exam 2 question

what is intl law?

a set of principles, rules, and agreements that regulate the behvaior of states and other intl actors

how is the UN successful?

it has broad participation and therefore legitimacy

can we outlaw war?

no

how and why did intl law emerge?

the first signs of international law came from Hugo Grotius in the 1600s because he wanted to regulate and limit war in order to preserve natural rights

why do we need intl law?

1. we need to bring order to an intl system of anarchy (no higher power above)

2. it gives us a secure intl government

3. need for conflict resolution

4. we need to coordinate domestic policies in an intl world

why cant war be outlawed?

people go to war anyway, even if its illegal

can we impose a hierarchy in the intl system?

marxists and feminists would say yes

how is the UN helpful?

it gives states a space to talk things out before conflict arises

what is the principle of jurisdiction?

how far the law can reach and the right/authority to make decisions and apply justice within a determined area of responsibility

what are the sources of intl law?

treaties, cusotms, general principles, and the actions of courts and other intl organizations

what is the freedom of the seas principle?

Grotius said that a states sovereignty ends at the edge of its territorial waters and that states have a right to travel by sea to trade with other states

what are crimes against humanity?

arbitrary arrests for political reasons, systemic rape, torture, or the deliberate killing/injury of civillians

why did the league of nations fail?

it lacked broad participation

what is the intl court of justice?

court created by the UN to settle legal disputes submitted to it by the states and to give opinions on legal questions defferred to it by authorized UN organs and specialized agencies

have there been any attempts to ban war globally?

yes, hague conference 1899

what is universal jurisdiction?

government/political officials and those with diplomatic immunity who perpetrate heinous crimes against their own people should not be able to escape justice when they leave their countries (basically officials can’t commit crimes against their own people and then flee the country and then invoke diplomatic immunity wherever they are to escape persecution)

why are perceptions of international law important in international relations?

who states perceive intl law is how they are going to follow them

what are the most significant outcomes of the kosovo case?

kosovo declared itself an independent state

what is care ethics in intl relations?

emphasizes importance of interpersonal relationships, empathy, and responsibility towards others in the context of conflict resolution

why cant we outlaw war?

people will still go to war anyways and ignore the law

what are the two exceptions to article 2(4) of the UN charter?

UN security council’s authorization to use force that violates the territorial integrity/political independence of another state and self defense

what is the international criminal tribunal for the former yugoslavia’s purpose?

to have jurisdiction over genocide and war crimes and other crimes in the territory of croatia, bsonia, and herzegovinadoe

does intl law apply the same to wealthy and poor states?

marxists would say no

what does security mean?

the government protects the state and its people from potential threats

what are the types of conflict and war?

1. nonviolent conflict

2. violent conflict

3. offensive war

4. defensive war

5. predatory war

6. preventative war

7. preemptive war

8. conventional war

9. nonconventional war

10. ethnic/religious war

11. retaliatory war

12. great war

what are the scopes of war?

local (typically bordered states, regional (war can span across one region), and global (world war)

what is a security policy?

policy designed to protect strategic interests, sovereignty, and territorial integrity as well as reduce and eliminate threats

why is the fog of war so profound?

it focused on the difficulty of decision making in times of conflict/crisis (specifically during the vietnam war)

what issues are included in security?

what issues ARENT included in security bro

what concepts are included in security?

1. nuclear proliferation

2. nuclear deterrence

3. domino theory

4. security regime

5. geopolitics

6. fog of war

what did the cold war do to war?

made the divide between violent and nonviolent less clear

which war is the only justifiable war?

defensive/war in self defense

what is the difference between national/international security?

national is focused on domestic security issues whilst intl is focused on mutual security issues amongst multiple states

how do national/intl security interact?

both are utilized by states to protect themselves and their people/interests

what is bilateral and multilateral security?

bilateral is only between two states while multilateral is between two or more states

what are the current failing states?

syria, lybia, somalia, chad, sudan, and central african republic

what are the threats to intl security?

direct intimidation/hostile acts (invasions, war) from states and failing states + terrorist groups

whats the difference between predatory/retalitory war?

predatory war is typically motivated by wanting to gain something (territory, resources, etc.) while retaliatory war is typically motivated by wanting to punish a state

what is a proxy war?

two opposing states support combatants that serve their interests instead of waging war directly against each other, its a war by proxy of someone elses war

can a states policy be interventionist and isolationist at the same time?

no

how did the US respond to the soviets in the cold war?

symmetrically

when was the isolationist policy popular?

post wwi UK+US, their reluctance caused facism to grow and take over europe (germany + italy)

when was the interventionist policy popular?

1700s/1800s britain, france, russia, and germany; post cold war US

what is the security dilemma?

a viscious cycle where one states efforts to improve its security causes insecurity in other states

what is the difference between security regime and communities?

a security regime protects other states in exchange for their cooperation while communities do stuff because of mutual benefit

what is liberal interventionism?

says military force should only be used when all nonviolent means have been tried and unsuccessful

what are the major alternate approaches to international security?

constructivism, marxism, feminism

how can the domino effect be avoided?

multilateralism

what are the relative roles of public opinion + lobbying in security policies?

public opinion influences WHO is in office, lobbying influences the DECISIONS of those in office

What does GRIT mean in the context of security?

strategic approach that emphasizes perseverance and sustained effort to achieve long-term security objectives.

What is the military-industrial complex?

relationship between military and defense contractors, influences govt policy and promotes military spending

what is geopolitics?

theory and practice of using geography and territorial gains to achieve political power and seek security

what is CARSI?

central america regional security initiative; collective effort of governments, law enforcement agencies, and NGO’s to prevent the spread of drugs, corruption/violence, and other global threats

What role do energy resources play in security?

they affect a country's ability to maintain energy independence, economic stability, and strategic power

why has oil become a global security issue?

the people who have the oil (middle east and russia) dont want US to have their oil

what changed in conflict post cold war?

conflict moved from asia + latin america → eurasia, middle east, + subsuharan africa; increase in cyberterrorism, small nuclear weapons started production; line between violent/nonviolent conflict became less clear

is china an aggressive state?

realists, specifically Mearsheimer, would say yes

what are china’s constraints?

structural (shrinking population/ghost cities, rapid industrialization, environment issues, corruption, and inequality)

what are china’s capabilities?

largest modern military force, many weapons, skilled crafts, blue water

is the china threat real?

Mearsheimer says yes

what are china’s foreign policy goals?

• preservation of territorial integrity

• recovery of lost territories china considers to be part of china

• recognition of the chinese communist party as the sole legitimate government of china

• enhancement of hcinas international structure

what challenges does china face?

• US hegemony (trying to contain china)

• Chinese hegemony (can they do it),

• Unpredictable north korean nuclear program next door

• Taiwan

• Territorial disputes with japan

• US+Japan’s responses to chinas rise in power

how much did china increased thier military spending in this century?

21.5 bil (1998) → 532 bil (2010)

Are realism and liberalism necessary and sufficient for understanding IR issues?

no, they are not sufficient because they fail to explain how states define their interests and why actors choose one pathway of interests

what are the alternate theories?

constructivism, marxism, feminism, political psychology, postcolonialism

how are the alternate theories useful in helping us understand the international system?

they offer different points of view that realism and liberalism do not (R+L only focus on outcome, Alt. theories focus onsocially constructed meaning, psychology, gender inequality, and class inequality)

what is missing from the realist and liberalist stories?

socially constructed meaning, psychology, gender inequality, and class inequality

why (study) alternate theories?

they are necessary to move us towards sufficiency (haha)

how do we define power?

weapons, sanctions, nationalism, fist, technology, money, other shit

what is constructivism?

IR theory that says meaning is socially constructed (we give things meaning) and situated in a belief structure, basically concepts have different meanings for each state

what matters to constructivists?

people and culture

how would constructivists define a state?

something we believe is real

what are the assumptions of constructivism?

1. meanings are the product of our individual experience, social norms, and historical experience (people give things meaning)

2. we are a product of our belief structure, value system, and history

3. our beliefs, perceptions, and lessons learned from history define our worldview

4. our worldviews are shared by decision makers and other political actors

how do different theories approach regime types?

realists do not differentiate, liberalists differentiate between the types of regimes, constructivists differentiate between states

what is the solution to conflict?

end inequality

What is marxism?

IR theory that interprets IR as a struggle between classes (the haves and have nots), says the state is just a tool of the dominant class used to exploit and oppress the lower class (founded karl marx)

what is feminism?

IR theory focusing on gender inequality, political domination by one gender and the oppression of another, many believe if more women had positions in IR the world would be much more peaceful

what are the assumptions of feminism?

1. women do not have equal rights in IR

2. global changes are required to achieve social justice

3. most important IR positions have gone and go to men

4. defense and security policies are historically rooted in a masculine culture that accepts war + violence

what is the prospect theory?

even when people seeming act rational, they use various cognitive shortcuts that miscalculates their chances of success/failure

what is the rational theory?

claims politicians typically think logically to minimize negative outcomes and maximize positive ones

what is post colonialism?

critique of western domination and its self-ascribed racial/cultural superiority over latin america, asia, and africa, claims europe and north america are the root of most global conflicts

what is political psychology?

study of interactions between political and psychological factors in individual and group behaviors

what are some common themes among the alternate theories?

inequality of some sort and a focus on people and what they believe/how they behave

what is pearl harbor syndrome?

individual attitudes and state policies focused on avoiding sudden and devastating attacks post 9/11

what are the three international environments?

hobbesian model (IS is a battle ground), lockean model (IS is more “healthy competition” and compromises), and kantian model (IS is an opportunity for global peace)

what are the three main factors of IR policy making according to constructivism?

norm development, identity, and ideational power

when have states over/underestimated threats against them?

post pearl harbor japan didnt think US would retaliate, US is like freaking the fuck out over china even tho they havent like attacked us yet

what are the key differences between how canada and cuba approached the US and why?

canada and US had mutual values and trade so they became friends, but cuba did not so they fell under SU hegemonic power

what are the key points of lenin’s theory of capitalist imperialism?

global struggle occurs because of struggle over territory + resources

why are postcolonial studies discussed as a conflict approach?

the percieved western superiority/domination of latin america, asia, and africa has caused unrest and struggle for independence in these states

how does masculine culture relate to IR?

according to feminists, masculine culture has been ruling IR

what are the three political cultures?

1. parochial/traditional- citizens are remotely aware of whats going on, they make decisions based off state policies bc they dont know whats going on (one could argue china)

2. authoritarian- people obey the government bc they will face consequences if they dont (north korea)

3. participatory/democratic- government is powerful bu people actually speak out and influence politics (USA)

why is a states political culture relevant to IR?

it is how states policy, domestic and foreign, gets made

how does identity affect peoples views/actions related to IR policy?

ones identity is their beliefs and values so the IR leaders each have their own beliefs and values they want in IR policy

what are the roots of liberal-democratic political cultures?

european age of enlightenment

how does nationalism influence IR?

has potential for war, everyone thinks their state is “best”

what is xenophobia and how does it affect IR policy?

fear and hate of foreign states/people causes dominant states to primarily pass policy in favor of the white male

what is political fundamentalism?

someone’s identity is rooted in religion and they insert that in politics (having the church as the state)

why dont rational models fully explain political behavior?

a lot of politicians are only interested in their own beliefs, not necessarily with logical thinking and minimizing negative outcomes/maximizing positive outcomes

what are the trhee types of biases?

1. consistency- new info is likely to be accepted if it agrees with a persons alreayd held beliefs

2. resistance- people tend to stick to what they already believe even if new info challenges it

3. accessibility- people dont pick the best option, but the option that is easiest to understand and impliment