Global Politics Midterm

 What are the six premises of Realism discussed in class?

1. Conflict is endemic

2. Pessism

3. History is cyclical

4. State centrism

5. Materialism

6. Self-interest/national interest

What is the main thing, discussed in class, that makes Constructivism distinct from both Realism and Liberalism?

Realists/liberals

• National interest comes from inside the state

• Those interests do not change via international interaction 

Constructivists:

• The self is formed through relationships with others

True or False: From a liberal perspective, progress is inevitable because people and states can learn.

True

What are the two types of sovereignty discussed in class and what does each mean?

External and internal sovereignty

There are two dimensions of sovereignty  

• External: states are sovereign equals in international society; they recognize one another as fellow sovereign

  • Treat everyone as sovereign equals and no state tells another state what they can do, or at least there is really no right to do so. 

  • Live and let live: no right to tell each other what to do 

• Internal: The government has full authority over its people

  •  Citizens cannot tell states what to do. The law is sovereign 

Which of the three approaches to understanding global politics (description, explanation, evaluation) that we discussed in class is the one American IR scholarship is most concerned with?

Explanatory

 List the four characteristics of a state discussed in class

• Sovereignty

• Territoriality

• Monopoly on violence

• Identity/nationality

True or False: According to Realism, bipolarity is the most stable distribution of power.

True

True or False: Constructivism is an approach that helps account for order and cooperation but not for war.

False

True or False: Ontological insecurity is caused by anarchy.

False