Ch.3 Chapter Notes

Cooperation

________ is difficult to achieve when there are gains and states are concerned that one has more than the other.

Realists

________ suggest the idea of managing power through balancing.

Norms

________: Collective expectations for the proper behavior of actors with a given identity.

WWII

After ________, Morgenthau wrote foundational synthesis of realism in international politics struggle for power.

Explanatory Variables

________: Concepts that are thought to do the explaining.

important alternative strategy

Containment is a(n) ________ to rollback.

stable population

In order to be considered a state, an entity must have a defined territory, ________, and effective government, and must be recognized by other states as having the capacity to enter into relations with them.

Identity

________: Sense of self, based on certain qualifications and beliefs that serve to define a person or group.

Hypotheses

________: Specific falsifiable statements that question the proposed relationship among 2 or more concepts.

Theory

________: The set of propositions that combine to explain phenomena by specifying the relationships among several concepts.

Multinational Corporations

________ (MNCs): Private enterprises which span state borders through the actual presence in, investments in or trade with other countries.

Containment

to prevent Soviet power from extending into regions beyond its immediate existing sphere of influence Eastern Europe thus balancing US power against Soviet power.

Theoretical Perspectives

________: Sets of theories united by common themes.

Security Dilemma

________: The situation in which each state tries to increase its own power to protect itself but this increased power is seen as a threat by other states, leading them to be more insecure and thus to seek their own power which, in turn, makes others more insecure.

Dependent Variable

________: The concept whose variation is being explained.

Hegemon

________: a sovereign individual /government that could oversee and enforce rules on the people.

International Institutions

________: Sets of rules meant to govern state or international behavior.

Realism

________ is a theory of international relations that emphasizes states interest in accumulating power to ensure security in an anarchic world, based on the notion that individuals are power seeking and that states act in pursuit of their own national interest defined in terms of power.

Realists

________ see states as increasing their power by 1. war and conquest and 2. by balancing against powerful states by taking actions to offset their power and thus fend off potential attack.

Theory

The set of propositions that combine to explain phenomena by specifying the relationships among several concepts

Dependent Variable

The concept whose variation is being explained

Explanatory Variables

Concepts that are thought to do the explaining

Hypotheses

Specific falsifiable statements that question the proposed relationship among 2 or more concepts

Theoretical Perspectives

Sets of theories united by common themes

International Institutions

Sets of rules meant to govern state or international behavior

Multinational Corporations(MNCs)

Private enterprises which span state borders through the actual presence in, investments in or trade with other countries

Identity

Sense of self, based on certain qualifications and beliefs that serve to define a person or group

Norms

Collective expectations for the proper behavior of actors with a given identity

National Interests

The protection of territory and sovereignty

Rational Actors

Actors that make decisions by weighing the costs and benefits of various options against the goal to be achieved

Leviathan

a sovereign individual/government that could oversee and enforce rules on the people

Relative Gains

How much more one state gains over another

Absolute Gains

How much one state gains for itself

Security Dilemma

The situation in which each state tries to increase its own power to protect itself but this increased power is seen as a threat by other states, leading them to be more insecure and thus to seek their own power which, in turn, makes others more insecure

Internal Balancing

A states building up its own military resources and capabilities in order to be able to stand against more powerful states

External Balancing

Allying with other states to offset the power of more powerful states

Containment

Goal of containment was to prevent Soviet power from extending into regions beyond its immediate existing sphere of influence (East Europe) thus balancing US power against Soviet power

Nation-state

A nation with an independent, internationally recognized government that exists within defined, internationally recognized borders

Nation

A Group of self-identifying people that share significant characteristics like language, religion, culture, history and social norms

A Theory does

Generates hypotheses which are specific statements positing a relationship among variables

A Theory tells us

It can explain why things happen and suggest best courses of action in international relations

Three Levels of Analysis

Individual, State, and International System

Individual Analysis

Personality, Perceptions, Activities, and choices

State Analysis

Government, Economy, Interest Groups, National Interest

International System Analysis

Alliances, International Norms/rules, Multinational Corporations, Intergovernmental Organizations

Neorealism believes that stronger states act to

Preserve and consolidate power

Offensive Realist believes

Expansionist policy builds power and intimidates rivals into cooperation

Defensive Realist believes

Conquest does not pay, states tend to balance each other against aggressors

Liberalism influenced by two Enlightenment figures

Montesquieu, Immanuel Kant

Neorealism example

Kenneth Waltz’s Theory of International Politics

Wilsonian Idealism

War is preventable through the collective action of states

Prisoner’s Dilemma

Cooperation between the players that are in the best interest

Democratic Peace Theory

Democratic states do not fight wars against each other but do fight wars against authoritarian states

Radicals seek to

change the system

Realists seek to increase their power to

Through war and conquest, power balancing

Bandwagoning

To avoid a war, states ally against the threatening state

Unipolar

Where one state in the system has sufficient power to defeat all the others combined against it

Bipolar

Most of the system’s power is divided between two states or coaltions of states

Multipolar

Power is divided among three or more states or coalitions of states

Collective Security

The idea that aggression by a state should be defeated collectively because aggression against one state is aggression against all

Complex Interdependence

States are connected through multiple channels, there is no hierarchy of issues, and the result is a decline in the use of military force

Material Entities

Entities with a physical presence such as states, international institutions, multinational corporations, and individuals

In order to be considered a state

An entity must have a defined territory, stable population, and effective government, and must be recognized by other states as having the capacity to enter into relations with them

Three key factors that contribute to peace

Democracy, economic interdependence, and international institutions

Constructivism

Theory that hypothesizes how ideas, norms, and institutions shape state identity and interests

Convergent

States share similar characteristics and ideals

Divergent

States don’t share similar characteristics and ideals

Discourse

How we choose to talk about ourselves and others

Soft Power

The power of a state to attract states to change their behavior based on the legitimacy of its values or policies, rather than having to coerce them into doing so

Socialization

Process through which one adopts the identities of peer groups

Radicalism

Focuses mainlly on the role of economics in explaining international phenomena

Dependency Theory

Focuses on explaining the underdevelopment of the dominated states