Midterm Review

Global Politics: Midterm Review Globalization

Time-space compression Weber’s definition of the state Rise of the modern nation-state

Sovereignty

Fukuyama’s “end of history”

Huntington’s “clash of civilizations” Statism, survival, self-help

Balance of power Anarchy

Historical process involving the shift or transformation of human social organization that links distant communities and expands the reach of power relations across regions and continents. Also a catch-all phrase to describe a single world economy or an international capitalist system. Globalization erodes the relative isolation of the past in terms of the political, economic, social, cultural, etc. That which has a monopoly over the legitimate use of organized violence.  

Hanseatic League - Trade union of N. Europe commercial cities (13th-17th cent). Peace of Westphalia (1648) - "birth of the (sovereign) nation-state"  Right of monarchs to sovereignty, armies, state religions, etc.  Mass army, public education, nationalism  Average size of states expanded during the 19th cent and contracted in the 20th. C-Weberian notion: "a political entity's externally recognized right to exercise final authority over its affairs." Nation-states (or city-states) as the "units" of global political system.  

A base "ideal" drives the "actual" superstructure, grounded in people’s ideology. “The end point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government.” The inevitability of conflict as a historically proven fact. Argues that the next key conflicts in the world will not be economic or ideological but cultural. Statism: Sovereign states are preeminent global actors. Sovereignty and authority over territory. Survival: The primary objective of all states. Self-help: Act in the interest of your own state (since no other institution can be a reliable guarantor of survival). A balanced distribution of global power among states so as to deter conflict. As contrasted with “collective security” like in League of Nations. Lack of a prevailing world-governing order. Can lead to distrust, anxiety, conflict, war, etc. Ill effects potentially minimized through internatnl cooperation (common interest / institutions?).

Core assumptions of neorealism

Modification of Realism. Economic and military capabilities as the basis for exercising influence. Concern for issues of security, power, and survival.

Distinguish classical vs. neo(structural) realism

Classical: Struggle for power from human nature, power over principle, limited justice & law under authoritarian governments. Structural: Anarchy, struggle for relative power gains, all states are functionally equivalent.

Carr on internationalism and the harmony of interests Collective security

Argues a “harmony of interests” under anarchy is naïve. Calls for institutional internationalism?

Democratic peace (Kant, Doyle)

‘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.’ (Principle behind League of Nations, who failed to act.) Idea that the spread of democratic among states unlikely to war (w/ each other). Central plank of liberal institutionalist thought.

Strands of liberalism Commercial Republican Sociological

Commercial liberalism advocates free trade and a market as a way towards peace and prosperity; Republican liberalism holds that democratic states are more inclined to respect the rights of their citizens and are less likely to go to war Sociological liberalism emphasizes global civil society and the process of interdependence.

(Neoliberal) Institutionalism & Functions of institutions

Institutions as the mediator to achieve cooperation help govern a competitive and anarchic international system and encourage multilateralism & co operation as a means of securing national interests.

Relative vs. absolute gains

Distinguish and compare liberal institutionalism and neorealism

Base and Superstructure in Marxist intl relations theory Core, semi-, and periphery in world system theory.

'Relative gains': states compare their gains with those of other states when making their decisions about security. (Neo-realist) ‘Absolute gains’: states cooperate and the greatest obstacle to cooperation is 'cheating' or non compliance by other states. Cooperation may be harder to achieve in areas where leaders perceive they have no mutual interests. (Neo-liberal) Liberal institutionalists focus on cooperation, political economy, environmental issues, and lately, human rights issues. Less concerned about relative gains and consider that all will benefit from absolute gains. Neo-realists focus on security and military issues (high politics), concerned with the absolute and relative gains. Base: global economic arrangement, means of production, relations Superstructure: socio-political systems that arise according to Base realities. Econ -> Politc power. Core: industrialized production of sold manufactured goods, importing resources from Periphery. Periphery: unindustrialized, exporting natural resources, but dependent on Core manufactureds. A global division of labor leads to permanent relative underdevelopment in dependent Periphery.

Contradictions in capitalism, and underconsumption Lenin’s theory of war

Ex: Capitalists’ desire to profit off lower wages vs. needing a moneyed consuming population

Logic of consequences vs. logic of appropriateness (constructivism)

Logic of consequences: action attributed to anticipated costs & benefits (utilitarian). Logic of appropriateness: actors are rule-following, concerned with legitimacy (deontological).

Material vs. normative structures Levels and actors of focus under different theories

Base/economic/material vs. Superstructure/socio-political/ideal

War is a continuation of politics. Aim of war is to achieve military victory for the political victory of socialism.

Social facts

Neo-realist: primarily nation-states. Neo-liberal: nation-states, international institutions, NGOs, transnational corporations. Marxism: classes, means of production. Constructivism: human consciousness, knowledge constructed orders “Facts” in a system of political thought are determined socially through intersubjective consensus.

Social construction of reality

The ideas and norms people hold are the constructors of environments, including political order.

Power, knowledge, identities, and interests (constructivism)

Power comes from constructed orders. Knowledge influences beliefs. Identities and interest play a role in constructions.

Core assumptions of constructivism

Political and economic realities constructed by normative social ideals of human consciousnesses. Ideas as structural factors. Material forces consequent of actor interpretation of material reality. Agents produce structures, but structures can also produce agents. International norms emerge from norm entrepreneurs (leaders or influential figures). Norm cascade: dynamic of imitation as norm leaders socialize other states into norm followers, powered by a pressure for conformity, and the benefits of an enhanced international legitimacy. Norm internalization occurs when cascading norms become so commonplace that they become taken-for-granted and are almost automatically honored.

Norm emergence, norm cascade, and norm internalization (Finnermore and Sikkink) Wendt’s Three Cultures of Anarchy (constructivism)

Hobbesian – enemy states: power maximizers Lockean – rivaling states: security maximizers (rational egoists) Kantian – friends: common self-interest, mutual gain

Asymmetric Warfare

War between two parties, one with much greater relative military capability. Weaker party often resorts to guerilla tactics such as terrorism, attack on civilians, hostage-taking, etc.

“New wars”

Occur in failed states where governments are not able to maintain law & order over population. Characterized by vicious conflict among groups and warlords (even child soldiers), often funded by black market economics including arms smuggling, drug and resource trade, etc. Hired guns as an alternative to state armies. Sometimes w/ revolutionary intentions (Eq. Guinea) Sometimes employed by states to act outside the law in wartime (Blackwater USA) or avoid draft. Technology leads to new strategies and lower causalities in war. (WMDs, “virtual” war, etc.)

Private military firms & mercenaries Revolution in military affairs (RMA)