Exam I Review Notes

Exam Logistics

  • Midterm evaluation available until 4/30

  • Exam I Date/Time: May 1, 11:30am-12:50pm

  • Exam Format:

    • 10 True/false questions - 20 pts

    • 5 multiple choice questions - 20 pts

    • 6 short answer questions (one sentence responses) - 20 pts

    • One essay question - 40 pts

  • Total points available: 100

  • Blue book will be provided for the exam.

Key Themes

  • Key Assumptions

  • Three Levels of Analysis in International Relations (IR)

  • Anarchy and Three Schools of Thought

  • Bargaining Theory of War

  • Democracy and War

  • The Role of Leaders in War

Key Assumptions

  1. Anarchy:

    • No central authority governs the international system.

  2. Rationality:

    • All actors pursue their interests strategically; no actor behaves irrationally.

  3. No Harmony:

    • Actors’ interests do not match perfectly; conflicts arise.

Importance of the State in IR

  • States are the primary actors in the international system.

  • Concepts associated with the state:

    • Sovereignty: The authority of a state to govern itself.

    • Monopoly of Violence: The state's control over the legitimate use of force.

    • State Interests:

    • Power/Security, Economic/material welfare, and Ideological goals.

  • Interactions among states include:

    • Bargaining and cooperation (coordination & collaboration).

Three Levels of Analysis in IR

  1. Individual Level: Actions and decisions of individual leaders.

  2. Nation-State Level: Characteristics and actions of countries.

  3. International System Level: Interactions among various states in a global context.

Polarity in the International System

  • Polarity: Refers to the distribution of power in the international system.

  • Types:

    • Unipolar: One dominant state, considered stable. more stable than multipolar systems due to its ability to maintain order and deter aggression from potential challengers.

    • Bipolar: Two dominant states, relates to balance of power theory.

    • Multipolar: Multiple significant states, tends to be unstable.

Anarchy & Major Theoretical Schools

  • Anarchy Defined:

    • Absence of a central governing authority.

  • Theoretical Perspectives:

    • Realism: Anarchy is the foundational principle; highlights survival and self-help.

    • Liberalism: Focus on common interests, economic cooperation, and repeated interactions.

    • Constructivism: Emphasizes social constructions and shared meanings of anarchy.

Bargaining Theory of War

  • States would benefit from a settlement to avoid the high costs of war.

  • Reasons for failure in bargaining:

    • Incomplete information and incentives to misrepresent.

    • Commitment problems related to bargaining power and preventive war.

    • Indivisible issues complicating negotiations.

Democracy and War

  • Democratic Peace Theory: Democracies rarely engage in war with one another; however, they may frequently go to war with non-democracies.

  • Potential confounding factors include:

    • Economic development, shared strategic interests, and racialized peace.

  • Institutional explanations:

    • Accountability and the complex nature of democratic processes lead to more caution in warfare.

    • Normative reasons: Internal democratic values influence foreign policy.

Leaders and Their Role in War

  • The impact of individual leaders is more pronounced in authoritarian regimes than in stable democracies.

  • Individual Leaders:

    • Leaders with military backgrounds may act differently based on their combat experiences.

    • Older and female leaders may show varying levels of engagement in international conflicts.

Next Week's Focus

  • Prepare for discussed readings. Chapter 3 pp. 114-120 from FLS.

  • Fearon (1997): "Signaling foreign policy interests: Tying hands versus sinking costs."