Concepts Flashcards
Sovereignty
- Having absolute power over land, borders, and people on the land
- Having the right to use the resources
- One person or small group of people have all the power in a state
- There is no higher power than the sovereign
State
- A more permanent and political entity than a nation
What are the advantages of being a state?
- Have your own:
Flag, print currency, buy weapons, sign international treaties, have international recognition
Nation
- It’s less organized than a state
- It’s a group of people with a common culture who group together
- It’s the people in the nation that consider themselves as a nation and is not recognized internationally
- Subjective state
Realism
- See anarchy
- States live in a competitive world
- They have to think of NATIONAL INTEREST
- POWER is very important
- Have a negative view of human nature
- “War of all against all”
- Think war is a political tool
Hegemons
- A leading power; superpower
- They are realists
- They concentrate on how to keep/stay in power
What is the difference between a hard and soft realist?
Hard realists (interventionalist, aka Hawks):
- The hard type
- Push for military intervention
- They don’t mind overthrowing governments for the sake of “national security”
- The Bush Doctrine ls a tactic used by Hawks
Soft realists (noninterventionist, aka Dovist):
- Realists who think it’s wrong to keep bombing countries
- They fear to make enemies (fear of blowback)
- Care for reputations
- Try to negotiate first
The doctrine of pre-emption (aka “Bush Doctrine”)
Before: Countries used to b sovereign unless they attacked others
Now: If they pose a threat or are suspected of harbouring people, we can attack them
War on terrosrism
How do realists see wars?
- War is a political tool
- Might makes right –> If you have the power, it becomes the truth
- Wars are good for the economy
- There should be no rules of war
- All wars must be sold
Soft power?
- Legitimacy: People recognize you should have power, so you use the power
- Reputation
- Has to do with ideas
Liberalism
- Everything that realism is not, so the critics of realis
- More optimistic about peace
- Believe in collective security
- Believe that we should invest more in proper nutrition, education, health, etc. because wars never solve anything
- Negotiation
- International installation
- Strengthen democracy
- Trade and free trade
Kantian Triangle
International organization + Democracy + Economic interdependance = Peace
Collective Security
If you are in a community and one of the countries feels threatened, the whole community helps
“You have my back, I have yours” type of mentality
What is the first casualty of war?
The truth
What is NATO?
North Atlantic Transit Organisation
- 28 members
- Created to combat communism, now fights terrorism
- Humanitarian interventions
- Self-appointed policemen
- NATO interventions usually kill more than being left alone
- More countries see NATO as a threat to international peace, than as a peace keeper
What is NATO?
North Atlantic Transit Organisation
- 28 members
- Created to combat communism, now fights terrorism
- Humanitarian interventions
- Self-appointed policemen
- NATO interventions usually kill more than being left alone
- More countries see NATO as a threat to international peace than as a peacekeeper
- Extension of US political and military power
Marxist and Neo-Marxist
- Conflict between classes (bourgeoisie vs proletariat)
- Bourgeoisie wants $ so exploits proletariat
- Bourgeoisie uses the state to install policies to make them richer (uses lobby groups)
- All wars are to protect capitalism
- Neomarxists are closer to realists than liberals
What are the national interests for realists/liberals/(Neo)Marxists?
Realists: National security, power, wars and military protection
Liberals: Provide social support, help economy, improve lives
(Neo)Marxists: The elite should not choose it because it does not represent the needs of the people
Feminism
- See the world run by men
- Believe in unnatural bias in politics and how history is written
- Patriarchy
- History of women: men refusing women’s rights
- Want right to vote/ political power
Who was against feminism?
- Patriarchy
- Church
- Dominant ideology
- Employers and other women
What makes a government legitimate?
- Within its borders: If the people recognizes it and respects its authority, it is legitimate
- On the international level: It has to be recognized by the P-5
Unilateralism
-When governments do not want to cooperate with other countries
Multilateralism
- When governments see that’s more worth it to work with other countries
Multilateralism
- When governments see that’s more worth it to work with other countries
What are the two dimensions of hegemony?
- Unipolar
- Multipolar
What is an unipolar hegemony?
There is only one superpower; It’s the ascendance of US hegemony after the fall of USSR
- US$ becomes supreme international currency
- Military bases are placed all over the world
- Allies are everywhere
- Sanctions are placed on countries that threaten US military might
- GDP is very high
- Controls IFIs –> manipulate interests rates and US’s decisions will have huge ripple effects around the world
- Huge power in UN
- Provides foreign aid
- Dominates media
- Can impose tariffs without consequences
What is a multipolar hegemony?
Decline of US hegemony
- Other countries become rich and powerful –> US imposes high tariffs on them
- The BRICs become more and more powerful and more developed
- US used to be a preacher of free trade, but now is becoming protectionist
- China and Russia both dislike US so might form a military alliance
- US is heavily indebted –> has both private and public debts
- China’s development is impressive: uses imperial colonial techniques like sending workers to newly acquired land
- US reputation is on the decline
- Internal political disfunction: huge gap between rich and poor
- Racism is encouraged by Trump
Balance of power
- A way to divide the power between the victors of WWII in order to avoid another world war.
- The more or less equal distribution of power is supposed to protect international peace
What are the challenges to US hegemony?
- BRICs but mainly China
- China has a lot of people who will work for very little since not many people have papers
- It’s a very oppressive state so workers cannot go on strike
- China’s GDP is rising exponentially
- China has a lot of soft power
Main criteria of just war theory
- Jus as bellum
- Jus in bellum
- Jus post bellum
What is Jus ad bellum?
- Just cause (self-defense when there is no time to negotiate or when you are attacked –> pre-emption strikes are not allowed)
- Just intent (Not to colonize or use a country’s resources –> has to be to neutralize a threat or install long-lasting peace)
- Has to be approved by 9 out of 15 members of the S. C. + all members of P-5
- Has to be a legitimate authority both at domestic and international level
- Proportional
What is jus in bellum?
- must respect rules of engagement (ROW)
- Proper conduct
- No civilians can be intentionally targeted –> but how do you prove intentions
- Prohibition to use certain types of weapons (nuclear, biological, chemical) because overkill
- Soldiers must be easily recognizable by their uniform
What is jus post bellum?
- Have a trial to hold people accountable
- Need a truce and reconciliation
- Need a treaty that is fair, provides compensation (help rebuild), let the people choose their government (if not, it creates a platform for another war)
- If any land has been taken, it must be returned
- People are allowed to get back to their homes after the war
What is the arms proliferation?
For nuclear arms:
- All states with nuclear weapons must destroy them
- It’s to prevent another huge war –> if so many countries have such deadly weapons, the world will go boom with one small incident
Other types of weapons that may not be used:
- Biological
- Chemical
because they are overkill and do not discriminate between civilian and soldier
Interstate
One state going to war with another state
Intrastate
Civil wars fought by rebels, guerrillas, militants, terrorists, secessionists
- Could include proxy wars
What is terrorism?
- The act of deliberately targeting innocent civilians
- It is political
- Has an objective to spread fear in the general population
- It depends on who are your allies to know if you will be labeled a terrorist or not
Geneva Convention
Rules/Conventions of war:
- If a soldier is captured they must be treated as a human: not allowed to kill, torture, starve, etc.
- They have to respect basic human rights
- Torture is not allowed because it is immoral and people will lie to get out of torture
Sources of international law
Treaties:
- A treaty once signed must always be respected
- A treaty is treated like a law
- the most important treaty is the UN Charter
- Security Council Resolutions
- ICC/ICJ
- Legal opinions (international lawyers, legal scholars, etc)
- Custumary actions become international law over the years
International Criminal Court (ICC)
- Takes individuals to court for crimes against humanity, genocides, war crimes
- Binding
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
- Settles disputes between states
- Not binding
Humanitarian interventions (R2P)
- Military interventions to protect human rights
- This can be used as an excuse to invade countries
- Takes more lives than under the original rule
- Better to negotiate than to use R2P
- Works on “if”s
Ad hoc tribunals
- Created to solve conflicts for one specific event
- Is dismantle after the conflict is resolved
- Is the victor’s law
- ex. Nuremberg and Tokyo
International Government Organizations (IGOs)
- UN
- NATO
- EU
Goal is to facilitate international relations
Trade agreements like USMC, AL, OAS, AU
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
- It’s an invisible power who is extremely influential because most come from private sectors, and there’s this perception that private does things better than public so gov. follow their lead
ex. Greenpeace, Red Cross, YMCA, AI, Clinton Foundation, Gates Foundation, Soros-Open Society
Problems with NGOs
- Main goal is to make money, not to help people
- Many work with and give advice to governments so they are not really separated from governments
- The more the NGOs are present, the less governments are prone to put funds into public sectors like education, health
- Quality of service goes down because it becomes a competition/market
- Almost all NGOs favour private sectors and individual empowerment
Goal of UN and some of its main organs
Goal:
- Promote development
- Trade development
- Currency
- Health
- Refugees
- Education
- Culture
- Data collection
- Peace keeping
- Conflict resolution
Ex. of UN organs
- WTO
- UNICEF
- ICA
- UNESCO
- WB
- IMF
- FAO
- ECOSOC
- WHO
Positive rights
Rights that require government intervention to occur like access to healthcare, education, housing, work, food, clean environment, etc
In other words, it’s the right to live
Negative rights
Rights that do not require government intervention like freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion etc
These rights can be taken away in times of war or when national security is compromised
Role of major international treaties
- Regulate international relations
- Protect investors
- Protect people
But mostly protect investors and capitalism
Gold standard
- In the past the international trade currency was gold because its value was always set and you couldn’t change the price just because the US wants to
- Now, the international community is thinking o reverting back to gold because US is very indebted and the value of the US dollar become unreliable
Currency speculation
- Rich people bet on other countries’ currency and make money off of it
- It makes the value of the currency go up because of stock, but they can also greatly benefit from the value going down
Remittances
Some countries main export is people.
When these people go to work outside of their home country, they send the money they make back to their home country.
For some countries, this is the main source of income
Problem:
- Since people are being shipped out of their country, less working hands are present
- Many of the people sipped are very educated but can never work to their full potential
- Last to be hired, first to be fired
Washington Consensus
The same steps or stages of development must be applied to all countries
One size fits all type of policy.
Counties must:
- Liberalize trade (Open markets, import from industrialized countries)
- Privatize any publicly owned industries
- Austerity
- Devalue currency (increase exports since cheaper goods)
- Create a favorable investment climate ( Cheap labour, no unions, police brutality, loosen regulations, low taxes, tax holidays, subsidies)
Post WWII periods
- Bretton Woods perio where IMF, WB, WTO flourish
- Main international economic system
- Provide stability, peace,a dn trade of goods, services, capital, and labour
- Goal is to perpetuate a system that is rigged
- Create on elgobal market
- Enforce the WC
Free trade
Free trade is not really “free” because none of the countries open thei borders by choice
- They are forced by economic pressure (to get a loan)
- All the prices are fixed on the market
- All prices are political
- Companies fix the prices
- There is a clear division between the North and the South
- Northern countries sell processed goods that have a high added value; while the southern countries produce raw, unprocessed foo that has a low added value
- There is a declining balance of trade
- Companies have protection –> patents
Intellectual property rights
The WTO created patents to protect the intellectual property rights of people by creating patents, but this just gives companies the right to jack up the prices since there is no competition
If a conflict did occur, 3 people (trade lawyers and a mediator) meet up and discuss/negotiate. to decide the fate of the treaties. These people only care about money and could not care less about what the people need/want
Subsidies
- Financial help from governments that allow companies to produce for cheaper –> Can sell their products for cheaper prices than competitors
- When subsidized products are exported to poor countries, they can get local businesses out of business
- Creates disparity and makes an unlevel playing field for companies on the market
- Agriculture is heavily subsidized in the US and Canada
Foreign loans
- A way for the industrialized countries to force poor countries to open their borders
- They lend money WITH CONDITIONS
- Creates a lot of debt
What are the problems associated with debt? What is proposed should be done?
- Some countries pay up to 52 cents per dollar to repay the interest on the debt
- It prevents them from actually developing their economy
- Want to abolish debt for poor countries, because it’s common practice for gov’t to do that
- US is the most indebted country, yet one of the biggest lenders because profits from interests on money lent to other countries
- Creates a dynamic of dependance
- Type of neo-colonialism
Foreign Aid
- Not really aid
- Forces countries to be subdued
- Form of neo-colonialism
- FDI and FPI
- Forces countries to abide to WC to get help
- Mostly political
- On the decline since “Trade not aid”
- Supposed to act as a reparation for he colonization that made the countries dependent in the first place
- Mostly subsidies
What is FDI?
Foreign Direct investment
- Long-term productive capital
- Factory –> Building new factories to create more jobs
- Not very profitable nowadays
What is FPI?
Foreign Portfolio Investment
- How money is made nowadays
- Hot money
- Short-term speculative money
- Comes from stocks, derivatives, bonds, real estate, currency
What is Hot Money?
Money that is frequently exchanged between financial institutions to make the most profit off of it.
ex. Stock market, derivatives, real estate, currency
Hard Currency
Money that can be used anywhere in the world
ex. US $, Euro
Soft Currency
Money that can only be used in the country of origin
What does the devaluation of currency cause?
- Lower exportation prices
- Higher importation prices
- Makes a more favorable investment climate
Food security
Being able to produce enough food to feed your own people
Problems:
- Neo-colonization doesn’t like food security
- Forces countries to specialize in the production of one or two products and make them import most of their food
- If a country is not food secure, it becomes dependent of countries from who they import food from
Bretton Woods Institurions
World Bank, IMF, WTO, GATT
- All these institutions work in tandem to create a hostile environment for poor countries and make them succumb under the debt
- Make it impossible for small countries to borrow money if they do not follow the conditions imposed by the countries
- Big countries need capital, goods and services to be in circulation in order to make money
What poses a threat to state sovereignty?
- Free trade
- Liberalized markets
- Countries being economically interdependent
- International organizations
- Treaties
- Trade deals
All these things regulate how much power a state truly has because it cannot to everything it wants since it has to respect the different laws placed by the treaties
Protectionism and mercantilism
- Traditionally: colonizers would bring back gold and precious rocks back to the metropole
- Now: protectionism comes as subsidies and tariffs imposed on importing goods
- Also, forcing countries to specialize in the production of one type of product forces it to buy the rest from other industrialized countries, which serves as revenue for the rich countries
Tariffs
- They impeach on free trade
- A type of protectionism
- A way to discourage outside competition
- Creates an uneven playing field for market
- Let’s local products sell for cheaper
Dispute mechanisms in trade agreements
There are 2 trade lawyers with one mediator who meet up and discuss the fate of the treaty and how to punish the one that broke the “law”
Every time a country wants to pass a new law, they consult trade lawyers to make sure they won’t get sued by companies
Problem:
- These lawyers could not care less about people’s living conditions, the environment, people’s health, etc. All they want is money
Austerity measures
- They are imposed whenever a country wants to borrow money from IFIs.
- States have to privatize all public institutions an lower all public services
- Open their market to foreign investors
- Lower their currency value
- Lower tax rates
- Create a favorable investment climate
International norms
They become the law after a certain time
If not clearly written, they are still treated as a law since it’s a common understanding
Realists’ views on glibalization
- They don’t see international law as legitimate because not put in place by democratically elected government
- They see hegemons as better fit
Neo-Marxists’ views on globalization
- They see the exploitation of a lower class
- See capitalism as the problem in our world
- See inequality
- See that there is no level playing field
Liberals’ views on globalization
- They see the importance of international law
- They want free trade
