21st Century IR

Question 1

What were new reasons for optimism post Cold War?

Answer 1

• empirical progress: disarmament and ceasefires, end of proxy wars (1988-92)
• peace theories suggest triumph of liberal democracy
• IOs more stable at end of Cold War
• INF treaty, CWC, CFE, START 1- eliminates 80% of strategic nuclear weapons
• wohlforth: unipolarity is most stable, Krauthammer: unipolarity is accepted as it facilitates solutions to world’s problems

Question 2

What are examples of new wars?

Answer 2

• Somalia (91-94): civil War led to famine, intervention
• Yugoslavia (91-99): 1st European war since 45- mass atrocities
• Rwanda (94): genocide, 500,000 killed in 100 days
• DRC Congo (96-2003): internationalised civil war- 5m deaths

Question 3

What is Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s theory of new wars?

Answer 3

‘Pandemonium’- ethnicity is key in new conflict

Question 4

What is Samuel p Huntington’s theory of new wars?

Answer 4

‘Clash of civilisations’- conflict alone civilisational fault lines, eg religion

Question 5

What is Robert Kaplan’s theory of new wars?

Answer 5

‘The coming anarchy’- ancient hatreds, overpopulation and resource struggles caused wars

Question 6

What is Mary Kaldor’s ‘new wars thesis’?

Answer 6

• conflict has been transformed by globalisation
• intra -state conflict
• actors: criminals, mercenaries, child soldiers, war lords and IOs
• due to greed and ethnic hatred
• victims: civilians
• new wars fuelled by surplus weapons from other conflicts

Question 7

How does Kaldor suggest globalisation impacts conflict?

Answer 7

• income disparities lead to decline of social contract
• emigration leads to diasporas
• urbanisation- rootless population and organised crime
• crisis of identity- identity politics
• weakening of nation stages- privatisation of violence

Question 8

What are counter arguments to Kaldor’s new wars thesis?

Answer 8

• no increased conflict- end of Cold War spike is abnormal, due to collapse of previously soviet funded states
• intra state conflict is nothing new, internationalised civil wars are the only new part
• new actors not entirely absent before: warlords in 1920s China, children fought for Ottoman Empire in WW1
• ethnic nationalism has always occurred, so has looting
• ratio between military and civilian deaths have not changed in time- loads in Bosnia

Question 9

How is unipolarity being recently challenged?

Answer 9

The stability through hierarchy with the US as hegemon is being challenged by rising powers like China, the EU and resurgent Russia

Question 10

How has China developed recently?

Answer 10

• share of world GDP has doubled in GDP
• 500m lifted out of poverty
• largest trading nation
• large weapon growth

Question 11

How has the EU developed recently?

Answer 11

• larger market, based on purchasing power parity

- military budget is 40% of US’

Question 12

How has Russia resurged recently?

Answer 12

• relative power gains in 2000s
• views self in zero sum competition with EU/ US- illiberal perspective
• 26% of world’s market

Question 13

Why are power transitions risky periods in IR?

Answer 13

• declining powers can start a preventative war whilst still superior
• rising powers can fight to change international system to their advantage

Question 14

What are examples of power transitions in IR?

Answer 14

• Peloponnesian war
• franco- Prussian war
• WW1

Question 15

What are the US’ strategies in relation to rising China?

Answer 15

• Obama’s 2012 ‘pivot to east’ strategy

- strengthening partnership with china’s neighbours

Question 16

What is the difference between traditional and rising powers?

Answer 16

Traditional= liberal, pro IOs, cosmopolitan

Aspiring= nationalism, realism, illiberal visions, favor sovereignty