POLS 112 - Politics in a Global Age

Machiavellian

Cunning and duplicitous

Machiavelli

Advising the “prince” (domination-seeking states) to:

• divide-and-conquer, deception, treachery, and possibly brutality,

• just vs. unjust? international law? liberal norms? international institutions? non-state actors?

Consensus

A type of broad agreement that arises from negotiations or consultative process

Although not all participants fully agree with the decision or policy; no one feels strongly enough to reject the agreement

Agency of Consensus-Based Approach

In practice or by convention, every member has a veto, though decisions are usually reduced to the lowest common denominator

Real-World Examples of Consensus

Kimberely Process with conflict diamonds, Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Power

Ability to achieve a particular outcome

Ability to influence the behaviour of other actors (state actors and/or non-state actors)

Seen in politics as agenda-setting, decision-making, thought control

Power and State Actors

National, subnational, local governments

Power and Non-State Actors

Transnational corporations (TNC), NGOs, rebel groups, etc.

Domestic

Maintaining order and implementing regulations within its own border

Sovereignty rarely questioned (i.e., authority to impose rules and govern)

Politics tends to be more regulated - example; elections are carried out in certain way, who can run for office, etc.

International

Relations between or among states

Mutual recognition of sovereignty predominates but authority to impose rules on states is subject to negotiation, politics is subject to anarchic conditions

Impact of Transnational Forces

Makes us reflect on whether that divide between domestic + international truly exists on the group

Transnational

Cross-border flows and transactions consisting of ideas, information, goods, services, investments and people have increased in recent decades - flows can be legal or illegal, licit or illicit

Examples of Transnational Forces + Domestic Divide

Iran - internet cut off but transnational organizations like Starlink are contributing to some aspects of communication, so we see how the domestic lacks control in this example and is predominated by a TNC

Inside/Outside

Divide has been increasingly difficult to maintain - also provides the impetus for examining the interactions between the local, national, regional and global

Authority

Possessing “legitimate” power, the right to influence the behaviour of other actors, meant to be considered some level of legitimacy

Acknowledgement that a duty to obey exists, authority to impose rules and govern (sovereignty) tends to be less contested at the domestic level compared to the international level

Power vs. Authority

Is the ability to influence others and control behaviour compared to

The legitimate, formal right to make decisions and give commands

International Political Economy (IPE)

Represents the interconnection between the pursuit of power (politics) and wealth (economics)

Why is IPE important?

The pursuit of power and wealth as part of international political negotiations can lead to significant changes in the ways in which people live and work, state actors behave, and how non-state actors (e.g., corporations) operate

IPE Example

US and Venezuela, or US and Iran

Interrelation between power and wealth pervades, see this with the US and Venezuela

Knowledge Production

Behera is concerned with several key questions:

• What counts as international relations (IR)?

• Who has the power to set the parameters, problems/puzzles, and the pedagogy of the IR discipline?

• To what extent is the IR discipline shared globally among its diverse students, scholars and stakeholders