Introduction to the Discipline of International Relations and Traditional Approaches

University content.

How did the discipline of International Relations emerge?

After the First World War (Brown, 2019) with an initial concern about war and why states go to war but other scholars have traced it back further. The current title of IR is considered outdated now as it is no longer about the relationships between different states and therefore terms like world/global politics are used.

How does Grieco et al (2022) define International Relations?

‘The political, economic, social, and cultural relations between two countries or among many countries. In this, we also include relations countries have with other important actors, such as global corporations or international organisations.’

What is International Relation’s founding question? (Brown, 2019)

‘Why do states go to war with one another?’

List some questions International Relations explores in the 21st century.

1. How likely is war when there is a power transition?

2. Why do democratic states rarely go to war with each other?

3. How do norms emerge, cascade, and decline?

4. Why is interstate co-operation on environmental issues so challenging?

5. Is gender inequality a cause of conflict?

How does Van Evera (1999) define theory/theories?

‘General statements that describe and explain the causes or effects of classes of phenomena.’

Give an example of a general to specific theory.

• ‘Expansionism > aggression > war.’

• ‘German expansionism > German aggression > World War 2.’

Describe Realism in two words.

1. Pessimistic

2. conservative

What is the first assumption (driving force) of Realism?

‘Political communities (states today) exist in an anarchical world.’

What is the first proposition (issue focused on) of Realism?

‘States have pursued a balance of power across centuries.’

What is the second assumption (driving force) of Realism?

‘States as the main actors.’

What is the second proposition (issue focused on) of Realism?

‘States will respond to threats with alliances (companion to the balance of power).’

What is the third assumption (driving force) of Realism?

‘States as reasonably rational actors.’

What is the third proposition (issue focused on) of Realism?

‘States can never be sure of intentions, so there is always the potential for a security dilemma.’

What is the fourth assumption (driving force) of Realism?

‘Security is the central problem of International Relations.’

What is the fourth proposition (issue focused on) of Realism?

‘Power transition moments are fraught with danger.’

What is the fifth assumption (driving force) of Realism?

‘Search for security is a competitive endeavour.’

What is the fifth proposition (issue focused on) of Realism?

‘Nationalism is a dynamic force that motivates states.’

What does Waltz (1979) say about Realism in the Theory of International Politics?

• Neorealism

• States exist in a condition of anarchy

• ‘Self-help’ world - States are ‘like units’ and only differ in terms of their capabilities

• Survival - States assess their power capabilities compared to others = balance of power

• Number of large power important

• Hierarchy in states, anarchy outside of them

Describe Liberalism in 2 words.

1. Positive

2. Individualism

What is the first assumption (driving force) of Liberalism?

‘The world is in an ongoing process of modernisation.’

What is the first proposition (issue focused on) of Liberalism?

‘Market society and economic interdependence tend to have a pacifying effect on relations between states.’

What is the second assumption (driving force) of Liberalism?

‘Individuals and groups as the main actors.’

What is the second proposition (issue focused on) of Liberalism?

‘Democracies tend not to fight one another.’

What is the third assumption (driving force) of Liberalism?

‘Individuals have incentives to work together for joint gain.’

What is the third proposition (issue focused on) of Liberalism?

‘States build international relations on international law and institutions.’

What is the fourth assumption (driving force) of Liberalism?

‘Modernisation and advancement tend towards a common path.’

What is the fourth proposition (issue focused on) of Liberalism?

‘Transnational relations provide important connections between states.’

What is the fifth assumption (driving force) of Liberalism?

‘Individuals and groups learn, and progress is possible.’

What is the fifth proposition (issue focused on) of Liberalism?

‘People are not trapped in their national identities and can build communities beyond the state.’

What is Democratic Peace Theory?

• Democracies rarely fight one another

• States with similar economic systems tend to be more peaceful

• Some liberals want more interactions with the people rather than other states

• Hayes - 2012 - Norms and other institutions

What did Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) write in Perpetual Peace (1795)?

‘One claim was that ‘republican states’ would be more peaceful than other types of states.’

Describe Constructivism in two words.

1. Ideas

2. Social constructs

What is the first assumption (driving force) of Constructivism?

‘Interests are not set in stone and are shaped by identities.’

What is the first proposition (issue focused on) of Constructivism?

‘The world is what you believe it is - intersubjective, not subjective, though.’

What is the second assumption (driving force) of Constructivism?

‘Identities are moulded by a variety of factors, emerging from settings and ideas.’

What is the second proposition (issue focused on) of Constructivism?

‘States operate in a global civil society.’

What is the third assumption (driving force) of Constructivism?

‘The ideas and identities of elite individuals tend to shape groups.’

What is the third proposition (issue focused on) of Constructivism?

‘Normative change is a major way in which politics evolves from era to era - usually progressive.’

What is the fourth assumption (driving force) of Constructivism?

‘Interaction and communication are important. Elites tend to produce shared world views that shape how interests are defined and pursued.’

What is the fourth proposition (issue focused on) of Constructivism?

‘Elites exist within and are influenced by strategic culture.’

How do constructivists feel about weapons?

• Ideas, norms = significant

• Traditional accounts of nuclear non-use do not account for why they have not been used against states that do not possess them

• Tannenwald (1999; 2005; 2007) - Taboo - Moral prohibition after WWII

• Constructivists investigated how this had occurred, showing the taboo’s growth and the actors that built it

What is a key question Synder (2009) asks?

‘Does international relations theory still have something to tell policymakers?’

According to Synder (2009), how does Realism impact policy (predominantly foreign policy)?

‘Instills a pragmatic appreciation of the role of power but also warns that states will suffer if they overreach.’

According to Synder (2009), how does Liberalism impact policy (predominantly foreign policy)?

‘Highlights the cooperative potential of mature democracies, especially when working together through effective institutions, but it also notes democracies’ tendency to crusade against tyrannies and the propensity of emerging democracies to collapse into violent ethnic turmoil.’

According to Synder (2009), how does Constructivism impact policy (predominantly foreign policy)?

‘Stresses that a consensus on values must underpin any stable political order, yet it also recognises that forging such a consensus often requires an ideological struggle with the potential for conflict.’

What does Michael W. Doyle say about Democratic Peace Theory?

‘Democracies never fight each other, they are prone to launch messianic struggles against warlike authoritarian regimes to “make the world safe for democracy.”

Why do democratic regimes make themselves targets to terrorism by national liberation movements?

They are accountable to a cost-conscious electorate.