B80 Final - Winter 2025

Neo Realism

anarchic nature of the international system  causes states to behave aggressively

Neo Realism

1. The international system is anarchic.

2. States are the most important actors in the international system.

3. States are unitary, rational actors.

4. The primary concern of states is survival.

Power Politics

There is no place for morality or ideology in Realism  “might makes right”

Black Box

 Regime type doesn’t matter democracies and authoritarian governments will act the same way

Anarchy

Without security guarantees, states can’t be sure of each other’s intentions, leading to conflict and war.

Neo Realism Structrue

system structure influences behaviour which creates security outcomes.

• balancing, band wagoning, power distribution, relative gains, security dilemmas

Liberalism

looks at regime type and domestic politics to explain how states behave in the international system

Domestic politics, leadership styles, and societal pressures can all lead states to take different actions on the international stage

also the substate actors (voters, lobby groups, etc.) that affect state decisionmakers

Liberalism

1. States are the most important actors in international relation

2. There are different types of states. Regime type matters.

3. Substate actors can shape foreign policy, such as voters in an election year.

4. Cooperation between states is possible, particularly among democratic states.

NLI

like Realism, states are still treated as “black boxes” – regime type doesn’t really matter!

how international institutions mitigate anarchy  the level of analysis is the international system

NLI

1. The international system is anarchic.

2. States are the most important actors in international relations

3. International institutions create rules, which mitigate anarchy and make it easier to cooperate.

4. States are interested in absolute gains, not just relative gains.

Marxism

Argues IR through global class hierarchy where the core exploits the periphery via capitalist production. Economic struggles shape politics, laws and inequalities spark revolutions

Marxism

Economic conditions actively shape how the international system works.

The international system is hierarchical, with the “core” dominating the “periphery”.

Capitalism is a driving force behind how states behave in their relations

Capitalism inherently creates and perpetuates injustices between the wealthy and the poor

Dependency Theory

The world is divided between the “core” (haves) and “periphery” (have-nots).

Relations of production and the mode of production (economic factors) create and shape our social and political world

States and societies are embedded in this global structure of exploitation, domination, and dependence 

Mutual Causation

political repression reinforces economic exploitation

Constructivism

how human beings have agency, even over powerful structures. Structure shapes what we do, but what we do also creates the structure.

We are continuously imagining and co-creating our world. That means we have the power to reimagine and recreate a different world.

Constructivism

International relations are socially constructed

The state is a social construct

The concept of sovereignty is a social construct

The international system is a social construct

Anarchy is a social construct

Norms are social constructs

International institutions are social constructs

Class conflicts are social constructs!

Because humans created these social constructs, we can also change them and be changed by them. The entire experience of international relations is the product of human social interactions!

DV

outcome you are trying to explain or predict in a causal statement. It is the thing that is expected to change when the cause changes.

IV

Input that explains the DV

cause or factor you manipulate, control, or observe to see its effect on something else. Its value doesn't depend on other variables in the study—it's the starting point that explains or predicts change.

Intervening

"middle step" or mechanism that comes between the independent variable (cause) and dependent variable (outcome)

it explains how or why the cause leads to the effect

Scope

defines the specific cases, contexts, or situations where a causal theory or relationship applies—it sets the boundaries for when the theory holds true.

International Law

Treaties

Customs

General Principles

Treaty Law

• strongest source of public international law

• clearly laid out rules and requirements remove uncertainty

• Pacta Sunt Servanda

Pacta Sunt Servanda

Agreements must be kept!

Customary Law

•  established practice that states have been doing consistently, which they believe to be a legal requirement

• a “law” governing how they are legally required to interact

  
  

Customary Law

the practice in question must:

1. Have evidence that it is already an established general practice that states follow

2. Meet the opinio juris criteria: the practice must be because the state believes it is legally required to follow it, not just polite or convenient to follow it

General Principles

international law can also come from widely shared legal principles found across many domestic legal systems.

• These general principles help fill gaps where treaties or customary law do not provide a complete answer

General Principles

Reparation: If a state commits an internationally wrongful act and causes harm, it is required to make full reparation (e.g., restoration, compensation, or another appropriate remedy).

• Proportionality: If a state is responding to a threat or injury (e.g., self- defense), its response must be no greater than necessary to address the harm. You cannot use excessive force or measures.

• Estoppel: If a state clearly expresses a position and another state reasonably relies on that position, the first state cannot later reverse its stance in a way that would harm the relying state.

Reparation

If a state commits an internationally wrongful act and causes harm, it is required to make full reparation (e.g., restoration, compensation, or another appropriate remedy).

Proportionality

If a state is responding to a threat or injury (e.g., self- defense), its response must be no greater than necessary to address the harm. You cannot use excessive force or measures.

 Estoppel

If a state clearly expresses a position and another state reasonably relies on that position, the first state cannot later reverse its stance in a way that would harm the relying state.

Opinio Juris Criteria

the practice must be because the state believes it is legally required to follow it, not just polite or convenient to follow it

Jus Cogens

Prohibition of genocide, Prohibition of slavery, Prohibition of torture

Jus Cogens

norms are higher-order, non-derogable rules in international law. They are considered so fundamental that no state may violate them, and no treaty or agreement may contradict them.

UN GA

All member states have a seat

 may discuss any questions or any matters within the scope of the present Charter or relating to the powers and functions of any organs provided for in the present Charter, and, except as provided in Article 12, may make recommendations to the Members of the United Nations or to the Security Council or to both on any such questions or matters.

UN GA Resolutions

 expressions of the will of the international community, but are generally considered to be not legally binding on any states 

UN SC

"primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security”

P5

 US, UK, France, China, and Russia.

UNSC Resolution

legally binding on all member states of the UN, as agreed upon by the P5**

epiphenomenal

describes something secondary or incidental that arises from a primary process but doesn't influence it back

R2P

member states primary responsibility

• Genocide

• War Crimes

• Crimes Against Humanity

• Ethnic Cleansing

ICJ

Adjudicates disputes and issues advisory opinions

• Does not address war crimes or other criminal charges against individuals

• Designed to settle disputes between states

ICC

Created through the Rome Statute (2002)

• Prosecutes individuals charged with war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression.

GATT

a multilateral treaty that aimed to reduce tariffs and other barriers to free trade between

signatory states (not an IO)

WTO

 a new international organization that regulates trade and manages disputes

IMF

 a UN agency for international financial cooperation and exchange rate stability; they give loans to countries to prevent global financial crises

The job is to track and warn about global financial crises

World Bank

UN body that provides loans to developing countries; goal is poverty reduction