IB Global Politics Unit 1

Key Concepts: Power | Sovereignty | Legitimacy | Interdependence

1.1 Nature of Power

Definitions and Theories of Power:

• Power is the ability to influence or control the behavior of people or outcomes.

• Steven Lukes’ Three Faces of Power:

• Decision-making power (visible power)

• Non-decision-making power (agenda-setting)

• Ideological power (shaping desires and beliefs)

• Joseph Nye:

• Hard power: use of force or coercion (military/economic means)

• Soft power: attraction or persuasion (culture, values, diplomacy)

• Smart power: combination of hard and soft power.

• Gramsci: cultural hegemony—how dominant groups maintain power through norms and ideas.

• Mearsheimer: offensive realism—states seek power to ensure survival in an anarchic international system.

Types of Power:

• Hard vs. Soft

• Economic Power (e.g. China’s Belt and Road Initiative)

• Military Power (e.g. USA’s global military bases)

• Cultural Power (e.g. spread of Western media)

• Collective Power (e.g. NATO)

• Structural Power (institutional control over norms and rules—e.g., IMF or WTO)

Case Study: US vs. China in the Indo-Pacific

• The US exerts hard power through naval dominance and alliances like AUKUS.

• China uses soft power through Confucius Institutes and investment via the BRI, but also hard power with military bases in the South China Sea.

1.2 State Power in Global Politics

States and Statehood:

• State: sovereign political organization with a defined territory, population, and recognized government.

• Nation-state: state whose citizens share common identity (e.g. Japan).

• Stateless nations: cultural groups without sovereign state (e.g. Kurds, Palestinians).

• Types of states:

• Unitary (UK)

• Federal (USA, India)

• Confederation (historically: early USA)

Evolving Nature of Sovereignty:

• Westphalian Sovereignty (1648): principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of others.

• Challenges to sovereignty:

• Globalization: economic and digital flows across borders.

• Supranationality: states pool sovereignty (e.g. EU).

• Humanitarian intervention: undermines sovereignty for R2P.

• Environmental agreements: constrain policy autonomy.

Legitimacy of State Power:

• Domestic sources: elections, rule of law, democratic norms (e.g. New Zealand)

• International sources: UN recognition, treaties, legitimacy through global institutions (e.g. Kosovo’s mixed recognition)

Case Study: Ukraine and Russian Sovereignty Claims

• Russia’s annexation of Crimea (2014) and recognition of Donetsk/Luhansk challenges Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty.

• International community (UNGA Resolution 68/262) largely supports Ukrainian sovereignty, showing contested legitimacy.

1.3 Non-State Actors in Global Politics

Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs):

• Promote cooperation, create rules, mediate conflict.

• UN: peacekeeping, sanctions, humanitarian aid.

• WTO: global trade regulation.

• IMF: loans and structural adjustment.

• EU: regional political/economic integration.

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs):

• Influence policy, advocate rights, deliver services.

• Amnesty International: human rights campaigns.

• Greenpeace: environmental lobbying.

• BRAC: development projects in Bangladesh and beyond.

Multinational Corporations (MNCs):

• Shape economies and political landscapes.

• Apple, Shell, Nestlé influence labor rights, tax laws, and sustainability.

Social/Resistance Movements:

• Arab Spring: used social media to mobilize anti-regime protests.

• Zapatista Uprising (Mexico): indigenous rights vs. state policies.

Violent Protest Movements:

• FARC (Colombia): decades of insurgency.

• Hezbollah: political party + armed group in Lebanon.

• Al Qaeda: global terror network.

Case Study: The UN vs. Syrian Government

• UN Security Council gridlocked due to Russian/Chinese vetoes.

• NGOs (e.g. MSF) and informal coalitions like the Global Coalition against ISIS took more active roles.

1.4 Interactions in Global Politics

Global Governance:

• Frameworks and institutions facilitating cooperation.

• Examples:

• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

• Paris Agreement

• Basel Accords for banking regulation

Cooperation:

• Treaties: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

• Collective security: NATO interventions (e.g. Kosovo, Afghanistan)

• Strategic alliances: India-Afghanistan, US-Taiwan

• Economic cooperation: Free Trade Agreements (e.g. USMCA), EU single market

• Informal cooperation: G7, G20 summits

Conflict:

• Interstate conflict: Iraq War (2003), Ethiopia-Eritrea border war

• Intrastate conflict: Syrian Civil War, Yemen

• Terrorism: 9/11, ISIS attacks in Europe

• Demonstrations: 2022 Iranian protests, 2019 Hong Kong protests

Case Study: Global Governance and Climate Change

• Paris Agreement (2015): 195 nations committed to reducing emissions.

• US temporarily withdrew under Trump, rejoined under Biden—illustrates challenges of cooperation.

1.5 Key Case Study Summary

Topic Case Study Relevance

Nature of Power US-China competition Shows hard/soft/smart power

Sovereignty Russia-Ukraine conflict Challenges to territorial integrity

Non-State Actors UN in Syria, NGOs Shows limits and power of international actors

Global Governance Paris Climate Agreement Role of collective action & cooperation

Conflict Arab Spring, FARC, ISIS Shows varieties of non-state resistance