anarchy Flashcards
what is the definition of anarchy?
“The absence of any authority superior to nation-states and capable of arbitrating their disputes and enforcing international law. The term anarchy is derived from the ancient Greek root anarchos (“without authority”), denoting the absence of the rule of law or of settled government.”
what are the. basic principles of Realism?
statism, surival, self-help = 3S
what is statism?
state is the most important unit, states represent the collective will of the people. Its authority to exercise power domestically derives from its legitimacy
● Beyond state borders, the IS is ruled by anarchy —» functional anarchy (not chaos): the lack of a central power, a world state that could make and enforce rules
what is the perceotion is the international realm?
all states consider themselves to be the highest authority, it is ruled by anarchy
what is the perception of the domestic realm?
it is hierarchical
what is the primary goal of foreign policy?
the survival of the state - under the condition of anarchy it is never fully guaranteed
how is survival the best secured?
accumulation of power
what is the basic principle of realism?
Balance of Power
what is self-help?
each and every state is forced to secure its own prosperity and survival since there is no supreme authority - Therefore, according to Realists, it is dangerous to trust other states or int. org.
what is the theory of hobbes?
- State of Nature: the war of all against all (homo homini lupus) —» permanent state of war, permanent insecurity and threat. People live in constant fear of each other.
- Way out: creating and maintaining a sovereign state (Leviathan) —» social contract
- Surrendering personal freedoms (use of force) for security —» rational cooperation for security
- Paradox: man becomes civilized because of fear of his fellow man
- Security does not extend beyond the borders of the state. The creation of the sovereign state by definition creates a state of nature among states (anarchy) —» this state of nature cannot be escaped, there can be no social contract among states
What was the first great debate about?
if liberalism was defeated after WW1
What can Liberalism mean?
What is Liberalism?
● economic liberalism (“neoliberalism”)
● domestic politics (liberalism as a political ideology)
● IR Liberalism (core concepts):
○ Cooperation, Interdependence and integration, Int. instituations, Non-state actor, pluralism of actors —» domestic + int. actors ex.: churches, Pluralism of power, Political systems and domestic politics —» black box has to be opened up, Collective security, Int. Law, Human rights and normativity
○ positive sum game vs. zero sum game (if 1 country is succeeding other might not) vs. if you (want something you have to take it from someone)
List the 4 Liberalisms in IR
- Sociological Liberalism
- Independence Liberalism
- Liberal Institutionalism
- Republican Liberalism
Describe Sociological Liberalism
transnational, non-governmental relations among societies
➔ Liberal assumption: interpersonal relations (relations between people) are more peaceful and more cooperative than intergovernmental relations (relations between governments/states)
➔ John Burton: World Society (1972): cobweb model: states are made up of many communities groups which all have different interests and external (inter”national”) connections. Overlapping relations/connections diminish the likelihood of conflict.
➔ Benefit: describes real-life international relations, it is not constrained by statism. This world is more cooperative than the state-centered world Realists describe.
➔ The (nation)state is an exclusive community (see nationalism), and the interests of states seldom overlap
➔ Therefore, the more complex and wide transnational networks are, the more peaceful the IS becomes
Describe Interdependence Liberalism
mutual economic dependence (interdependence)
➔ Interdependence=mutual dependence on each other: the life of peoples and governments are affected by what is happening in other parts of the world
➔ Keohane & Nye: Power and Interdependence (1977)
◆ complex interdependence: Relations on multiple levels beyond that of heads of state (bureaucracy); transnational relations between non-state actors; effectiveness of the military option decreases.
◆ Interstate relations become friendlier and more cooperative
● States will pursue diverse goals (not just security), non-state actors will pursue their goals independent of states
● Power is measured differently, depending on the issue in question (cf. the influence of small states)
● The role of int. org. is increasing: amplifying the influence of small states, for a for coalition building, international agenda setting
Describe Liberal Institutionalism
int. institutions are the primary factor and creates more international system
◆ International institutions facilitate cooperation among states
◆ They decrease uncertainty, fear and the lack of trust
Describe Republican Liberalism
democratic political systems
Describe the neo-neo debate
- Both schools accept the anarchic nature of the international system
- Realism: anarchy places strict constraints on state behavior
- Liberalism: Realists underestimate the role of interdependence, globalization ad international institutions, which limit the negative effects of anarchy - Booth schools consider cooperation possible
- Realism: cooperation is difficult, temporary, and a function of state interests
- Liberalism: cooperation is easy when state interests overlap - States evaluate cooperation differently
- Realism: states are interested in relative gains
- Liberalism: states are interested in absolute gains - What are states primarily motivated by
- Realism: survival, security and power, due to the constraints of anarchy
- Liberalism: economic prosperity and other, non-security issues - The role of international institutions
- Realism: they are of secondary important since they are function of great power interests, therefore they do not limit anarchy
- Liberalism: they are autonomous actors, are of central importance as they limit anarchy and thereby facilitate cooperation
explain absolute and relative gains in the neo neo debate
Neoliberalism:
● States are atomised units (their behavior is independent of that of other states)
● States are maximizing their absolute gains. They do not care how much the partner benefits from cooperation
● Cheating is the main obstacle of cooperation for self-interested states (see game theory examples)
● International institutions can limit cheating with e.g. monitoring
Neorealism:
● States do not care about absolute gain and they are afraid of cheating partners
● BUT states are positional units, not atomised
● Therefore, cheating will not be the primary concern for them, but partners benefitting more - in relative terms - since these relative gains can be turned into against the state
● Thus, cheating and the fear of the relative gains of the partner together hinder cooperation.
● Realists argue that relative gains motivate state decisions about cooperation, even though states do not care about absolute gains.
What is Constructivism?
According to constructivists, the world is constructed by individuals, most importantly the leaders of states. Therefore, if we change our shared beliefs about the international system, sooner or later the system itself will also change.
- Thus, the world can be shaped and changed (see the end of the Cold War)
What is the critique of constructivism of the neo neo debate?
Individualism: the view that actors (states) have fixed (given, unchanging) interests and that the structure (e.g. anarchy) constrains their behavior.
- Materialism: the view that the structure that constrains behavior is defined by distribution of power, technology, and geography (i.e. By material factors).
- Status quo theories —» have difficulties with explaining change
- Ideas and norms:
- Realism —» material interests override norms, so they don’t matter;
- Liberalism —» norms are secondary when explaining behavior;
Constructivism —» central role, they are able to explain behavior
Main ideas of Wendt?
Constructivism: since the world is constructed, it can be changed. Anarchy is no exception (Wendt).
- Anarchy Is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics (1992) one of the key texts of Constructivism.
- Ideas, institutions, historical contingency (chance) —» questions historical path- dependency, anarchy does not necessarily lead to self-help
- States are still the primary units of analysis, but their relations are socially constructed. State identity and interests are products of the interactions of states.
- State behavior is guided by norms, subjective factors, cultural-historical experiences, institutions etc.
- Anarchy is also a social construct, different forms of anarchy are possible („cultures of anarchy”) that are not characterized by self-help.
What are the basics os classical realism?
● Rich historical tradition
● Anthropological pessimism
● Anarchy cannot be circumvented, conflict is a permanent feature of world politics —» the benefit of hindsight and the role of history
● Primacy of state interests and survival
● Power as an instrument
● States are not equal, IR is essentially the science of great powers
● Pessimism regarding the possibility of progress (the rules of international relations are unchanging)
● Alternative to morality: the state interest justifies everything and anything, morality and norms should be disregarded when the state’s interests are at stake
What are the basics of Waltzian Neorealism?
● Kenneth Waltz theory of international politics (1979) most cited source in IR
● Waltz’s goal making realism more scientific —» tools lifted from microeconomics, analogy of the market applied to the international system
○ Rational actor model: the State is rational and behaves like the consumer/firm in the market (utility maximization)
○ Walt: human nature, as used in the classical realism, is not a Scientific category, so it cannot be the starting point for realist thought
● Main question: why do wars occur? Classical realism: bad people; because there is nothing to prevent them in the international system
● Classical Realism: inductive approach (looking at int’l. politics from the state), anarchy is a feature of the international system to which states (the units) react according to their own characteristics.
● Structural Realism: deductive systemic theory, the structure of the system (anarchy) explains the behavior of units (states). (Cf. Levels of analysis)
● Anarchy itself is the most important characteristic of the system
○ Twin facts of life: anarchy creates constant danger and self-help
● System = structure+units
● Key elements of the system:
○ Structure/ordering principle —» anarchy
○ Distribution of capabilities among units of the system
● The 3S are still valid, but state behavior is shaped by the constraints of the system, not by human nature
● Anarchy’s influence on state behavior:
○ Anarchy —» danger and uncertainty —» self-help state —» power maximization —» balance of power, conflict a feature of the anarchic system
● The goal of the balance of power is to prevent the emergence of a hegemon. Thus, the balance of power, a product of anarchy, both reinforces and recreates anarchy!
● Benefit of Structural Realism: anarchy and the distribution of capabilities are measurable, observed patterns/laws are generalizable.Ahistorical science: all anarchical systems work the same way.
● Structural Realism is good at explaining why dissimilar states behave similarly under anarchy
● Cases where similar states behave differently —» unit level explanations needed, e.g. Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA)
● Power for Waltz: the total of a state’s capabilities —» not just military power (cf. Classical Realism)
○ Military
○ Economy
○ Territory
○ Population
○ Geography
● Power is a relative concept (is compared to other states)
● Anarchy places states under the same constraints (self-help and power maximization), but states differ
● States differ based on their position in the system. Power and capabilities define position.
● States act according to their capabilities
● Distribution of capabilities within a system —» concentration in great powers —» polarity (number of great powers in the system).
● POWER IS A RELATIONAL CONCEPT
● Great powers can have a greater influence on what goes on in a system —» Neorealism truly is a science of great powers.
● Multipolarity, bipolarity, unipolarity: polarity used to characterize different international systems (distribution of capabilities)
● These systems are not created equal:Waltzian Realism claims that bipolar systems are the most stable (the number of systemic conflicts is lowest)