Module 8

What is politics (as defined in lecture)? What are the two central components of political authority?

Politics is the use of authority to allocate scarce resources. The two central components of political authority are authority (directed capacity to influence behavior, resting on legitimacy) and coercion (ability to impose costs or punishment if rules are broken).

How does violence shape political order? Give an example of how the use of coercion by a legitimate authority helps to establish political order.

Violence and coercion are fundamental to establishing and maintaining political order by enforcing compliance and creating stable expectations. Example: A state using police or legal penalties to enforce laws and maintain public safety.

According to lecture and reading (Section 16.2), what is the coercion dilemma? How does it shape the construction of a domestic political order? How does this same dilemma frame the problem of war and political order in the international order?

The coercion dilemma is that the same power/violence used by a government to protect citizens can also be turned against them by a tyrannical ruler. Domestically, states solve this by placing constitutional and institutional checks on the state. Internationally, because anarchy lacks a central authority to protect states, the immense military power required for defense can threaten neighbors and spark security dilemmas/war.

How did the U.S. address the international variant of the coercion dilemma after World War II? What role did international organizations play in constraining U.S. military power?

The U.S. bound its power within international institutions (like NATO and the UN), practiced multilateralism, and used institutional rules/alliances to reassure allies that American power would be used predictably and cooperatively rather than arbitrarily.

According to Ikenberry (cited in lecture), why was the 2003 invasion of Iraq so problematic for the constraint of U.S. military power?

The unilateral 2003 invasion of Iraq bypassed key international institutions and multilateral consensus, signaling to the world that the U.S. was willing to act outside its own constructed rules, which undermined international constraints on American power and eroded global trust.

According to the reading (Section 16.3), how can war change the internal political order of states?

War concentrates power in the executive branch, expands government authority/surveillance over citizens, raises taxes, alters domestic economic structures, and can spark revolutions or regime change if the war effort fails.

How did a global conflict originating in Europe help bring about the American state? What challenges did Great Britain face in managing its colonies in North America in light of the Seven Years/French & Indian War?

The Seven Years' War (French & Indian War) removed the French threat to American colonies but left Britain with massive war debt. To pay for it, Britain taxed the colonies and tightened imperial control, which provoked colonial resistance and ultimately triggered the American Revolution.

What is war; and how are wars frequently differentiated or classified?

War is military violence used by political organizations to achieve political goals. They are classified by who fights (interstate war between states vs. civil war/intra-state conflict between a government and domestic groups).

What are some of the most common correlates of war?

Factors associated with a higher likelihood of war include territorial disputes, regime type differences (autocracies vs. democracies), rapid shifts in the distribution of power (power transitions), and intense competition over strategic resources or security.