PLSC117 Final Exam

Chapters 5-10

Power

the ability to influence behavior and control outcomes

Wielding power is dependent on

power potential, which rests on resources that states have at their disposal

Types of resources

natural, tangible, intangible

natural resources

geography, natural resources, population

tangible resources

industrial development, level of infrastructure, characteristics of military

intangible resources

national image, public support, leadership

state

must have territorial base with geographically defined boundaries; a stable population must reside within its borders; population should owe allegiance to an effective government; other states must recognize this state diplomatically

nation

group of people who share a set of characteristics; common history, heritage, language, customs, etc.

credibility

both the ability and the incentive to act using a certain policy

diplomacy

states try to influence the behavior of other actors by bargaining, negotiating, taking a specific action or refraining from such an action, or appealing to the foreign public for support of a position

public diplomacy

targeting both foreign publics and elites, attempting to create an overall image that enhances a country’s ability to achieve its diplomatic objectives

track-two diplomacy

uses individuals outside the government to carry out negotiations

economic statecraft

using engagement and sanctions to try to influence other states

compellence

a state threatens to use force to try to get another state to do something or to undo an act it has undertaken

deterrence

tool in international relations that uses the threat of punishment to discourage an opponent from taking an unwanted action

organizational politics

emphasizes an organization’s standard operating procedures and processes

bureaucratic politics

members of the bureaucratic politics flow from the push and pull, or tug-of-war, mong these departments, groups, or individuals

pluralist model

focuses on the fact that societal groups may play very important roles in the foreign policies adopted by states. especially in noncrisis situations and on particular types of issues, often economic ones. captures decision-making processes involving these types of actors

societal groups

can mobilize the media and public opinion, lobby the govt agencies responsible for making decisions, influence the appropriate representative bodies, organize transnational networks of people with comparable interests, and make direct contacts with the highest governmental officials

the pluralist model is compatible with

liberal approaches

constructivists holds that

foreign policy decisions are based on two major factors
1. the country’s strategic culture
2. the leaders’ interpretation of the salient international norms

globalization’s effect on the state

undermines state sovereignty; interferes with state exercise of power; exacerbated by the rise of new media

transnational religious and ideological movements’ effect on the state

seek loyalty and commitment of individuals and groups beyond the state; change state behavior on a specific problem or issue

ethnonational movements effect on the state

seek own state; attempty to replace current government with one representing the interests of the movement

transnational crime’s effect on the state

challenges state authority

fragile states’ effect on the state

threatens lives of persons within states and security of other states in international system

globalization

growing integration of the world in terms of politics, economics, and culture

fragile states

inability to exercise a monopoly on the legitimate use of force within their territory, to make collective decisions because of the erosion of legitimate authority, to interact with other states in the international system, and/or to provide public services

national security

the ability of a state to protect its interests, secrets, and citizens from threats—both external and internal—that endanger it

war

involves organized, deliberate violance by an identifiable political authory. they are relatively more lethal than other forms of organized violence. both sides must have some real capacity to harm each other, although that capacity need not be equal on both sides.

interstate wars

wars between states

intrastate wars

wars that take place within a state
include a faction and a government fighting over control of territory (Boko Haram in Nigeria); rival groups fighting to establish a government to control a failed or gragile state, etc.

unconventional warfare

distinguished by a willingness to flout restrictions on legitimate targets of violence or refuse to accept the traditional outcomes of battles as an indicator of victory or defeat

nationalism

a sense of national consciousness placing primary emphasis on one’s own nation’s cultures and interests over those of other nations

guerrilla warfare

strategic innovation by Mao Zedong
civilians risk their lives to protest the guerrillas, who hide among them and who cannot easily be distinguished from ordinary civilians when not actually fighting

asymmetric conflict

conducted between parties of very unequal strength. the weaker party attempts to exploit the opponent’s weaknesses

terrorism

political in nature or intent. nonstate actors. targets are noncombatants, such as ordinary citizens, political figures, or bureaucrats.
often been called the strategy of the weak

cyberspace

the entire spectrum of networked information and communication systems and devices and now pervades all aspects of society, economics, and politics

cyberwarfare

refers to state actions taken to penetrate another state’s computers or networks for the purpose of causing damage or disruption

power transition theory

it is not only mismatched material power that tempts states to war, but also the anticipation of shifts in the relative balance of power

realists focus significant attention in their analyses of war on

characteristics of the international system

In the liberal perspective, democratic peace theory holds that

democracies rarely (if ever) go to war with other democracies

commercial peace theory

posits that states that are more interdependent, particularly through trade and investment, are less likely to go to war

Constructivists focus significant attention on the role of

identities in international relations

realism blames war on

anarchy of the international system, distribution of power in the system, power transitions

liberalism blames war on

lack of democratic institutions/values, lack of interdependence, lack of shared institutions

constructivism blames war on

aggressive state identities, divergent identities, possession of belligerent ideas

realists think that war is

a necessary condition of interstate politics

deterrence theory is

the idea that the threat of force can be used to convince a party to avoid a certain action

liberal theorists argue that

states seeking power, including economic power, will be led by self-interest into successively deeper and broader coopera tion with other states, even if at times that cooperation is punctuated by war

Do constructivists have a theoretical answer for how to prevent war?

No

international cooperation

exists when states adopt behavior that is consistent with the preferences of other states in order to achieve common objectives

problems with cooperation according to realists

1. relative gains

2. prisoners dilemma

prisoner’s dilemma

the story of 2 prisoners who are interrogated separately for an alleged crime

Neoliberals and realists agree that the international system is

anarchic

neoliberal institutionalists expect that states will

often cooperate, arguing that it is often in their self-interest to do so

economic interdependence

states rely on one another for goods and/or economic gain

transaction costs

cost of making an exchange

To explain cooperation,

Constructivists often point to the shared identity of democracies

The main difference between liberal and constructivist explanations for cooperation is that

constructivists view democracy as an identity, rather than a mere characteristic of states, as liberals view it

international law

consists of a body of rules and norms regulating interactions among states, between states and IGOs, and, in more limited cases, among IGOs, states, and individuals

international law comes from

customs and treaties

treaties

are explicitly written agreements among states that lay out rights and obligations

vertical enforcement

a legal process whereby one actor works to constrain the actions of another actor over which it has authority in order to secure its compli ance with the law
the way domestic law is enforced

horizontal enforcement

states secure compliance from other states

vertical enforcement (top-down)

An international institution with authority over a state secures compliance
European Court of Justice

vertical enforcement (bottom-up)

National and local courts can enforce international law

universal jurisdiction

states may claim jurisdiction if an individual’s conduct is sufficiently heinous to violate the laws of all states

Both realists and liberals agree that compliance relies generally on

states and their individual self-interest

Treaties are created in order to

uphold norms related to human rights, liberalization of trade, protection of the environment, and more

legitimate

supported logically and justifiably

jus ad bellum

laws on entering into war

jus in bello

laws on acceptable conduct during war

extradition

the process of delivering an individual from the territory of one state to another state for prosecution or to serve a sentence

Adam Smith

believed that human beings act in rational ways to maximize their self-interest

protectionism

policies that included high tariffs to protect the growth of the new nation’s manufacturers

mercantilism

build economic wealth as an instrument of state power

macroeconomic policies

fiscal and monetary policies

Fiscal policies

affect a government’s budget, including the level of govern ment spending and the tax rates

monetary policies

include increasing or decreasing the money supply, generally through manipulation of short-term interest rates

microeconomic policies

policies on regulation, subsidies, competition, and antitrust actions

Multinational corporations play a key role as engines of

economic growth, providing international finance and items to trade

World Bank

initially designed to facilitate reconstruction in post–World War II Europe
shifted its primary emphasis in the 50s from reconstruction to development

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

designed to provide stability in exchange rates

foreign direct investment (FDI)

construction of factories and investment in the facilities for extraction of natural resources by multinational corporations

comparative advantage

Because each state differs in its ability to produce specific products— because of differences in natural resource bases, labor force characteristics, and land values— each state should produce and export that which it can produce most efficiently and import goods that other states can produce more efficiently

BRICS consists of

Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa

collective good

available to all group members, regardless of individual contribution
involves interdependent activities and choices

Intergovernmental organizations

address major problems at each level of analysis
the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Civil Aviation Organization

States join IGOs to use them as

instruments of foreign policy

UN Security Council

kept small to facilitate swift decision making in response to threats to international peace and security

UN General Assembly

193 members; each state has one vote; members work in six functional committee
Debates any topic within Charter’s purview; admits states; elects members to special bodies

UN International Court of Justice

15 judges
Noncompulsory jurisdiction on cases brought by states and international organizations

traditional peacekeeping

multilateral institutions such as the United Nations seek to contain conflicts between two states through third- party military forces

NGOs often lack

material forms of power

To realists, NGOs are not

independent actors

Liberals are convinced that IGOs and NGOs

do matter in international politics

cultural relativism

the idea that some rights are culturally determined, and hence, that different rights are relevant in specific cultural settings

absolute gains

The total benefit an actor receives, regardless of what other actors gain or lose. are not comparative

humanitarian intervention

idea that military action by states or the international community may be necessary to alleviate massive violations of human rights