Unit 1 - Glopo

Power

Power

the ability to influence other groups in global politics and achieve outcomes

Politics

the use of power in deciding who gets what, when, and how.

Actors

Individuals or entities (things) with the power and authority to influence politics.

State Actors

Referring to heads of government or countries themselves. They have the most power in, and are therefore the greatest drivers of, global politics

Non-State Actors (NSAs)

Individuals and organizations that have the power to influence politics and aren't affiliated with one particular state

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

Type of non-state actors that are nonprofit advocacy groups organized around a certain issue or set of issues e.g. Amnesty int'l, Oxfam, etc.

Multinational Corporations (MNC)

Type of non-state actors that are corporations that operate with facilities in several countries other than the country of origin e.g. e.g. Exxon Mobil, Twitter, McDonalds.

"other" types of non-state actors

social movements, political parties, terrorist groups

Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)

U.N., E.U., WTO, W.H.O., I.M.F. etc.

These organizations promote order, diplomacy, make rules, etc. Members = states, therefore limiting effectiveness because of politics between states.

Power diffusion

Representing a key change in global politics of power being spread amongst multiple actors. For better or worse, individuals have more power than ever before due to globalization. The power of terrorist groups has increased and so has the power of social movements.

Military alliance

a relationship or cooperation between states that are committed to using their armed forces in supporting similar military objectives

Hard Power

The reliance on economic and military strength to coercively solve international problems.

Example of hard power

Military action taken against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq by US and others in 2014. Soft or smart power options were not possible with Islamic State, which was not prepared to negotiate.

Example of hard power

Military force against Saddam Hussein in 2003 by US coalition. Critics of the invasion have said that UN weapons inspectors should have been given more time and that a smart power approach was possible (combining inspections with the threat of military force).

Example of hard power

Military force was used against the Gaddafi regime in Libya in 2011, with a NATO air campaign authorized by the UNSC to protect civilians.

soft power

achieving aims through persuasion or influence

Example of soft power

Development aid plays a huge part in powerful states trying to achieve their outcomes through persuasion. USAID gives most aid to countries where development matters for US security interests. In 2015, Afghanistan and Pakistan received the most US aid.

Example of soft power

China has pledged up to $1.4 trillion in infrastructure investment in Africa (belt&road initiative). In return, China has favorable access to natural resources from African states.

Smart power

achieving aims through a combination of force, persuasion, and influence.

Example of soft power

Sporting events such as the London and Sochi Olympic Games in 2012 and 2015 can be used to boost a state's global image.

Example of soft power

Natural disasters ranging from the South Asian tsunami in 2005; the Haiti earthquake in 2009; and the West African Ebola outbreak in 2014-15 have seen term-24huge donations from states and even deployments of troops to help.

Example of smart power

The nuclear deal signed between Iran and P5 + 1 in 2015. The P5 + 1 used a combinations of tactics: diplomatic negotiations, economic sanctions, and an unstated but possible threat of military force.

Example of smart power

Violent protest groups such as Hezbollah not only use hard power against their adversaries, but also build and run schools, establish and maintain health care facilities, and participate in democratic coalition politics in the Lebanese parliament.

Example of smart power

President Obama's speech in Cairo in 2009 pledged to reset relations with the Muslim world in the Middle East. However, this public message was combined with a continuation of military force in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sanctions

official orders or laws stopping trade or communication with another state, as a way of forcing its leaders make political changes.

Benefits of hard power

Easy to measure, capabilities can be developed quickly, achieves immediate results

Criticisms of hard power

Solutions tend to not last because they were achieved coercively

Benefits of soft power

solutions tend to last longer because they were achieved consensually

Criticisms of soft power

Difficult to measure, capabilities are slow to develop, achieves results slowly.

Sharp Power

deceptive use and suppression of information for hostile purposes.

Example of sharp power

Russia used bots on twitter to stir controversy during the 2016 US election in order to undermine democracy

Example of sharp power

China uses censors to limit information that criticizes the Communist party. China also punishes those who criticize their activities e.g. Lebron James and John Cena. These efforts create a false impression that China is without it's fault i.e. manipulating information and controlling discourse (discussion)

Examples of hard power (sub-national level of analysis)

Prison

Police force/action

Laws

Compulsion i.e. speaking negatively about a social movement or group of people and trying to limit their freedom.

Examples of soft power (sub-national level of analysis)

Cultural activities

Museums/films/concerts

School curriculum

Investments

Sports

Liberal values

democratics politics

economic systems based on freedom and choice

human rights, particularly individual rights

Limitations of soft power

Can be lost in an instant. For example, photographs of US soldiers mistreating prisoners in Iraq in 2003 made people view U.S. military action as illegitimate.

Limitations of soft power

it's difficult to use because cultures and values are embedded in civil society, and are therefore outside government's control. For example, the U.S. may want to persuade China to have greater respect for human rights, but U.S. hip hop artists criticize the U.S. gov't for its own human rights issues. This demonstrates the inherent difficulty that states face in trying to command the soft power.

Military power

the use of military capabilities as the ultimate means to force another group or state to comply or to change their behavior.

Military power - effectiveness arguments

- The most powerful states are thought to have the largest/advanced armies and nuclear weapons

- Easily measurable, quick to develop, guarantees survival

- Weak states that spend heavily on military use it to control internal threats (terrorist groups, uprisings, etc)

Military power - ineffective arguments

- world is globalized/interdependent that military conquest is more costly than peaceful trade relations

- issues in global politics can't be solved by military action (climate change, pandemics, etc.)

- diffusion of power means other actors will use their influence to prevent military action (interconnected communities, MNCs, NGOs, IGOs, etc)

Military power less useful/significant

Military power has been unsuccessful in many major conflicts since 2001 (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya). It does not work against contemporary non-state actors or armed opposition groups.

Military power less useful/significant

Inter-state war is decreasing, military conflict between states is nearly non-existent.

Military power less useful/significant

Increasing public and political reluctance for Western troops to be deployed, making it difficult to find support and legitimacy for military action.

Military power still useful/significant

Military power is still important to check the advance of non-state groups such as Islamic State who threaten state sovereignty.

Military power still useful/significant

Intra-state war is increasing. The world faces complex threats from civil war and insurgencies which pose a global security threat. Inter-state war has not disappeared completely. Conflict between Russia and Ukraine demonstrates a continuing threat.

Military power still useful/significant

Military force is still useful to protect civilians (libya, 2011) under the doctrine of Responsibility to Protect (R2P)

Military power and soft power

Military power is frequently used for humanitarian objectives and to prevent human suffering in the aftermath of disasters. For example:

- In 2014, the US, France, and UK sent troops to Northern Africa to help with Ebola.

- Troops were sent to Haiti in 2009 to help deal with the earthquake, and to Asia in 2005 to help deal with the tsunami

Examples of militant group soft power

The Pakistani Taliban sought to increase their soft power by launching relief operations in response to the Pakistan floods of 2011

Economic power

Any use of economic means to influence the behavior of others. Examples include using sanctions, offering aid, etc.

Why is economic power important?

Having a strong economy is an important element of power itself. Economic power allows for states to afford powerful militaries, apply sanctions, gain access to important agenda setting positions like the UNSC, and helps with soft power capabilities (aid, hollywood, tourism, etc.)

Some countries like Japan and Germany are considered great powers because of their large economies, not their militaries.

Structural power

is when states influence the political ideas, structure, and frameworks of global politics itself. For example, the U.S. is said to influence the trend in global politics of other states becoming democratic and capitalist. Their preferred political/economic model is what is considered legitimate rather than communism, for instance.

Relational power

is when a state has a relationship with another state and uses this relationship to influence the other state to change its behavior. For example, the U.S. has relational power with Britain because of their "special relationship" grounded in their shared historical experiences. This relationship allows one another to exert influence and shape the behavior of the other.

3 types of relational power (according to theorist Joseph Nye)

1. Threats and rewards (hard power)

2. Controlling the agenda - limiting the choices of the other state (structural power)

3. Establishing or co-opting preferences (soft power)

Social and cultural power

Can be seen as countries' soft power. Globalization has made it possible for some countries to export their cultural resources across the world, think Hollywood films or American music. This creates a human, or social, connection between states that allows for a degree of influence, not always controllable by the state.

Cyber Power

A way for political groups to further their agenda through the internet, such as social media platforms, which terrorist organizations such as ISIS use to attract fighters, or Wikileaks who leaked secret United States government diplomatic information. This form of power has been a huge factor in the overall diffusion of power trend in global politics.

Is the ownership of 'resources' an accurate measurement of power?

Power can be measured by calculating the size of resources, for example, armies, economies, and populations. Critics say this is not always helpful because states may be reluctant or will misuse their resources. Also, it fails to explain outcomes like when states are frustrated or defeated by opponents that have less resources e.g. U.S. against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Liberal World Order

The international system is presumed to be 'anarchic'. However, liberals in particular, argue that there can still be a degree of 'order'. In other words, a rules based system that is followed most of the time. These rules are institutionalized inside of IGOs. Economic interdependence, spreading of democracy, multiple channels of influence, spreading of liberal ideology/democracy, multiple issues, all represent reasons for why states will usually follow rules and norms. For example, international laws, respect for sovereignty, and protection of human rights.

Unipolar

when one state is more powerful than all the others

Multipolar

when many states are powerful and compete with each other

Bipolar

when two states are equally powerful, and the main competition is between these two powers and not others.

World Order (power distribution)

Another way to understand power is to zoom out and look at world politics as a whole. The U.S. has arguably been a global hegemon; forming a unipolar world order. Since the U.S. is a liberal democracy the character of word order has been liberal, hence the "liberal world order". However, many analysts say that after 9/11, and the U.S. failed invasions into the Middle East, the U.S. has lost some of its legitimacy and power. Undoubtedly, the world is trending towards a bipolar world order with China on the rise. China is seeking to shape its own illiberal world order to undermine the U.S. led liberal world order. This power transition could lead to more conflict and less stability as China grows increasingly provocative and the U.S. seeks to use its power to cling on to its global hegemony.

Realists

those who view global politics as being dominated by states and in which states are the most important actors in global politics, usually defending and prioritizing their own national interest above any other factors

John Mearsheimer

Leading structural realist. Good name of theorist to reference on an exam.

Liberals

those who view global politics as benefiting from states and other actors working together, following international law, respecting human rights, and having a broader range of core interests than their own security.

Joseph Nye

Leading liberalist. Good name of theorist to reference on an exam.

How do realists see power?

they see power, particularly hard power, as essential for guaranteeing survival in an anarchic world. For example, a realist would focus on actions and policies that increases their economic standing, or military might i.e. material gains.

How do liberals see power?

they believe that soft power, co-operation (winning over), and a rules based international order are the most effective and safest ways of using power. For example, a liberal would seek to build consensus around a policy or action and would look to exert influence through engagement and diplomacy i.e. influence by using intangible resources of power.

How do realists see IGOs?

they see IGOs as yet another platform for states to compete with one another. For example, powerful states will shield weaker states from criticism over human rights abuses if they think it is to their material advantage. The UNSC allows for powerful states to use their veto power often preventing much needed cooperation.

How do liberals see IGOs?

they see IGOs as a platform for cooperation and engagement in an otherwise anarchic world. Power is also legitimately used through IGOs. For example, if sanctions or military intervention are deemed necessary, then consensus must be reached in the UNSC in order for that action to be taken.

How to realists see cooperation?

they see cooperation as unlikely and view it with suspicion. This is because realists are always engaged in power politics - concerned with how power is distributed. As such, realists avoid cooperation if it is not to their material advantage. Even if cooperation is mutually beneficial in the long run (climate change agreements), realists predict that states will attempt to defect from cooperation in order to "free ride", so they can benefit without having to dedicate the necessary resources.

How do liberals see cooperation?

they see cooperation as both beneficial and achievable. Liberals believe that states recognize the long term benefits to be gained from mutual cooperation resulting in them choosing to participate rather than defect. Although the free rider problem will likely occur, liberals argue that tit for tat measures and favoring actors that cooperate will result in more states choosing to cooperate.

BRIC countries

Refers to Brazil, Russia, India, and China, the largest and fastest growing of the developing countries with over 40 percent of the world's population. These rising powers demonstrate that power itself is not a fixed concept. States can become more powerful while others can lose power. In terms of development, these countries have achieved excellent economic growth, but are lacking in many other indicators of 'development'. As a result, these countries are very vulnerable and can be destabilized by changing market conditions and economic recessions.