International Relations Midterm (Lecture)

What is International Relations (IR)?

Study of interactions between states and other global actors (NGOs, IOs, corporations) on the international stage.

Main actors in IR

States, international organizations, NGOs, multinational corporations, militant groups, private security actors.

Why is IR important?

The world is divided into nation-states, shaping how people live and interact globally.

Five core values of the state

Security, freedom, welfare, order, justice.

Security dilemma

When one state increases security, others feel threatened and respond, creating tension cycles.

Freedom in IR

Independence and sovereignty of states.

Order in IR

Stability, predictability, and coexistence among states.

Justice in IR

International law and human rights frameworks.

Welfare in IR

Economic well-being and development of states.

Culture in IR

Shared values, beliefs, and practices shaping international interactions.

Culturalist view

Culture strongly influences global politics and conflict.

Institutionalist view

Institutions reduce the importance of cultural differences.

Huntington's Clash of Civilizations

Main conflicts are cultural/civilizational, not ideological or economic.

Major civilizations (Huntington)

Western, Islamic, Sinic, Hindu, Orthodox, Japanese, etc.

Balkanization

Societal fragmentation due to cultural divisions.

Criticism of Huntington

Oversimplifies cultures, ignores internal conflicts, reinforces stereotypes.

Peace of Westphalia (1648)

Established state sovereignty and modern international system.

Congress of Vienna (1815)

Created balance of power system for stability in Europe.

Balance of power

No single state dominates; maintains stability.

Security dilemma (historical)

Military buildup by one state creates fear in others.

IR as a discipline

Founded after WWI (1919) to understand and prevent war.

What is a theory in IR?

An abstraction used to explain and understand global phenomena.

Ontology (IR)

Whether reality is shaped by agency (actors) or structure (system).

Epistemology

How knowledge is produced; objective vs subjective.

Utopian Liberalism (Idealism)

Belief that cooperation and institutions can create lasting peace.

View of humans (liberalism)

Humans are inherently good.

IR nature (liberalism)

Positive-sum (win-win outcomes possible).

Causes of war (liberalism)

Non-democratic regimes, bad leadership, militarism.

Solutions (liberalism)

Democracy, international law, and institutions.

E.H. Carr critique

Liberalism ignores power and conflict realities.

Realism core idea

Power and survival dominate international politics.

Nature of IR system (realism)

Anarchy (no global authority).

View of humans (realism)

Self-interested and power-seeking.

IR nature (realism)

Zero-sum (one gains at another's expense).

Main goal of states (realism)

Survival.

Type of power (realism)

Hard power (military and economic).

Thucydides' contribution

Power determines outcomes; justice secondary.

Hobbes' idea

International system is a state of nature (anarchy).

Machiavelli's idea

Politics should focus on power, not morality.

Morgenthau's idea

States seek power (animus dominandi).

Neorealism (Waltz)

Focus on structure of international system.

Key assumption of neorealism

Anarchy and rational states.

Balance of power (neorealism)

States form alliances to prevent dominance.

Self-help system

States rely on themselves for security.

Offensive realism

States seek maximum power and hegemony.

Defensive realism

States seek enough power for security, not dominance.

Liberalism core idea

Cooperation and interdependence can reduce conflict.

Actors in liberalism

States, individuals, organizations.

Power in liberalism

Includes soft power (ideas, norms).

Liberal world order pillars

Institutions, free trade, liberal norms.

Interdependence liberalism

Economic ties reduce likelihood of war.

Institutional liberalism

International organizations promote cooperation.

Democratic peace theory

Democracies do not fight each other.

EU as liberal example

Economic integration leads to political cooperation.

Spillover effect

Solving one issue leads to further integration.

Marxism core idea

Global politics driven by capitalism and class struggle.

Main classes (Marxism)

Bourgeoisie (owners) and proletariat (workers).

Historical materialism

Economic system shapes society and politics.

Class struggle

History is defined by conflict between classes.

Alienation

Workers disconnected from their labor and its products.

Imperialism (Lenin)

Expansion of capitalism to exploit other regions.

Dependency theory

Poor countries depend on and are exploited by rich countries.

Core-periphery model

Rich countries exploit poorer ones through trade.

World systems theory

Global system divided into core, semi-periphery, periphery.

Gramsci's hegemony

Power maintained through ideas and consent, not just force.

Constructivism core idea

Ideas, norms, and identities shape international relations.

Constructed reality

Reality is shaped by shared beliefs and meanings.

Critique of realism (constructivism)

States are not purely rational; identities matter.

Post-structuralism core idea

No objective truth; reality shaped by discourse.

Knowledge and power

Knowledge is influenced by power relations.

Securitization

Labeling something as a threat to justify action.

Security (post-structuralism)

Threats are constructed, not purely objective.

Critique of post-positivism

Too abstract and lacks practical solutions.