AFP

How Actors Perceive the World Around Them

  • Actors perceive the world through various lenses that are influenced by historical and sociopolitical factors.

The -isms in American Foreign Policy (AFP)

  • Discusses major frameworks such as realism and liberalism affecting the dynamics in international relations.

Themes in American Foreign Policy

American Grand Strategy

  • Changes over time based on:

    • Interactions between actors and institutions.

    • Perennial questions of hegemonic leadership and American exceptionalism.

    • Interpretation of global challenges and the state of nature.

    • Illustrative Artwork: "American Progress" by John Gast (1872).

Interpreting Global Politics

Realism

  • Definition: An overarching concern with security within an anarchic world system.

  • Key Characteristics:

    • Emphasizes self-help as states pursue their interests.

    • Primacy of relative hard power, distinguishing between offensive and defensive strategies.

    • Foreign policy is shaped by the international system.

Liberalism/Internationalism

  • Definition: Focus on mutual gains through cooperation to enhance security and stability.

  • Key Characteristics:

    • Anarchy can be softened through formal commitments, e.g., international governmental organizations (IGOs) and treaties.

    • The concept of complex interdependence contributes to stability.

    • Foreign policy is influenced by domestic factors as well as international relations.

Paradigms and Scientific Revolution

Pre-science

  • Notions exist before structured scientific methodology.

Major Models in Scientific Paradigms (as per Thomas S. Kuhn)

  • Paradigm: A framework containing all of the commonly accepted views about a subject.

  • Original Paradigm: Geocentrism, with its transition to heliocentrism explained through:

    • The Kuhn Cycle Model:

    • Normal Science

    • Crisis

    • Revolution

    • Drift

Realist Assumptions

  1. The state is the main unit in international politics, all states are functionally alike:

    • Sovereign: States are the sole basis of authority.

    • Rational: States pursue their national interests.

    • Unitary: States act as coherent entities making decisions together.

  2. States operate in an anarchic system:

    • Anarchy ≠ Chaos: Anarchy implies a lack of overarching authority to enforce rules.

  3. States prioritize security concerns, leading to:

    • Constant risks of conflict and war.

Basic Tenets of Realism

  • Emphasis on hard power reflects a constant struggle for power.

  • Politics is characterized as a zero-sum game where one state's gain is another's loss.

  • States seek relative power, which implies an ongoing existential threat of war.

Origins of Classical Realism

  • Historical significance in international relations:

    • Scholars through history contributed to its development.

    • 20th Century Classical Realism: Notably emphasized that power is both a means and an end.

Neo-/Structural Realism

  • Christopher's Historical Context:

    • Articulated initially by Kenneth Waltz.

    • Reference: Man, The State, and War (1959) explains:

    • Each state operates on self-defined interests; force is a means to achieve those ends in an anarchic world.

  • Theme: Survival is the primary goal of states.

21st Century Realism

  • Continued skepticism towards international organizations.

  • Preference for militarized approaches or “hawkish” solutions in foreign policy decision-making.

  • A heightened sense of existential threats leading to distrust among allies and potential abandonment if not aligned with national interests.

Basic Liberal Assumptions

  1. States exist in an anarchic international system, but also recognize the role of non-state actors:

    • States retain sovereignty but are not unitary entities.

    • Anarchy does not preclude the possibility of cooperation among states.

  2. Belief in fundamentally good human nature.

  3. Survival is crucial, but many states transcend this focus towards broader interests.

Intellectual Origins of Liberalism

  • Emerged in response to revolutions opposing monarchies, emphasizing:

    • Consent of the governed over divine authority.

  • Fundamental departures from realism include:

    • Rejecting the notion of a rational, unitary state and the zero-sum framework for political interactions.

  • Influenced by thinkers including:

    • John Locke

    • Montesquieu

    • Immanuel Kant

Basic Tenets of Liberalism

  • Soft power can be as pivotal as hard power in international politics.

  • International politics primarily consists of good actors striving to cooperate under anarchy.

  • Through cooperation, states can secure mutual benefits, opposing the notion of zero-sum interactions.

  • Implication: Pursuing self-interest should not inherently lead to conflict; interdependence and institutions encourage honesty in interactions.

Core Assumptions

Realism

  • Actors viewed as rational, unitary political units within an anarchic framework.

  • Preferences of states are understood to be fixed and conflictual.

  • International structure is characterized by anarchy necessitating self-help strategies.

Liberalism

  • Actors viewed as rational and risk-averse societal entities seeking cooperation.

  • Preferences recognized as variable, with political institutions representing diverse interests.

  • International structure leads to interdependence rather than conflict.

Liberalism in American Politics

  • Notable speeches reflecting liberal perspectives include:

    • Obama, 2009 Cairo Speech (available at 13:30 mark in the video).

    • Reagan, 1985 speech concerning US-USSR relations (available at 2:20 mark in the video).