Chapter 6, Stability and Change Flashcards
explain what the security dilemma is.
to feel more secure, states will arm up. but, because the system is anarchic, that is inevitably threatening to other states, who will then arm up in return. indeed, it is impossible for states to be fully certain of other states’ intentions. this creates a vicious cycle of obtaining more arms in order to defend oneself, creating a more unsafe world.
in the security dilemma, what are the states’ dominant strategies?
both states have an incentive to buy more guns, leading to mutual defection.
what do power-gap minimizers try to do?
they try to prevent a state from becoming too powerful by intentionally preserving the balance of power.
what do power-gap maximizers try to do?
they try to create an unbalanced distribution of power tilted in their favour. because there exists a hegemon in the system, no other state will dare come after it, unintentionally maintaining the balance of power.
what are the two main balance-of-power mechanisms?
balancing and bandwagoning.
what is balancing?
it is the act of preventing a rising power from becoming the hegemon.
define internal balancing.
states will increase their own military power to match the challenger’s.
define external balancing.
states will ally with the weaker side to either defend themselves against or attack the challenger.
how do alliances impact the bargaining range?
alliances can help reduce the costs of war, making the bargaining range smaller.
what is bandwagoning?
it is the act of allying with the dominant side.
define appeasement.
weaker states will join the dominant side in the hopes of not getting attacked (if you can’t beat them, join them).
define ambition.
states will bandwagon in the hopes of sharing the goods their new alliance has won.
why is bipolarity considered stable?
bipolar orders are unambiguous. it is very clear who your allies are and who your enemies are. moreover, the two superpowers are less economically interdependent.
why is multipolarity considered less stable?
the great powers experience important interdependence, meaning that the fall of one of them has dramatic effects on the rest. it is very difficult for them to find a common ground and to settle on a decision that is in everyone’s best interest. additionally, it is hard to be absolutely certain of who your enemies are and who your allies are, as danger can come from multiple different states.
according to Gilpin, what determines the stability of the system?
stability is determined by the relationship between the distribution of material power, the distribution of prestige, and the rights and rules that set parameters of behaviour.
explain what prestige is.
prestige is the probability that a command will be obeyed. it is the idea that the most powerful state in the system is recognized as such.
on what four pillars does the legitimacy of hegemony rest?
- the hegemon’s victory in the last hegemonic war
- the hegemon’s ability to impose force on others
- the hegemon’s ideology, which should be respected by most states
- the fact that the hegemon’s rule is frequently accepted
what is a status quo state?
it is a state that is mostly satisfied with the current systemic order. it does not want to try to change the system.
what is a revisionist state?
it is a dissatisfied state that wants to bring about change in the systemic order. they feel as if there exists a disjuncture between their material power and their position on the hierarchy of prestige. they will try to gain more and more power in order to reduce that gap.
what are the endogenous factors that explain a dominant state’s decline?
because the dominant state isn’t constantly pressured by security threats, it does not actively try to defend itself. but, rising states feel the intensifying need to secure themselves, and so they will look for new ways to grow faster.
what are the four phases of Gilpin’s theory of systemic change?
- system in a state of equilibrium
- redistribution of power in the system
- disequilibrium
- resolution of systemic crisis
according to Gilpin, what happens in the first phase of systemic change?
states live in equilibrium, as the most powerful states in the system are relatively satisfied with the current order. for them, the benefits of change are way smaller than the costs of bringing about such change.
according to Gilpin, what happens in the second phase of systemic change?
the hegemon isn’t constantly faced with security threats, which reduces its incentive to grow and increase its power. this decreases the power gap between the hegemon and the challenger, who has strong incentives to arm up.
according to Gilpin, what happens in the third phase of systemic change?
the challenger starts to grow faster than the dominant state, but, because the order is too rigid, it does not represent the new distribution of prestige. that makes the challenger become more and more of a revisionist state. for the challenger, the benefits of change outweigh the costs of bringing about such change.