PSC 204

Three engines of globalization

technics - physical infrastructure (technology, communication - allows for greater connection and shrinking of the planet)

economics - logic (capitalism seeking new markets, expanding)

politics - rules and norms (involve ideologies/interests/power that sustain globalization)

difference between globalization, internationalization, and interdependence

globalization involves more than just state powers - goes down to local communities

internationalization - growing connections between sovereign states (ex. trade agreements)

international interdependence - mutual dependence between states

define globalization

A historical process involving a fundamental shift or transformation in the spatial scale of human social organization that links distant communities and expands the reach of power relations across regions and continents

skeptics of globalization: claims/beliefs and examples

globalization is a conceptual folly; either hegemony or imperialism remains essential to explaining WP

Realist skeptics, Marxist skeptics

Globalists: what are their claims/beliefs? what is the subgroup of globalists called and what do they believe?

globalists: Globalization is real and causes disruptive changes in WP that reshape power dynamics (ex. liberal ideas like the flat world)

Transformationalists: globalization is transforming WP and requires a shift in understanding

what is alter-globalization? what does this group believe?

a critical approach that seeks alternative forms of globalization that promote global justice

Support social justice and human rights for everyone, critique free-market capitalism that benefits the wealthy, and call for environmental sustainability

Also call attention to uneven development of the world because of globalization

when someone takes a "critical approach" to something, what does this mean?

they analyze and question ideas, structures, and power dynamics rather than accepting them at face value

they challenge dominant ideologies to uncover hidden inequalities

what factors have contributed to widespread crises of globalization and the liberal world order?

Global Financial Crisis and Covid

global populist revolt, return of the great power rivalry, and the growing securitization of global connectivity

what were the consequences of the 1971 collapse of the Bretton Woods system?

exchange rates and trade relationships became unpredictable

small nations faced instability as dollar's value fluctuated

global financial institutions adapted (and in some cases became more powerful)

neoliberal policies: deregulation, privatization, and free-market economies

how might a realist skeptic, Marxist skeptic, liberal globalist, and transformationalist analyze the modern globalization crisis?

realist skeptics: this is a normal part of rise and fall of great powers, and reflects the decline of US hegemony

Marxist skeptics: globalization masked the reality of US imperialism; the crisis is a result of capitalism's exploitation

liberal globalists: this crisis is a threat to liberal world order; stronger democracy needed

Transformationalist: globalization is adapting, not collapsing

What is an international order?

Regularized practice of exchange among discrete political units that recognize each other to be independent

What is credited as the origin of the "modern" international order in IR? Why?

The 1648 Peace of Westphalia

Established "sovereign territoriality" - the modern idea of sovereignty comes from this period in Europe

what is sovereignty?

the principle that within its territorial boundaries, the state is the supreme political authority, and that outside those boundaries the state recognizes no higher political authority

Some believe that the Treaties of Westphalia are overstated in significance; what argument do these people make?

the treaties were a local European affair to solve Thirty Years' War and didn't have global effects

It actually took away religious freedoms already established by the Peace of Augsburg (1555) by fixing states' religions

After 1648, Europe was still fragmented, and principles of sovereignty weren't fully in effect

what was the "great divergence"? What were its causes?

a division between the Western world and the rest where the West became more advanced and others remained less developed (after 1800)

Main causes:

• industrialization of West (while other countries remained deindustrialized)

• the "rational" state, in which bureaucracies rather than familial relations became the dominant state authority

• imperialism

consequences of the post-1800 global transformation

"shrinking" of the planet - more technology; trade, communication, travel faster/more efficient

establishment of IGOs and INGOs - due to need for standardization of technologies

Inequality - particularly along racial and economic lines

explain liberal idea of natural harmony of interests

the idea of a natural order between peoples/states that had been corrupted by undemocratic leaders/ideas; if these undemocratic practices/ideas could be swept away, then there would be no conflict between people

Who were popular Enlightenment liberals, and what were they concerned with?

Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham

Concerned with:

• war and how to prevent it (through international rules to create cooperation)

• trade and economic interdependence (will create shared interests among nations and lead to peace - harmony of interests)

What is the democratic peace theory? Who were the key thinkers behind it?

The idea that two democracies won't go to war with each other, and that democratic nations will show greater hostility towards non-democratic nations

Immanuel Kant's idea of "perpetual peace" was developed by Michael Doyle into the DP theory

critiques of Democratic Peace Theory

liberal states may avoid conflict with one another but go to war with a non-democratic nation under the guise of promoting democracy or human rights

peace may be due to shared interests or wealth, not democratic values

Ikenberry's liberal internationalism 1.0

Moved past idea of natural harmony of interests (due to devastation of WWI)

Peace requires deliberate construction through international institutions, laws, and cooperative mechanisms

Who advocated for League of Nations? What did it promote? why didn't it work?

Woodrow Wilson

regulation of anarchy through collective security

promotion of self-determination

major powers prioritized their own interests, US refused to join, and the League didn't prevent crises

what is the idea of collective security?

an attack on one is an attack on all, and allies should help the attacked country respond to its aggressor

what is the idea of self-determination?

the right of a group to choose how their sovereign nation-state is governed

Ikenberry's liberal internationalism 2.0

post-WWII US-led international order

liberal values like cooperation, rule of law, and economic openness were institutionalized (UN, IMF, World Bank)

What factors are challenging the post-1945 liberal world order?

the decline of US power

the rise of emerging powers (China, India, Russia - demanding more influence)

Weaking of liberal pillars (ex. EU - Brexit, economic stagnation, political fragmentation)

what is meant by the "imperial impulse" of liberal internationalism/liberal nations

the tendency to maintain informal empire (using influence to control weaker nations) and reinforce global inequality

also justify military interventions by claiming to spread "liberal values" (democracy, human rights) while actually promoting strategic interests

what was Ikenberry's vision for liberal internationalism 3.0?

global governance is institutionalized

less dependent on US leadership

when did realism become a dominant theory in IR? why?

after WWI/WWII

need for understanding: why didn't international organizations prevent world wars?

what are some core assumptions of realism?

• states act in self-interest and seek their national interest and power to survive and remain secure

• military/material capabilities are the dominant form of power

• self-help system; can't rely on others

competition between states; balance of power

• human nature is self-interested, which extends to state interest

what is balance of power?

an equilibrium between states; the power of one state is checked by the power of other states

what is statism? what theory does this fall under?

statism - idea that states are main actors in international relations (individuals and international organizations, therefore, are not)

realism

What theory holds that states' defining trait is sovereignty in an anarchical system?

Realism

Give examples of what realists view as power

Military strength, economic capabilities, resources, population

What is the security dilemma?

As one state builds up its security, other states perceive it as a threat and build up theirs, leading to an arms race

What is anarchy

Absence of central political authority in the international realm