Global Politics: Power

What is the UN’s extreme poverty rate ($)? How much of the global population is under this threshold?

$2.15 // 8%

Relative poverty is described as living below ….% of the …… income. It reflects inequality levels relative to that of society.

50%-60% // median

Which academic wrote ‘Road to Serfdom,’ which academic wrote ‘Capitalism and Freedom.’

Von Hayek // Milton Friedman

T/F- Orthodox Development Theory supports neoliberalism as the optimum pathway for economic growth and increased living standards

True

T/F- Realists support neoclassical/neoliberal economic theory

False, non-ideological

Give three measurements which are measured for each nation as part of the HDI:

Life expectancy, literacy, GDP per capita

Which academic wrote ‘Development as Freedom’ (1989), arguing that human rights are integral to development

Amartya Sen

Term: the continuation of exploitative power relationships even after major powers had given up their empires.

Neocolonialism

Term: industrialised economies, dominating globally, paying high wages, and producing a wide range of manufactured goods, often where MNC’s are based (two possible answers)

Global North // Core States

Amartya Sen: ‘no … has ever occurred in a functioning …’

Famine // Democracy

What do NICs stand for + 4 examples

Newly Industrialised Countries. Brazil, India, China, South Africa

C02 emissions are evidence of economic development, what % of global emissions is India and what % is China responsible for?

8% // 32%

Inclusion in which IGO indicates the convergence of the GN and GS

G20

In 2000, extreme poverty was estimated at 1.9bn, by what % had it reduced by 2015?

50%

By what % had primary school enrolment increased from 2000-2015?

83%

By how much had child mortality reduced 2000-2015?

50%

Overall maternal mortality declined by 45% between 200-2015. By how much had it fallen in S-E Asia alone?

64%

Who said, ‘international politics, like all politics, is a struggle for power.’

Hans Morgenthau

Fill in the Morgenthau quote: ‘Whatever the … … of international politics, … is always the immediate …’

ultimate aims // aim

What is hard power?

The ability to achieve your objectives through coercion

Three key aspects of hard power

Military, economic, structural

What is soft power? (Joseph Nye?

The achievement of your aims through the attractiveness of your culture

‘Power is the ability to affect others to get the outcome you want, and that can be done by …, … or …’ -Nye

Coercion, payment, attraction

What does military power (hard power) include?

size of army, ability to deploy anywhere at any time, naval strength, Air Force capacity, nuclear weapons, intelligence, drones, cyber technology

November 2024 military power Russia-Ukraine example:

Nations involved in Russian-Ukraine conflict escalating in anticipation of Trump Presidency, US+UK granted permission to use long-range missiles. Matched by Putin deploying 10,000 North Korean troops, using a hypersonic missile and relaxing nuclear weapon protocol

Military power 2017 Syrian example:

US+UK bombed Syrian weapon sites to stop President Assad doom launching further alleged chemical attacks, sent a signal to Russia+Iran that the UAS had significant influence in the region

How can military power bring about negotiations? EXAMPLE

Kim Jong-un and Trump threatening each other w/ nuclear weapons

How is economic power measured?

What factors does it include?

GDP // GDP per Capita

Trade balances, levels of debt, stability of economic growth, influence over trade rules, contributions to INT programmes

What is the economic hard power influence of the IMF+World Bank?

Conditional loads upon recipient N-S adopting free-market SAPs

How much did Beijing pledge for African development to strengthen Sino-African relations? ($)

$60bn

What is structural power? (hard power)

Capacity to influence IGOs

According to Susan Strange structural power refers to the way in which powerful N-S can determine…. ‘… … … … …’

‘How things shall be done.’

How has the US (structurally) been able to strongly influence the development of the global economy?

Global acceptance of the liberal economic principles of the Washington Consensus and the USA has the biggest vote share on the World Bank and IMF

How has China tried to acquire structural power?

2015, establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Bank

Who said, ‘In the anarchic world of international politics it is better to be Godzilla than Bambi’?

Mearsheimer

Realist view on hard power:

N-S power maximisers, surest way to attain objectives is via forceful compelling of co-op or obedience of other N-S

Limits of hard power: US

US military superiors in Vietnam 1964-75 and Iraq 2003- yet did not achieve politics objectives due to a lack of support from the population

Withdrawal of NATO from Afghanistan 2021

Russia not deterred by economic sanctions and supply of weapons to Ukraine

Soft power

N-S pursuing its national interest through the attractiveness of its culture and political system

What does Nye say is the most important thing in global relations is

‘whose story wins’

Cold War soft power example

US cultural appeal, totalitarianism could not compete with the materialistic/consumer appeal of free-market capitalism

Cultural power

A states global, cultural outreach, for example from television, film, food, fashion, celebrities and brand names

Diplomatic power

this includes elements of structural power, the reach of its foreign policy, and the global impression a state makes, together with its ability to utilise its power of influence

How can a state exert diplomatic strength?

global leadership on issues such as conflict resolution, the environment, the global economy, poverty, and development

R&D power+examples

the amount spent on r&d

UK world leader in medical research

US tech and biotech

China electric vehicles

What did Nye say soft power is exercised through?

‘attraction>coercion’

What undermined US soft power?

Human rights violations carried out at Abu Ghraib post Iraq war 2003

What boosts UK soft power?

Royal weddings/tours/anniversaries

Smart power:

Combination of soft and hard power methods to achieve its arms (key to Obama’s admin)

How did WTR Fox define ‘superpower’ in 1944

having ‘great power and great mobility of power’

Features of a superpower

can extend influence anywhere in the world at anytime, strong structural power, influence over the global narrative, strong sense of ideological self-belief, commit to taking a leading role in resolving global crises

Great power:

dominant role within their region, influential role in global decision-making, can’t act independently of other great powers

Emerging power:

aspires to great power status, keen to play an assertive role, high growth rates, GS

Hegemonic stability theory:

unipolar distribution of power, when a superpower can’t be challenged by another power. USA Pax-Americana, a hegemon can provide peace and stability

what do critics say about unipolarity

it can undermine global stability, can act in defiance of INT law

What did radical Noam Chomsky say about hegemons?

they can have a ‘malign’ or ‘predatory’ impact on INT relations

The Thucydides Trap:

destabilising period after superpower loses hegemonic status

Bipolarity:

two relatively evenly matched powers share power between them

Which realist favours bipolarity? +why?

Waltz, expansionist instinct of two rival power maximisers act as a deterrence to each other (prevents open aggression)

Example of bipolarity+example of regional bipolarity:

Cold war // India and Pakistan

Why do liberals criticise bipolarity? +example

tension, chances of misjudgement and errors take away from the peace that can be maintained-doesn’t work LR // Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

why do liberals prefer multipolarity?

N-A as rational actors who can coop for mutually beneficial outcomes. N-S less able to defy INT standards. Relevance of IGOs enhanced

Realists on multipolarity:

most dangerous distribution of global power, more likely for N-S to take risks (war) since BoP always changing. some claim it caused WW2 (Hitler believed he could challenge distribution of GP)

Example of multipolarity not working:

Syrian civil war, multiple power (USA/Russia/Iran/Turkey) intervened. Encourages military conflict in pursuit of national interests

What was US GDP in 2024?

$25tn

What was the US debt to China in 2020?

over $1tn

When was the AIIB proposed by China?

2015

Example of Chinese economic power:

The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative—> investment in over 70 countries and IGOs

US annual defence spending in 2022: What % of global military spending was this?

$916bn // 37%

What was China’s annual defence spending in 2022? What % of global military spending was this?

$296bn // 12%

Who said: ‘International politics, like all politics, is a struggle for power’?

Realist Morgenthau

Who said: ‘War is a continuation of politics by other means’

Realist Carl von Clausewitz

Who said: ‘The historical debate is over. The answer is free-market capitalism.’

Liberal Friedman

Who said: ‘Acts of genocide can never be a purely internal matter.’

Liberal Blair

Who said: ‘It is better to be Godzilla than Bambi.’

Realist Mearsheimer

Who said: ‘we have no eternal allies, no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual’

Realist Lord Palmerston

Who said: ‘Peace is an armistice in a war that is continuously going on’

Thucydides

Who said: ‘You may, with a bleeding heart, have to let it go’

Kissenger

Who conceptualised clash of civilisations?

Huntingdon

what is the democratic peace thesis?

democratic states are least likely to go to war with each other (liberal)

Who advocated for the spread of liberal democracy to avoid war and conflict?

Fukuyama

Example of the type of government being irrelevant to peace and stability as all states seek to power max:

India and Pakistan’s rival claims over Kashmir

Traits of semi-democratic states:

lack of rule of law, constitutional manipulation, suppression of dissent, freedom of media restricted, electoral fraud/intimidation, majoritarian democracy

Traits of non-democratic and authoritarian states:

authoritarian nature, lack of popular mandate, permanent rule, suppression of dissent, govt control over media/judiciary

rogue states:

accused of threatening place via seeking nukes and not accepting INT law (N.Korea, Iran) BUT does the US term states ‘rogue’ to undermine their legit?

failed states:

law and order no longer operates, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya

How is the Democratic Republic of Congo a failed state?

civil war ended a brutal dictatorship in 1996, ethnic and provincial divides, poor relationships with neighbours (Rwanda+Uganda), corruption with militias, rape and child soldiers

How is the US hegemonic?

800+ military bases in 70 countries, structural power in UN/IMF/World Bank, ideological self-belief, cultural outreach, hard power Trump Admin used military outreach in Pacific to pressure N.Korea to negotiate over nuclear arms limitation

How is the US hegemony declining?

withdrawal from Afghan, Obama didn’t support pro democracy movement during Arab Risings, Trump ‘America First,’ Trump withdrawal from WHO and PA

Examples of emerging powers:

BRICs, MINT

How is Russia challenging the US hegemony?

2015 intervention in Syria, close ties with Iran counters US influence in Middle East, Crimea 2014, Ukraine 2022

How does Russia not challenge the US hegemony?

military budget is 10% of US, only 10 overseas military bases, economy reliant on global prices of oil and gas, 2024 inflation rate of 8%, limited structural power