

What is the primary goal of the United Nations?

To maintain international peace and security among nations. Achieve international cooperation in solving international problems.

What role does the UN Security Council play?

Issue binding orders and authorize the use of force to address threats to peace and security.

Who holds veto power in the UN Security Council?

Permanent members: China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US.

What is the function of the UN General Assembly?

To debate and pass resolutions on international issues, with representatives from all member states.

What is the significance of humanitarian rights in the context of the UN?

Introduced humanitarian rights into global discussions, influencing state behavior.

What is the historical context of the UN's formation?

Established after World War II to prevent chaos and conflict similar to that experienced during the war.

What percentage of people died during World War II?

Approximately 3% of the global population.

What role does the UN play in humanitarian rights?

Creates the idea of it and facilitates a global conversation about them, influencing how states define refugees and their rights.

What is the International Court of Justice (ICJ) responsible for?

Resolves disputes among states, such as border locations, and is composed of almost all states. Always submitted by a state.

What types of trials does the International Criminal Court (ICC) conduct?

Conducts trials for individuals accused of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.

Why is the United States not a member of the ICC?

They do not want to be subject to prosecution by the ICC.

What are Ad Hoc Courts and give an example?

Set up after genocides, such as the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), 1994-2005, 61 convictions, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. (ICTY), 1993-2017, 90 convictions

What is interdependence in international relations?

The reliance of states on one another for trade and economic cooperation, which is not solely based on goodwill.

What do Keohane and Nye argue about globalization?

Shifted the focus from military concerns to economic interdependence, modeled rationally and involve distribution to diff states.

What is the difference between liberalism and neo-liberalism in international relations?

Mutual benefits for peace and security, while neo emphasizes creating regimes to lower costs and uncertainty amid interdependence.

What are international norms?

Shared expectations, standards, and principles among states that shape and are shaped by formal law but are not legally binding. Norm: Do not interfere in other states' democratic elections.

What is the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)?

Obligation to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity, requiring collective intervention if a state fails to act.

What is the main argument of Samuel Huntington regarding post-Cold War conflicts?

Conflicts will now occur between cultures rather than states.

Critique on Huntington

Culturally deterministic, globalization, internet/technology, not rigorous, ignores social divisons among 'civilizations'. The continued importance of state interactions.

What does Alexander Wendt mean by 'Anarchy is what states make of it'?

State identity is not fixed but changes based on interactions and perceptions relative to other states.

What is constructivism in international relations?

IR are primarily shaped by state identities, beliefs, and norms influenced by domestic factors and interactions.

What does the term 'World-systems theory' refer to?

Views IR as a function of a capitalist world economy, highlighting the extractive and exploitative dynamics between core and peripheral states. (Natural resources flow to the core of the system from the periphery). Classes on the periphery are excluded from most of the dominant ways to think about international politics.

What is the critique of critical IR scholars?

The equality of states and the inclusion of non-elites in international politics. (Are people and states really equal? What identities are absent from IR politics?)

What is the focus of feminist international relations (IR)?

Exclusion of women from international politics and highlights their roles in policy-making and activism.

Important in addressing the exclusion of women from studies

Necessary to examine places dismissed as "private," "local," or "domestic". better represented and also places of power. Women have been a driving force in the history of international politics, but viewing IR only from the lens of institutions, military security, or great leaders misses the many other ways that international politics happen. - Theory of Cynthia Enloe

What does W.E.B. Du Bois mean by 'the problem of the color line'?

Racial divisions that structure social and political relations and the international divison of labor, similar to the core/periphery analysis in World-systems theory.

What is the significance of culture and identity in international relations?

Influence alliances and perceptions among states, affecting international norms and interactions.

What are the implications of globalization on state interactions and international regimes according to Keohane and Nye?

Leads to reciprocaland effects, necessitating clearer rules and reduced vulnerabilities for state cooperation.

What is the role of international regimes according to neo-liberalism?

Created to lower costs and uncertainties in the context of interdependence among states.

How do critical IR perspectives view colonialism?

Highlight how colonialism has shaped international relations through the exploitation of colonized regions.

What is the relationship between capitalism and international relations in Marxist theory?

IR is driven by the exploitative dynamics of global capitalism, where resources flow from the periphery to the core.

Class according to the Marxist Theory

Group of people with a particular access to theways to survive and gain wealth. Under capitalism, some people own the ways to survive (the means of production) and others must engage in wage labor to access the ways to survive

What is the impact of women's movements on international relations?

Advocating for representation and addressing issues often dismissed as 'private' or 'domestic'.

Neo-Realism

States balance by forming alliances to counter the power of other states that threaten them. We can define certain patterns of behavior basedon the distribution of power in the system; the situation tends toward balance. Structual Condition of Anarchy, Realpolitik is a subset, drives balance of power.

Nationalism

Nation, state, territory, belief that the nation is the foundational way of how we think about relationships with each other.

Center(Core)/Periphery

Areas, groups, or nations that are on the outer edges of a system, lacking power, resources, and influence compared to the dominant "core" regions or group. E.g US - Core Most of Africa - Periphery

UN Court System

Two primary components of its judicial system: ICJ for resolving disputes between states and UN Internal Justice System (UNDT + UNAT) for work related disputes among UN staff members.

European Union

A supranational political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe.

Great Power War

A conflict involving two or more of the most powerful states in the international system, which are historically devastating and capable of reshaping societies and the global order.

International Organizations

The European Union (EU) - Brussels, Belgium; The Asian Development Bank (ADB) - Manila, Philippines; World Trade Organization (WTO) - Geneva, Switzerland

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - Jakarta, Indonesia; International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) (FBI can issue through interpol if a criminal escaped the US) - Lyon, France

International Law

Protects the human rights declared by the UN. States have to agree with a law and it goes in motion, and international law protects it.

Sovereignty

States maintain and survive through state sovereignty, have legal capacity, systems, law enforcement, government structures stay in place. States basically have a right to govern themselves

When talking about International Politics...

Nation = State = Territory. Use state as a shorthand for the fusion. Assume all states are legally sovereign.

Self-Help System

A framework, particularly in international relations, where actors (like states) are primarily responsible for their own security and well-being, operating in an anarchic international environment with no overarching central authority

Immanuel Wallerstein's World System Theory

System is one with a single division of labor. State power and stability are dependent on the position in the core / (semi-)periphery. The system is inherently unequal: the core always exploits the periphery. These dynamics create classes.