INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS NOTES- MIDTERM

International Relations (IR)

A field of study that focuses on the interactions between nation-states and non-state actors in the international system.

Anarchy

The absence of a central authority in the international system, leading to a self-help environment for states.

Realism

A theory in IR that emphasizes the competitive and conflictual nature of international relations, with a focus on power and self-preservation.

Liberalism

A theory in IR that advocates for cooperation, peace, and the role of international institutions and norms.

Constructivism

A theory that posits that state interests are not fixed and are shaped by social constructions, ideas, and identities.

Falsifiability

The principle that a theory must be testable and potentially disprovable to be scientific.

Neorealism

A theory that focuses on the structure of the international system rather than the characteristics of individual states.

Balance of Power

A situation in which states have roughly equal power, preventing any one from dominating the others.

Sovereignty

The authority of a state to govern itself, determined by its political legitimacy over a defined geographic area.

Nationalism

A political ideology that emphasizes the interests and culture of a particular nation, sometimes at the expense of others.

The Cold War

The period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States after WWII, characterized by ideological conflict.

Soft Power

A persuasive approach to international relations, emphasizing attraction and influence rather than coercion.

Rational Choice Theory

A theory assuming that individuals make decisions by comparing the expected benefits and costs of their actions.

Deterrence

The strategy of preventing an adversary from taking an undesired action by instilling fear of the consequences.

Security Dilemma

A situation in which one state's efforts to enhance its security lead other states to feel less secure, prompting them to also increase their military capabilities.

Interdependence

The mutual reliance between states in economic, political, and security matters, often reducing the likelihood of conflict.

Humanitarian Intervention

The use of military force by one or more countries to prevent or stop widespread suffering or human rights violations within another country.

Geneva Conventions

A series of international treaties that set standards for humanitarian treatment in war.

Gendered Injustice

The idea that gender inequality and injustices shape international relations and impact the experiences of women in conflict.

Dependency Theory

A theory that suggests that resources flow from poor states to wealthy states, maintaining economic inequalities and underdevelopment.

Forms of Power

Includes hard power (military and economic) and soft power (cultural appeal and diplomacy) used to influence others.

Neoliberal Institutionalism

International Relations theory that emphasizes the role of international institutions in promoting cooperation among states, even in an anarchic world without a central authority

Tools for building Thoery

Hisotry,philosophy, and empirical evidence.

Behavioralism

actors behave in patterned ways we can study, the behavioral scientist constructs plausible hypotheses that explain patterned actions that can be tested, this is ideally both predictive and explanatory

Westphalian Sysytem

A political order established by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which emphasizes the principles of state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference in the domestic affairs of other states.

Long peace

A period of relative peace in international relations, typically characterized by the absence of major wars between great powers, often attributed to systemic factors such as economic interdependence and the presence of nuclear deterrence.

What explains long peace

• Political elites united in their fear of revolution

• Unification of Germany and Italy

• Imperialism-Colonialismand the establishment of international institutions to promote cooperation.

Imperialism

Expanding an empire by acquiring distant lands, often by force

Colonialism

Settling of people form a home country into distant landsto establish control over the local population and resources.

Top-down political colonialism

Colonialism directed by government

Bottom-up colonialism

Colonialism less-directed by government

The Great War

A global conflict from 1914 to 1918, also known as World War I, involving many of the world's great powers.

Liberal Internationalism

A foreign policy approach emphasizing cooperation among nations, international organizations, and the promotion of democracy and human rights.

The War to End All Peace

A phrase used to describe the period following World War I, highlighting the failure of the peace settlements to prevent future conflicts, ultimately leading to World War II.

End of Empires (Interwar)

The period after World War I when several empires, including the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, German, and Russian empires, collapsed, leading to significant political and territorial changes in Europe and beyond.

World War II

A global conflict from 1939 to 1945 involving most of the world's nations, marked by significant events such as the Holocaust and the use of nuclear weapons.

Four freedoms

A set of principles articulated by FDR in 1941, advocating for freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear, which became foundational for post-war human rights initiatives.

Nuclear Deterrence and MAD

A military strategy that seeks to prevent nuclear war by ensuring that any nuclear attack would be met with devastating retaliation, based on the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

Collapse of the Soviet Union

The disintegration of the Soviet state in 1991, resulting in the end of communist rule and the emergence of independent republics.

The New Millennium

A period characterized by significant global changes, including advancements in technology, shifts in international power dynamics, and emerging challenges such as terrorism and climate change.

The State

an personified actor — it has its own interests and chooses its own actions, speaking with one voice

Defensive realism

Security maximizers and tend to be more objective realsits, this is just the way of the jungle — you gotta watch your back and protect yourself at all times

Offensive realism

Power maximizers and most are also objective realistswho believe that the best way to ensure security is to dominate the international system and expand their influence.

Discourse in IR

The social construction of identities (and results that stem from those identities) is shaped in large degree by discourse

Socialization

Learning and adopting characteristics of identity from others

Marxism

A political and economic theory that advocates for a classless society and the abolition of private property, emphasizing the role of class struggle in societal development.

IR Levels of Analysis

International, State, Individualare the three main perspectives used to analyze international relations, focusing on different factors influencing global events.

Cognitive Consistency

Tendency to accept information that is compatible and consistent with previous information

Evoked Set

Drawing parallels between what happened in the past and what is happening in the present

Mirror Image

Seeing opponents as having opposite characteristics of oneself

Groupthink

Tendency to agree with group decision-making and perspectivesthat can lead to poor outcomes due to a lack of critical thinking and individual dissent.

State power

The capacity of a state to influence other states or achieve its goals in the international system, often measured through military, economic, and diplomatic means.

Natural Sources of power potential

Resources such as territory, population, and natural resources that a state can use to enhance its influence and capabilities in the international arena.

Tangible sources of power potential

Physical assets like military forces, economic wealth, and infrastructure that a state can leverage to exert influence and achieve its objectives in international relations.

Intangible sources of power potential

Non-physical factors such as national morale, diplomacy, and cultural influence that can enhance a state's ability to achieve its objectives in the international system.

Smart power

Combination of hard and soft power

Statecraft

techniques and strategies to exert influence and project power in international relations

Diplomacy

day-to-day communication between states and international actors) is the main tool for statecraft

External Diplomacy

refers to a state's engagement with foreign governments and international organizations to promote its interests and foster relationships.

Internal Diplomacy

refers to the management of relationships and communication within a state, particularly among various governmental entities and domestic stakeholders.

Track-one diplomacy

is the official dialogue between government representatives aimed at resolving conflicts and negotiating agreements.

Track-two Diplomacy

is a form of unofficial dialogue and problem-solving activities between individuals or groups from different countries, often aimed at resolving conflicts and building relationships.

Public Diplomacy

A form of soft power and track-one diplomacy — strategically targeting foreign actors and elites with “informational, culture, and educational programming”

Engagement vs. Sanctions

Positive economic interactions (positive-sum gains) vs negative economic interactions

Smart sanctions

strategic targeting of economic sanctions

Model of foreign policy decision-making

rational model, organizational process, bureaucratic, pluralist

Rational model

Favored by realists, the state is unitary actor who clearly identifies a problem, elucidates goals, determines policy alternatives, performs cost-benefit analysis, and selects action that best produces desired outcome

Organizational Process

Different government organizations have different standard operating procedures and can produce inconsistent outcomes

Bureaucratic Model

Individuals who lead bureaucracies and who struggle to exert influence. Not rational but rather competing interests of agencies

Pluralist Model

Interest groups exert influence on the foreign policy process through lobbying and shaping public opinion

Challenges to the state

Various issues that undermine state authority, including globalization, non-state actors, and internal conflicts.

Transitional movements

Ideological movements that specifically seek to undermine nationalism

What is war

War is a conflict between organized groups, typically involving armed forces, aimed at achieving political or territorial objectives.

Cyberwarfare

The use of digital attacks by one nation to disrupt the vital computer systems of another, often for political or military gain.

Interstate war

Wars between or within a state

Conventional war

A form of warfare that employs traditional military forces and weapons, typically involving battles between armies and navies, as opposed to guerrilla or unconventional tactics.

Unconventional war

A type of warfare that utilizes irregular tactics, including guerrilla warfare, terrorism, and psychological operations, often aimed at undermining an opponent's will or capacity to fight.

Guerrilla warfare

Combatants use indirect tactics, blend within the civilian population, and utilize strategic tools that help them avoid direct confrontation with traditional military combatant

Asymmetric conflict

armed conflict in which there is asymmetry or inequality that exists between the capabilities of the enemy combatants

Nonviolent resistance

strategy of resistance in asymmetric conflicts in which civilians nonviolently act in ways that risk their lives for a political objective

Realist causes of war

War a natural, inevitable feature of world politics, main cause of war is anarchy and the competition for power among states. May be beneficial - increases power, necessary for national security

Nation state

a political entity characterized by a defined territory, permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.

Liberal interpretations of war

tend to focus on the type of political institutions - dictators more likely to go to war than democrats (democratic theory - democracies typically do not go to war) for example if peace if fostered by interdependence democracy and international institutions the weakening of these 3 can be principles cause of war

Commercial peace treaty

basically the greater your economic ties to another country the less likely you are to go to war (think of China and US they have major disagreements but they have major economic ties)

Constructivist interpretation of war

Identities, values, and norms are the principal cause of war. North Korea is more likely than Switzerland not because DPRK is a dictatorship but because it openly values military aggression and war.

Realist view of preventing war

Power balancing - when power is unbalanced, strong states may be tempting to make war. The greater the imbalance the greater the temptation, alliance are a key tool for power balancing - deterrence: manipulation of fear to prevent unwanted action

Liberal approaches to preventing war

Collective security (One for all and all for one). There can and should be a world without war and collective security agreements can make it happen. The collective benefit of peace outweighs individual benefit of war. Aggression is immoral and should be stopped

Arms control and disarmament

reducing war making capacity increase long term peace

Constructivist approach to preventing war

Norms and values that discredit war and honor peaceful action. Socialization to cooperative norms. Changing identities and reversing militarization and aggression that pervasive in a societyto foster a culture of peace and cooperation.

Laws of war

Jus ad bellum, Jus in bello

Jus ad bellum

The legalities of war declaration and deciding when to go to war

When is a just declaration of war

Just cause: self defense or defense of others, Intentions to end abuse and establish peace, Must exhaust all alternative possibilities, violence must end immediately when objectives are reached

Jus in Bello

Legalities on the just conduct of war

What is a just way of making war

Combatants and noncombatants must be differentiated, noncombatant immunity, proportionality: means of violence must be proportionate to ends to be achieved, unnecessary humans suffering must be avoided at all costsand military necessity must be respected.

Difficulties of international cooperation

in anarchy there is no international authority and a state’s sled interest often points away from cooperation; two specific reasons: relative gains problem, cheating problem

Relative gains problem

 how much a state gains relative to others encourages insecurity. You are on your own in the world, so you should focus on relative gains to protect yourself. (If your friend/enemy makes 3 new nukes you will make 3 new nukes)

Cheating problem

Because there is no international authority, cheating and exploitation can go unpunished.

Prisoners Dilemma

A situation in which two players may either cooperate with each other or betray one another, leading to a suboptimal outcome if both choose to betray, illustrating the challenges of cooperation in international relations.

Tit-for-Tat (copycat)

An iterative strategy in game theory where a player's response to an opponent's action is to mimic it in the next round, promoting cooperation while also allowing for retaliation against betrayal.