International Politics: Chapter 1

To survive and prevent a new world disorder, leaders and citizens must address six challenges

1. The challenge of providing global economic and political order and system stability

2. The challenge of achieving human security and addressing global poverty

3. The challenge of maintaining the authority and sovereignty of the nation-state

4. The challenge of protecting and promoting human rights

5. The challenge presented by excessive nationalism and extremism

6. The challenge of addressing environmental degradation and the fate of the natural world

5 attributes of a country

1. land

2. people

3. recognition

4. government

5. sovereignty

intergovernmental organizations

• organizations of governments

• multiple governments working together

• UN is an example

non-governmental organizations

• composed of individual persons or private organizations

• example: red cross

multinational/transnational corporations

• companies that operate in more than one country

• example: McDonalds

criminal gangs/terrorists groups

• usually are created in places where the government is weak

• often work together

individuals

• ordinary individuals that made a decisive difference in history

The two distinctive varieties of domestic terrorists

1. First, there are young citizens who may be immigrants or the sons and daughters of immigrants who are radicalized by religious narratives that emphasize the evils of Western popular culture and undermine the norms and values of liberty, freedom of expression, and equality of individuals in every society.

2. A second group of domestic terrorists are the nationalists who see their culture being overwhelmed by immigrants and people of color. Both these groups embrace narratives or stories that inspire hate and violence and create a Manichean view (i.e., us vs. them) of the world.

who are the most important actors in global politics?

nation-states (countries) because they are the actors that engage in diplomatic relations, sign the treaties that create the legal foundation for world politics, and go to war

what are nonstate actors

these can be international or regional organizations that are composed of states (main example: the United Nations)

nation

A community of people who share a common sense of identity, which may be derived from language, culture, or ethnicity; this community may be a minority within a single country or live in more than one country

state

A legal territorial entity composed of a stable population and a government; it possesses a monopoly over the legitimate use of force; its sovereignty is recognized by other states in the international system.

A political community in which the state claims legitimacy on the grounds that it represents all citizens, including those who may identify as a separate community or nation.(example: countries)

sovereignty

The condition of a state having control and authority over its own territory and being free from any higher legal authority. It is related to, but distinct from, the condition of a government being free from any external political constraints.

crisis of efficiency

when states cannot effectively manage global problems unilaterally

crisis of legitmacy

Policymakers are not always representative of their citizens’ interests, and as policymaking becomes more global, decisions are made further away from citizens.

crisis of identity

Citizens are being pulled toward their cultural identity and toward identity and affiliation with NGOs and other civil-society actors. A variety of forces pull them away from citizen identity

crisis of equity

globalization has increased inequality in many states

what’s a theory?

a kind of simplifying device that allows you to decide which facts matter and which do not — sunglasees analogy

Machiavellian

A tradition in international relations theory named for Niccolò Machiavelli that characterizes the international system as anarchic; states are constantly in conflict and pursue their own interests as they see fit.

Grotian

A liberal tradition in international relations theory named for Hugo Grotius that emphasizes the rule of law and multilateral cooperation. Grotians believe the international system is not anarchic, but interdependent: A society of states is created in part by international law, treaties, alliances, and diplomacy, which states are bound by and ought to uphold.

Kantian

A revolutionary tradition in international relations theory named for Immanuel Kant that emphasizes human interests over state interests.

Marxist Tradition

recognizes that the structure of the international system as it exits today creates structural violence.

• the structure of the system prevents full participation by all citizens and actually denies these citizens access to resources and opportunities

• in this tradition, globalization is a “race to the bottom” or the constant search for cheap labor and minimal rules that protect people and the environment

idealism

Referred to by realists as utopianism since it underestimates the logic of power politics and the constraints this imposes on political action. Idealism as a substantive theory of international relations is generally associated with the claim that it is possible to create a world of peace based on the rule of law.

normative

The systematic analyses of the ethical, moral, and political principles that either govern or ought to govern the organization or conduct of global politics; the belief that theories should be concerned with what ought to be rather than merely diagnosing what is.

realism

A theoretical approach that analyzes all international relations as the relation of states engaged in the pursuit of power. Realists see the international system as anarchic, or without a common power, and they believe conflict is endemic in the international system.

• seeing how the world as it really is rather than how we would like it to be

• humans are oriented toward their own self-interests

• power relations among states

liberalism

A theoretical approach that argues for human rights, parliamentary democracy, and free trade—while also maintaining that all such goals must begin within a state.

• includes marxism, constructivism, feminist theory

feminist theory

A political project to understand and to end women’s inequality and oppression. Feminist theories tend to be critical of the biases of the discipline. Many feminists focus their research on the areas where women are excluded from the analysis of major international issues and concerns.

Individual/Human Dimension

This level of analysis explores the range of variables that can affect leaders’ policy choices and implementation strategies. Belief systems, personality factors, and other psychological factors often influence decision-making.

Domestic Sources or National Attributes

Factors at this level include a state’s history, traditions, and political, economic, cultural, and social structures, as well as military power, economic wealth, and demographics, and more permanent elements like geographic location and resource base.

Systematic Factors

To most realists, the anarchic nature of international relations may be the most important factor at this level. However, the individual and collective actions states have taken to cope with anarchy via treaties, alliances, and trade conventions—formal contracts created by states in an attempt to provide order—also constitute significant systemic facto.

Global Factors

Often confused with system-level factors, global-level variables challenge notions of boundaries and sovereignty. The processes that define globalization are multidimensional and originate from multiple levels. Globalization and its economic, political, cultural, and social dimensions derive from decisions made or actions taken by individuals, states, and international and regional organizations or other nonstate actors, but they are seldom traceable to the actions of any one state or even a group of states.

The Constructivist Approach

Constructivists argue that all of us interpret events and global conditions according to our beliefs, interests, values, and goals

Main arguments in favor of globalization representing a new era of world politics

1. The pace of economic transformation is so great that it has created a new world of politics. States cannot fully control their own economies. The global economy is more interdependent than ever.

2. Social Media and communications have fundamentally revolutionized the way we deal with the rest of the world.

3. There is now, more than ever before, a global culture that most urban areas resemble each other.

4. The world is becoming more homogeneous in some material and ideational areas. Differences in political and economic thinking among people are diminishing.

5. Time and space seem to be collapsing. Our old ideas of geography and chronology are undermined by the speed of modern communications and media.

6. A global polity is emerging, with transnational social and political movements and the beginnings of a transfer of allegiance from the state to substate, transnational, and international bodies

7. A cosmopolitan culture is developing. People are beginning to “think globally and act locally”

8. A risk culture is emerging. People realize that the main risks that face them are global and that states are unable to deal with the problems without some form of cooperation

Arguments against globalization representing a new era of world politcs

1. globalization is merely a buzzword to denote the latest phase of capitalism

2. Globalization is very uneven in its effects

3. Globalization may be the latest stage of western imperialism

4. There are people who have much to lose as the world becomes more globalized. It seems to only benefit the rich

5. Not all globalized forces are necessarily good ones. For example, globalization makes it easier for drug cartels and terrorists to operate

6. Responsibility. To whom are responsible for social movements? and others?

7. There seems to be a paradox at the heart of the globalization thesis.