World Politics Main Ideas

rally effect

short term boost in approval of the government from a foreign policy crisis (ex. bush after 9/11)

military industrial complex

an alliance of military leaders and arms manufacturers who presumably have vested interest in an aggressive foreign policy

mercantilism

a system by which imperial governments used military power to enrich themselves and their supporters by forcing colonies into exclusionary economic relations with the home country

norms

generally accepted standards of behavior

laws/rules

a set of agreements on how conflict is arbitrated and how to punish those who breach the norms

organizations

agents to implement rules/laws

institutions

norms, laws/rules, and organizations

alliances

established to strengthen commitments to allies for compatible interests and signal to potential rivals a credible commitment to fight together in the event of war

collective security

organizations formed around a common interest that ALL states are presumed to share

terrorism

premeditated threat or use of violence against
noncombatant targets by individuals or subnational groups to obtain a political objective through intimidation of a larger audience

What Can the International Community Do
to Reduce and/or Prevent Civil War?

A long-term commitment to peacekeeping operations, economic development, and democratization

goal of terrorism

not to defeat the opponent’s armed
forces but to create fear (i.e., psychological impact) by attacking civilians, which will lead the authorities to make political concessions

civil war

armed conflict that occurs between organized actors within the same state (such as the government and rebel groups)

characteristics of civil wars

• spill across borders

• fought by people who arent professional soldiers

• often connected to illegal activites

• affect civilians most

causes of civil wars

grievances and greed (resource curse)

resource curse

The paradox that countries with an abundance of natural resources tend to experience things like poor governance, low levels of economic development, civil wars, and dictatorships

absolute advantage

The ability of a country to produce more of a
particular good or service than other
countries using the same amount of effort
and resources

comparative advantage

The ability of a country or firm to produce a
particular good or service more efficiently
than other goods or services, such that its
resources are most efficiently employed in
this activity → Opportunity costs

mutual benefits of trade

voluntary exchange benefits all, division of labor and specialization

wealth of nations (1776)

adam smith argued that self sufficiency is foolish because a greater division of labor makes societies wealthier

General agreement on tariffs and trade (GATT)

partial solution to the free trade issue, not an international organization, series of negotiating sessions, no enforcement authority, goal was NOT complete liberalization

International monetary fund (IMF)

aims to stabilize global financial market

World Trade Organization (WTO)

replaced GATT in 1994, larger membership, more power to enforce provisions, formalized dispute resolution process

Problems with the WTO

it’s two basic functions serve interests of large trading companies, negotiations are dominated by the largest trading countries, especially the US, while rich countries have pressured poor countries to open their markets to the developed world, they themselves have maintained extensive protectionism

subsidy

a sum of money granted by the government or a public body to assist an industry or business so that the price of a commodity or service may remain low or competitive

fair trade

guarantees the producers a fair price for their goods, regardless of the market value, liberalization of trade and better access to markets would not necessarily lead to better living conditions for producers

cross-border investment

can improve welfare in both countries but can also lead to conflicts over the distribution of return and risk

portfolio investment

don’t exercise managerial control of the foreign operation, interest is the rate of return

foreign direct investment

investors build or buy productive facilities in other countries with their own funds, maintain control of facilities, and assume management risk and decision

benefits of foreign investment

• lenders in capital abundant countries can realize a higher rate of return

• lenders can invest in natural resources not in home country

• different business environment

• borrowers benefit from foreign loans cheaper than national rates

• borrowing govs can use foreign capital to foster new industrial sectors or create public goods → future economic growth/benefits

financial disputes across borders due to

conditionality, unpredictability

race to the bottom

• countries are forced to cut labor, social, and environmental costs to attract mobile capital

• ability of the gov to pursue development, full employment, or other national economic goals

Role of IMF

cooperation to guarantee monetary stability → countries contribute to a fund and can borrow from it in crisis, loans are provided with low interest rates

IMF criticism

turned from a monetary insurance institution into a financial power in 1970s, less democratic, limited impact in preventing crises

Structural Adjustment Programs (SAP)

• economic liberalization

• Government deregulation (e.g., Reduction of government spending and
  intervention like subsidies)

• Reduction of taxes

• Privatization of state-owned enterprises and industries

• Liberalization of trade and foreign investment (e.g., lowering tariff and
  non-tariff barriers)

Washington consensus

set of neoliberal policies for market led growth; based on consensus among US treasury, world bank, and IMF

microfinance

provision of small amounts of credit to borrowers, mostly farmers and workers in poor countries, who are excluded from formal banking systems, often because they lack collateral in the form of property, regular income, or savings

peace of westphalia

ended thirty years war, beginning of the modern system of states, increase in legitimacy of governance based on rule of law and central govs sovereignty 

sovereignty

expectation that states have legal and political supremacy within their boundaries and control over their own policies and political processes

hegemony

dominance of one group over another, often supported by legitimating norms and ideas

gold standard

promised exchange at a pre-established rate, promoted stability and predictability, gold is major monetary system

treaty of versailles

after WWI, punished germany, reparations and debt crippled german economy, rise of nazism

league of nations

after WWI, new world order for peace, collective security, US refused to join, depression and inflation led countries to turn inward, free trade ended, economic nationalism rose, collapse led to WWII

United nations

collective security, replaced league of nations

bretton woods system

economic stability; IMF, world bank, world trade org

proxy wars

periodic crises represented in superpower tensions, did not result in great power wars

anarchy

absence of supervisory governing institutions to regulate competition, states live in fear of another, may permit chaos 

classical realism

• human nature - people are ethically flawed and violent

• states area actors, no supreme authority at global level

• anarchy

• every state looks out for its own survival and security, conflicts are inevitable

• self help

security dilemma

What one state does for purely defensive purposes might appear
to other states as threatening to their security and interests. →
“One nation’s security means another nation’s insecurity.”

neorealism

focuses on that states have different capacities to realize their interests, focus on global system, explains patterns of events in terms of systemic structure

hegemonic stability theory (neorealism)

One state’s holding a preponderance of power in the international
system. → Allows to single-handedly dominate the rules and
arrangements by which international political and economic
relations are conducted

“Balance of Power” Theory (neorealism)

rocess by which states counterbalance to ensure
that no single state dominates the system, or an outcome that
establishes a rough equilibrium among states

Power Transition and the “Hegemonic War” Theory (neorealism)

War can begin either if the rising second place state seeks to assert
its power or if the hegemon attacks preemptively in order to crush
the rising threat before it becomes even more powerful

disputes within a borrowing country

due to unbalance of benefits, moral hazard (banks engage in risky behavior bc society will bail them out)

international norms

standards of appropriate behavior, many former practices get outlawed as norms change

international law

clarifies obligations and defines violations

international organizations

play important roles in enforcing laws

transnational advocacy networks

important role in promoting normative values → sometimes these lead to changes in international law

Geneva Conventions (1949)

• They form the core of international humanitarian law with virtual
  universal approval.

• Protection of the wounded in the armed forces, prisoners of war,
  and civilians at the time of war.

• Focusing on the basis for war crimes and crimes against humanity

International Bill of rights

• The UN General Assembly approved
  the Universal Declaration of Human
  Rights (UDHR) in 1948, a statement
  of human rights aspirations.

• The UDHR was eventually codified
  in two documents, approved in 1966 and ratified in 1976.

The Ottawa Convention

• Prohibits the use and production of land
  mines and mandates the clearing of
  existing mine fields

• Major powers remain outside the treaty,
  including China, India, Israel, Russia, South Korea, and the U.S.

origin of international law

• International law is a body of rules that constrain behavior of states and other international actors.

•  International law is derived not from the actions of a legislative branch or other central authority, but from tradition (custom) and agreements (treaties) signed by sovereign states

international law

custom + treaties

custom

accepted practices that are carried out by states based on a belief that those practices are legitimate 

treaties

negotiated and ratified by states, ratification is voluntary, most important source of international law

when can international law be influential?

• when the law facilitates mutual benefits

• when law creates peer pressure and compliance constituencies

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

• Also called the World Court

• One of the 6 principal organs of the UN

• 15 judges and 9-year-term

• Settling disputes between states in
  accordance with international law

tragedy of the commons

A problem that occurs when a resource is open to all, without limit.
No one has an incentive to conserve, because others would use the resource in the meantime, so the resource suffers degradation

private goods

gave owners incentives to more efficiently manage their holdings

club goods

what anyone in the club may enjoy

public goods

nonexclusive and nonrival

common pool resources

nonexcludable and rival

externality

costs or benefits for stakeholders other than the actor undertaking an action leading to moral hazard

kyoto protocol 

• Set national targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emission

• Created emissions trading system (cap and trade) that combines government regulation with market incentives

paris agreement 

195 countries agreed to reduce greenhouse gases to levels yielding no more than 1.5℃ of warming