IR 271 Midterm 1
sovereignty,
the condition of a state having control and authority over its own territory and being free from any higher legal authority. It is related to, but distinct from, the condition of a government being free from, the condition of a government being free from any external political constraints.
Democratic Peace Thesis
A central plank of liberal-internationalist thought, the democratic peace thesis makes two claims: first, liberal polities exhibit restraint in their relations with other liberal polities (the so-called separate peace), but second, they are imprudent in relations with authoritarian states. The validity of the democratic peace thesis has been fiercely debated in the international relations literature.
Strategic Defense Initiative
A controversial strategic policy advocated by the Reagan administration and nuclear physicists such as Edward Teller, who helped create the hydrogen bomb. The plan, which is often derisively nicknamed "star wars" called for a defensive missile shield that would make soviet offensive missiles ineffective by destroying them in flight.
idealism
-"no private int'l understandings" -armament reduction -"principle of justice to all peoples" -"people of the US could act upon no other principle
fourteen points
-"no private int'l understandings" -armament reduction -"principle of justice to all peoples" -"people of the US could act upon no other principle"
European Union/European Integration
-28 member states -European economic community, 1958 -shift from economic to political union in 1993 -law-making: european parliament, european council -other: court of justice, european central bank -grand strategy: full economic and political integration -imperatives: peace on european continent, liberal world order on effective democratic multilateral engagement -Challenges: diverging national interests, different conceptions of multilateralism, aging population
Wilson
-28th President of the United States -idealism-14 points -"no private int'l understandings" -armament reduction -"principle of justice to all peoples" -"people of the US could act upon no other principle"
Armistice
-A ceasefire agreement between enemies in wartime. In the case of World War I, the armistice began at 11 am on November 11, 1918.
United Nations
-An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation. -realists argue it has no influence on int'l politics -liberalism sees it as a primary actor
Wendt
-Anarchy is what states make of it -sovereign states are dominant actors -states live in anarchical world -anarchy can be mediated by changing state identities/interests -self help world and power politics are results of processes not inherent structures of int'l system
League of Nations
-collective security -intended to prevent future wars -Wilson's 14 points, formed by him -US never joined due to congressional vote -Russia never joined and Germany excluded -started in 1920, disbanded in 1946
Neoliberal Institutionalism (or Liberal Institutionalism)
-cooperation: the act of bringing actors which are not in pre-existence harmony into comformity with one another through a process of policy coordination -ideally, increase gains for all parties involved (challenge to relative vs. absolute gains) -despite the celebration of cooperation it can still be exploitative -cooperation is not altruism, it is driven by state self-interest
Ukraine
-Crimea annexed by Russia in 1783 -Crimean War (Black sea access) -WW2--> agriculture -Crimea transfered to Ukraine in 1954 -2008 Georgia and Ukraine seeking NATO and EU membership -geopolitical imperatives: sovereignty by appeasing Russia and searching for other partners to gain leverage over Russia -geographical challenges: largest grain producers and lots of raw material, diversify markets away from China -viewed under classical realism
Waltz
-Founder of neorealism -defensive realism -hold your ground
Thucydides
-Greek historian. Considered the greatest historian of antiquity, he wrote a critical history of the Peloponnesian War -fear (phobos), self-interest(herdos), and honor (doxa) -morality and idealism in foreign policy? -individual vs. states person -order and survival -REALISM
Hobbes
-survival -causes of a "quarrel" include: competition - gain, diffidence-safety, reputation-glory -war is constant (risk), every man against every man -war is prevented by power -trade personal liberty for guarantee of security and civil society -REALISM
security dilemma,
-In an anarchic international system, one with no common central power, when one state seeks to improve its security it creates insecurity in other states. -states are always insecure -to seek protection you seek to have more protection than the other state
Mearsheimer
-The leading offensive realist, Mearsheimer argues (e.g., in "The False Promise of International Institutions") that institutions have little effect on state action or stability. -keep potential peer competitors down -offensive realism
France
-Post WW2: strong alliance with Germany for peace of continent -independent foreign policy -strong republic
National interest ,
-The interests of a state overall (as opposed to particular parties or factions within the state). -the material and ideational goals of a nation-state
Kant
-This philosopher showed the overall attitude of the Enlightenment by saying "have the courage to use your own understanding" -democratic peace theory -"perpetual peace", 1795, -a separate peace for constitutional republics -publics will not vote for war unless in defence -institutional democracy, trade/interdependence, int'l law
Paradigm,
-a model or example. In the case of IR theory, the term is a rough synonym for "academic perspective." It provides the basis for a theory, describing what is real and significant in a given area so that we can select appropriate research questions. -general set of guiding ideas to determine what is important to help you understand the world -lens/filter to understand which facts to focus on at a time -help us decide what should be studied and how
prisoner's dilemma,
-a particular "game" between two captured prisoners that illustrates why cooperation is difficult to maintain even when it is mutually beneficial -a game in which pursuing dominant strategies results in noncooperation that leaves everyone worse off,
polarity (unipolar, bipolar, multipolar),
-describing power distribution of states -uni: one hegemon -bi: two hegemons -multi: equal power
Structural Realism
-domestic affairs of a country don't matter -distribution of power throughout global system--> POWER -describing how states interact in an anarchic world -NO MORAL JUDGEMENTS -self-help -polarity -state level analysis
Defensive Realism
-emphasis on state behavior -goal: survival -Waltz: hold your ground
Offensive Realism
-great power behavior -goal: hegemony and no peer competitor -emphasis on intentionally -Mearshimer: keep potential competitors down
Classical Realism
-human nature makes for an endless struggle for power -principles must be subordinated to policy-making for state survival--> ethics give the worst outcomes -power & struggle for it is the organising principle of global politics -doesn't tell us how states will act
Morgenthau
-human nature realist -human nature is constant -assumes interest is defined in terms of power --> nationality -nationality is the driver of international politics, not state-men's morality -interest varies due to political/cultural situations -power: domination of man by man -autonomy of political sphere
Liberalism
-idea there's another way the world works besides realism -cooperation does happen -promoting individual freedom promotes peace -governments founded on respect for individual freedoms exercise restraint -free trade = increase in wealth more than increase in war, interdependence -state level analysis -unlike realists, liberals (in particular, neo-liberal institutionalists) also see a role for international institutions
Constructivism
-ideas our actions and words and create rules and norms -socially constructed realities define the international system -to understand the system, we must focus on shared rules, practices, meanings, identities, and norms -these factors define the interests, identities, preferences, and actions of each state in the system -ideas are the heart of Int'l politics: creates classification of who is friend or foe as they are socially constructed -IR can be changed -ideas are powerful -state identity, how states conceive themselves and others -international norms and social practices -interactions between states, established contact - states aren't necessarily the most important actors -game-changers are the most important actors
Russia
-largest country in the world -geographical challenges: concentrated west to control relation with other countries -grand strategy: secure russian core of moscow, maintain internal security, hold federation together, prevent NATO expansion (EU and democratic contagion) -seeks economic dominance through grand strategy -major internal security issues (made of many federations) -expand power across immediate neighborhood to create buffers against other powers -expand north and east to secure hostile territory protected by urals -expand south to caucuses to hamper invasions of asian origin -expand as far away from west as possible -expand to warm water ports that have open-ocean access -economic challenges: 2008 recession, 2014 crimea annexation, ukraine invasion sanctions(ruble collapse and financial crisis) - cont. 2016 US interference sanctions, energy market crisis, russian regional debt, 2018 world cup, recreating union with soviet societies, excursions into Georgia, Chechnya, and Ukraine -population challenges -resource challenge -military challenges -viewed under classical realism
Belarus
-like Ukraine, at the heart of a broader stand off between Russia and the West -chose to join Russia and Kazakhstan in a custom union -2010 Belarusian president cracked down on protests after his election -EU and US sanctions -In 2014, positioned itself as a mediatior between west and Russia
United Kingdom
-maintain the kingdom -scottish independence issue (2014) -northern Ireland tension -balance between US and Europe -leverage/influence the US without dependence -participate in Europe but maintain autonomy -Brexit
hegemon/hegemony,
-most powerful state in the system. -the rule of the most powerful state/the burden and responsibility of the most powerful state to maintain order.
Finnemore and Sikkink
-norm is a standard of appropriate behavior for actors with a given activity -norm = life cycle
Turkey
-preserve border integrity (kurdish region) -regime stability-tension between "secular" faction of the sea of Marmara region which sees the country's future in association with Europe and the religious faction of the Anatolia -coup attempt in july 2016 -became authoritarian in response to this -emerge as a significant regional power -energy corridor for oil and gas -cannot balance between russia and china -instead its a soft power in the region -small regional power
Globalization
-process of increasing "interconnectedness" between societies -political, economic, cultural, and social events become more interconnected/complex -pace of economic transformation has created a new form of world politics -emerging global polity -global civil society? -health improves and poverty declines -standards for human rights are higher -solutions to global problems are more likely -ideas of what is possible expands p.5-6
Budapest Memorandum
-providing security assurances by its signatories relating to the accession of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The memorandum was originally signed by three nuclear powers, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. China and France gave somewhat weaker individual assurances in separate documents.[1] The memorandum included security assurances against threats or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
theory,
-simplify the world: what matters more vs. what matters less -functions: describe, analyse, predict -constant modification (neo theories) -requires evidence -simplifying device that shapes decisions about which facts matter and don't -sometimes called a lens or academic perspective -plausible explanation for correlation and causation -what goes together? -what creates what?
Poland
-sovereignty--> create a relationship with NATO and EU to avoid Russian intervention -After Ukraine, Poland calls for permanent deployment of NATO forces -part of theatre ballistic missile defense system -NATO puts missile defense system in Iran but they suspect its the Soveit Union
United Nations Security Council
-the main governing body of the United Nations, it has the authority to identify threats to international peace and security and to prescribe the organization's response, including military and/or economic sanctions
Appeasement
A policy of making concessions to an aggressor in the hopes of avoiding war. Associated with Neville Chamberlain's policy of making concessions to Adolf Hitler.
capitalism
A system of production in which human labor and its products are commodities that are bought and sold in the marketplace.
hypothesis
A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
free trade
An essential element of capitalism that argues for no barriers or minimal barriers to the exchange of goods, services, and investments among states.
oye
Alter Payoff Structure -> payoff structures can be modified through unilateral, bilateral, and multilateral strategies (unilateral reduces both the cost of being exploited and the gains from exploitation, bilateral is usually issue linkage, and multilateral is usually international regimes (creates norms and be internalized by states or generate information) Iterated Games -> play the game more than once and employ tit-for-tat strategy/reciprocity -> requires flexibility and control -> Internal factional, organizational, and bureaucratic issues may limit the ability of states to employ tit-for-tat -> need to define conduct and implement surveillance N-Person games -> becomes increasingly harder to play -> regime creation -> Conventions and enforcement mechanisms -> Can also lose efficiency/over all gains if willing to decrease number of participants -> may increase costs on third parties that may retaliate
bipolar
An international political order in which two states dominate all others. It is often used to describe the nature of the international system when the two superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, were dominant powers during the Cold War.
levels of analysis,
Analysts of global politics may examine factors at various levels—such as individual, domestic, systemic, and global—to explain actions and events. Each level provides possible explanations on a different scale.
Gartzke
Capitalist Peace instead of democratic peace -> indicators of capitalism (high development, financial openness) explain peace better than democracy
balance of power,
In the international system, a state of affairs in which there is parity and stability among competing forces, and no one state is sufficiently strong to dominate all the others.
Farrell and Newman
Interdependence can be weaponized Physical access/jurisdiction to hubs -> information from hub Democratic institutions/interests ->limit/penalize use of hub
Doyle
Liberal pacifism (Schumpeter) -> democratic capitalism leads to peace -> opposition to war by majority of population -> issues because it assumes states only care about material gains, states all move forward in the same way Liberalism Imperialism (Machiavelli) -> liberty in classical mixed republic increases population and wealth, -> wealthy states have large/strong armies -> political survival needs expansion Liberal Internationalism (Kant) -> exercise democratic caution and are capable of appreciating the international rights of foreign republics -> remain in state of war with nonrepublics, threatened by aggression from non-republics
Strategic arms reductions treaty
Negotiations between the US and the Soviet Union over limiting nuclear arsenals began in 1982 and progressed very slowly over 8 years. the eventual treaty in 1991 broke new ground because it called for reduction of nuclear arms rather than just a limit on the growth of these weapons.
relative gains,
One of the factors that realists argue constrain the willingness of states to cooperate. States are less concerned about whether everyone benefits (absolute gains) and more concerned about whether someone may benefit more than someone else.
NATO
Organisation established by treaty in April 1949 including 12 (later 16) countries from Western Europe and North America. The most important aspect of this alliance was the US commitment to the defence of Western Europe. Today it has 28 members.
problem solving theory
Realism and liberalism are problem-solving theories that address issues and questions within the dominant paradigm or the present system. How can we fix capitalism? How can we make a society more democratic? These are problem-solving questions that assume nothing is wrong with the core elements of the system.
Responsibility to Protect Resolution
Resolution supported by the United Nations in 2005 to determine the international community's responsibility in preventing mass atrocities, reacting to crises, protecting citizens, rebuilding, and preventing future problems.
soft power
The influence and authority deriving from the attraction that a country's political, social, and economic ideas, beliefs, and practices have for people living in other countries.
terrorism
The use of violence by groups or, in some cases, states inspire fear by attacking civilians and/or symbolic targets and eliminating opposition groups. This is done for purposes such as drawing widespread attention to a grievance, provoking a severe response, or wearing down an opponent's moral resolve to effect political change.
nation-state,
a political community in which the state claims legitimacy on the grounds that it represents all citizens, including those who may identify as a separate community or nation
anarchic system
a realist description of the international system that suggests there is no common power or central governing structure
zero-sum game,
a situation in which an economic gain by one country results in an economic loss by another
anarchy,
a system operating in the absence of any central government. It does not imply chaos but, in realist theory, the absence of political authority.
hierarchy,
a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.
comparative advantage
a theory developed by David Ricardo stating that two countries will gain from trade if, in the absence of trade, they have different relative costs for producing the same goods. Even if one country is more efficient than the other in the production of all goods (absolute advantage), both countries will still gain by trading with each other as long as they have different relative efficiencies.
collective security
an arrangement where "each state in the system accepts that the security of one is the concern of all, and agrees to join in a collective response to aggression"
peace of Westphalia,
ended the Thirty Years' war and was crucial in delimiting the political rights and authority of European monarchs
Information/norm cascade,
idea that norms and information can spread to facilitate change. ex. Berlin Wall fall
absolute gains,
the notion that all states seek to have more power and influence in the system to secure their national interests. offensive neo-realists are also concerned with increasing power relative to other states. One must have enough power to secure interests and more power than any other state in the system-friend or foe.
Cold War,
the period from 1946 to 1991 defined by ideological conflict and rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. This was a global struggle for the hearts and minds of citizens around the world that was characterised by political conflict, militarised competition, proxy wars, and economic competition.
national self-determination
the right or desire of distinct national groups to become states and to rule themselves
Norms,
these specify generals standards of behavior and identify the rights and obligations of states. Together, norms and principles define essential character of a regime, and these cannot be changed without transforming the nature of the regime.