Global Awareness Exam 1: Key Concepts and Definitions in International Relations

The date of the midterm exam, and the date of the final.

October 19 and December 19

The name of the mandatory book for class.

"Introduction to Global and International Studies" by Smallman and Brown

Definition of global studies.

The term global studies removes the focus on the nation-state and instead places it on the transnational processes and issues that are key in an area defined by globalization. Draws attention to the corporations, political organizations, and cultural production and consumption that occur on scales beyond the national

Definition of international studies.

International draws attention to, and prioritizes the actions of nation states

Definitions of global and international studies collectively.

A multidisciplinary approach. Both share a commitment to interdisciplinary work, a focus on globalization and change, and an emphasis on how global trends impact humanity. Both also share a concern with global citizenship

What are the processes of globalization and regionalization? How do they relate?

Globalization increases integration of economies, culture, and environmental governance on a global scale.

Regionalization involves both the emergence of new regions and the process by which existing regions retain (or emphasize) their unique features. These may be economic, cultural or environmental.

These processes are happening simultaneously and shape the contemporary and future world.

The importance of colonialism, capitalism and the industrial revolution: how they relate and how they shaped history.

- Wrought huge changes in relative power and relationships between people living in different regions

- Free trade

- Those who have capital have power over those who need it to survive

- There'es a requirement to work in order to reproduce individuals and families

- It seems natural nowadays, but it had to be created

- Sometimes complementary with colonialism, sometimes contradictory

- Emanated from Europe

- Two broad periods of major transformation: 1400s to late 1800s/late 1800s to mid-20th century

The difference between the 1st wave and 2nd wave of colonialism.

First wave: Voyages of discovery, exploiting resources, establishing trade links, claiming land, developing agriculture producing commodities for Europe. Slave labor hugely important for growth of sugar and cotton production in particular. Triangular trade developed between Europe, Africa and the Americas.

Second wave: Exercise of state power over increasingly large territories. Driven by European Powers: Great Britain, France, Germany By beginning of 20th century most land on the globe under control of one large country or empire. Associated with the spread of capitalism and capitalist relations of production.

What was the industrial revolution?

Led by Britain, associated with the growth of capitalism. It has very rapid increases in productivity, shrinking of distance. Increased productivity and desire for new markets accelerated the spread of capitalism around the globe.

Think: spread of capitalism

The diffusion of the industrial revolution from England into Europe and beyond. The time periods this was happening in

1650 was the first wave, 1870 was the second wave, 1914 was the third wave

The countries that benefited most in financial terms from colonialism (belief that the homeland has the right to create and control colonies) See map Lecture 2

Who first defined the idea of a global citizen? What does it mean? How did Kant understand it? How does Theresa May understand it?

- Socrates first defined the idea of a global citizen. He said that he is " a citizen, not of athens or greece, but of the world".

- Kant understands it as world citizenship: shared humanity, basis for world peace.

- Theresa May, however, says that if you believe yourself to be a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of nowhere.

What reasons are given for the rise of Europe?

- Technological and military changes led to the unexpected rise of Europe and the birth of modern imperialism beginning in the late fifteenth century.

- Although the rise of nationalism ultimately destroyed European empires, nearly five centuries of European imperialism have deeply shaped our world's demography, economy, and culture.

- Europe rose to control global trade. Europe also discovered America.

What are some of the legacies of the growth and decay of European empires?

- Unequal ownership and wealth between and within countries

- The creation of diasporas—populations outside of their homelands who still retain emotional and cultural connections to their places of origin

- This period saw the creation of colonial relations, in which imperial powers established and governed the economies of their colonies to the advantage of the mother country.

Understand nationalism and the rise of the nation state. Which treaty formalized many contemporary state boundaries? What were the main aspects of the treaty

- Balance of power in Europe

- Associated with colonial carve-up of the world

- Rise of the nation state has a specific history

- Treaty of Westphalia, 1648

- Assertion of the right of nation states to control what happens within their borders

- Principle of non-interference in other states affairs

- Still important, but set against increasingly powerful global forces

- Led to imperialism as power of European nation-states expanded

Know examples of which European countries developed empires, and where

Imperialism (a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force):

- Spanish in Americas

- Dutch in East Indies

- British everywhere

- French, German, Belgian, Italian

The two broad themes of globalization research

1. The rise to economic dominance (on a global scale) of certain countries and corporations. Domination of rich countries over poor countries. GLOBAL INEQUALITY

2. The many benefits, which outweigh any negatives, that occur from increased connectivity and information exchange. GLOBAL CONECTEDNESS

What do the authors mean by space-time compression?

Some authors have suggested that we now see a compression of time and space; financial transactions occur transnationally by electronic means, virtual communities are created across traditional boundaries, and information travels faster and more powerfully than ever before via the Internet

When did the Bretton Woods meeting occur, who was involved, and what institutions emerged from it

- 1944

- Harry Dexter (USA)

- John Maynard Keynes (UK)

- The World Bank and IMF formed. The dollar was established as a global reserve currency. Gold standard established to $.

What are the different roles of the IMF, the World Bank and the GATT/WTO?

- WB provides cheap loans, especially for state-led 'mega-projects'.

- IMF originally created to stabilize exchange rates (pegged to dollar). IMF now makes loans to countries, and focuses on macroeconomics.

- GATT/WTO purpose to reduce tariffs and trade barriers. Promote a very specific version of globalization - underpinned by free market economics.

Examples from the textbook of "globalization gone bad" re privatization

- Recommendations to privatize electricity in El Salvador and jute production in Bangladesh.

- Hansen-Kuhn and Hellinger suggest these have both failed: "In El Salvador, for example, the privatization of electricity distribution has resulted in increased rates, reduced access for low-income people, and a notable decline in the quality of service.

- In Bangladesh, the privatization of jute production—a mainstay of the country's industrial sector—was disastrous."

The key aspects of the Washington Consensus

- Refers to ten economic-policy recommendations—basically, conditions to be followed in order to qualify for loans.

- Fiscal discipline

- A redirection of public expenditures toward fields offering high economic returns and potential to improve income distribution (e.g., primary health care, primary education)

- Tax reform

- Interest rate liberalization

- A competitive exchange rate

- Trade liberalization

- Liberalization of inflows of foreign direct investment

- Privatization

- Deregulation (to abolish barriers to entry and exit)

- Secure property rights

Criticisms of these international institutions, from both the left and right

-Stiglitz: These institutions have contributed to global instability as well as stability

- Singer: Left and right criticize these institutions for lack of workers/environmental rights, for lack of state sovereignty

Understand what the authors mean by 'glocalization'

- The ability of particular nations "to absorb foreign ideas and global best practices."

- Suggests that certain kinds of societies have more flexibility than others to absorb outside ideas without sacrificing the integrity of their cultures.

- Another way to examine this notion of glocalization is to imagine a horizontal continuum with local at one end and global at the other end.

- At the center of the continuum, we have glocalization

Who led the creation of the League of Nations? What were its fatal flaws? Be aware of any successes it did have.

- Based on the idealism of Woodrow Wilson, and a desire to avoid future war

- The League of Nations failed to stop Japan invading Manchuria (1931) stop Italy invading Abyssinia (1935) stop the rise of fascism, and stop rearmament of Europe

- Successes: the the first body to attempt to enforce international norms and rules. Created the Permanent Court of International Justice in 1923.

How did the structure of the UN differ from the League of Nations?

- Dual structure: security council and general assembly

- Dual structure of security council: permanent and nonpermanent

-Inequality of nations built in to UN structure

Who has power in the dual structure of the UN?

None of them hold the power of the veto.

Some of the failures the UN is associated with

- Rwanda (failed to prevent genocide)

- Kosovo (the United States ultimately ended the fighting in 1999 without the UN. In addition, the UN has often failed to enforce its decisions)

- Corruption in Iraq (scandal involving the selling of oil for food)

Some of the successes the UN is associated with

- Bringing warring factions together (Suez crisis)

- Helping end apartheid

- Supporting East Timor and Kosovo peacekeeping

- WHO - eradication of smallpox and polio

What is the relationship between the UN and member nation-states?

Conflict???

Know what the ICJ and the ICC are, and how they differ. What type of disputes/subject matter do they deal with?

- The International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Part of the UN's role is to mediate international disputes. Especially important for resolving boundary disputes.

- ICC tries individuals in criminal court, rather than the civil ICJ dealing with countries.

Which countries abstained from signing the UN Declaration of Human Rights?

USSR, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.

How have Human Rights evolved as a doctrine from the Atlantic slave trade to the present?

- First human rights campaign - anti-slavery

- From abolition of Atlantic Slave Trade (early 1800s) to abolition in Cuba (1886) and Brazil (1888)

Which parts of the world have benefited from 'democratization'? What is the relationship between democratization and globalization?

- Democratization: the action of making something easily accessible to everyone

- Collapse of Soviet Union accelerated trend towards democracy in both East and West

- Has made rapid progress in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America

- Despite the rise of China, an authoritarian state, democratization is arguably the most powerful trend associated with political globalization in the early twenty-first century

The 5 countries that have a claim to Arctic territorial waters

Canada, Norway, Russia, Denmark (via Greenland), and the United States

Definition of culture as defined in class

A shared set of meanings that are lived out. Values, beliefs, practices, and ideas

The different types of 'shapes' introduced in the chapter, and the concept of the kaleidoscope

- Kaleidoscope metaphor - how we all experience things differently.

- Ethnoscapes identify "the landscape of persons" that represent flow and movement among various groups—refugees, tourists, and exiles—and the change that occurs in locations because of who is there and who isn't there.

- Technoscapes are what factors drive global technology use and diffusion - outsourcing.

- Financescapes are the "very complex fiscal and investment flows that link [various] economies through a global grid of currency speculation and capital transfer".

- Mediascapes are who has global reach - how can information circumvent state censors.

- Ideoscapes are "concatenations of images . . . often directly political and frequently [having to do] with the ideologies of states and the counter ideologies of movements explicitly oriented to capturing state power or a piece of it"

The parts of the world where the 'top 10 host countries' for refugees are found

Turkey, Lebanon, Chad, Uganda, Iran, Jordan, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and China.

The top 3 source countries of refugees

Afghanistan, Syrian Arab Rep, and Somalia.

What part of the international community and/or nation states is obliged to care for refugees?

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

What part of the international community and/or nation states is obliged to care for IDPs?

It is the Governments of the states where internally displaced persons are found that have the primary responsibility for their assistance and protection. The international community's role is complementary.

How many refugees are there in Africa (to the nearest million)

3.9 Million

How many IDPs are there i Africa (to the nearest million)

11.5 Million

The difference between GDP and GNI. Also the concept of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). And understand that to compare across countries we use a 'per capita' measurement of these

- GDP is said to be the measure of a country's overall economic output

- The GNI is the total value that is produced within a country, which comprises of the GDP along with the income obtained from other countries

- Purchasing power parity (PPP) is a theory which states that exchange rates between currencies are in equilibrium when their purchasing power is the same in each of the two countries. It is a corrective measure

The proportion of the world's resources the richest 20% of people use

76.6% of the world's private consumption

The proportion of the world's resources the poorest 20% of people use

1.5%

Modernization theory: the key author associated with it, and the stages of growth

- Associated with Rostow

- Societies go through stages of growth: traditional society, preconditions for takeoff, takeoff, drive to maturity, and mass consumption.

Dependency theory: How does it fundamentally differ from modernization theory? Where in the world did dependency theory originate? What types of development policies did it lead to?

- Questions if everyone equally benefits from the rise of global capitalism

- Latin America

- Life sustenance for all, optimum esteem, and freedom

World Systems theory: Who was the main originator of this theory. What are the 3 categories of the World System, and what is the relationship between them?

- Emmanuel Wallerstein

- Core, semi periphery, periphery.

- Left to right is high profit consumption goods, right to left is cheap labor and raw materials.

Microfinance: What are some positive and negative aspects of the growth in microfinance as a tool of development?

- It provides a development model that is sensitive to local context and the needs of the poorest people

- Their individual success has not necessarily changed the overall poverty level of their countries, but micro lending strategies remain powerful tools in the development puzzle