Final Exam POLI 283 Flashcards
Cooperation and Conflict…
- Epitomizes the complex and contradictory nature of political
- Can co-exist
- Conflict between China and the U.S regarding the South China sea but Cooperation through the Six Party Talks regarding the North Korean nuclear program
Cooperation
- Refers to political actors proactively working together
- Inherently active
- Requires communication and interaction
- Can cooperate within existing structure or create new ones
- Multi/Bi lateral
Conflict
- Classes of interest (not necessarily warfare)
- Garners more attention than cooperation since it is more visible
- Sanctions, threats or pre-emptive strikes
- Securitization: naming something as a threat so extraordinary measures can be taken
Examples of Conflict: Complexity and Competing Processes
- No diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States until the Obama administration due to their proximity and mutual interests
- Communicated through Canada despite conflict
- War on Drugs, international and domestic conflict
- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
Globalization
- Greater integration and interdependence, growing ever increasingly interconnected
- Globalization itself is not new but its magnitude is
- Economically, socially , politically
- Reduces state autonomy through international regimes, trading blocs and subnational actors.
- Cultural impact
Fragmentation
- The attempt to push back against globalization
- Withdrawal from global interactions
- Reactionary or defensive
- Identity politics
- Focus on own interests and concerns
- Impedes globalization , turns government attention to local issues
Examples of Globalization: Complexity and Competing Processes
- Travel and communication
- the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis due to currency speculation
- Spice Road
- International law, the enlightenment, UN, World Bank and the IMF
Examples of Fragmentation: Complexity and Competing Processes
- Brexit
- Donald Trump
- Protection of Canadian Dairy Farmers
- Iran’s retreat in to nationalism
- Nationalism during WWI, WWII, Cold War
Anarchy v.s Order
Examples for Complexity and Competing Processes
- International politics inherently anarchic, basic tensions stem from this
- No supranational power above the level of the state
- Can’t address grievances
- Order through international institutions and cooperation
- Order through formal structures and mutual interests that increase the predictability of the international political system
Systemic Level of Analysis
-Big picture
-International
-Anarchic
2 IMPORTANT ASSUMPTIONS
-All states are unitary actors meaning they all have the same internal makeup
-States are rational actors therefore they make decision based on cost benefit analysis
-Tries to give us predictability
-Zero Sum Game
Domestic Level of Analysis
- State level
- Examine domestic structure to understand how a state may behave
- For example a democratic state with corresponding institutions operates differently than a non-democratic one
Individual Level of Analysis
- Leaders
- Can one individual make a difference
- Operational Code adopted and refined y Alexander George. Used as an analytical tool to see how perspectives and perceptions colour leaders decision making.
Cooperation and Conflict: Theory and World Politics
- Climate Change
- Cooperation: Kyoto Greenhouse Gas Emission Protocol and the Copenhagen Accord. Weak international agreements with no tangible consequences. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Idea of collective action to combat an international issue
Conflict: US senate political disagreement about Kyoto Protocol
Globalization and Fragmentation: Theory and World Politics
Climate Change
- Globalization: Climate Change itself is a form of globalization. It transcends borders and therefore requires heightened interdependence
- Fragmentation: The developing world argues that they should be exempt from emission standards as they are undergoing the industrialization that the developed world has already gone through and benefited from.
Anarchy v.s Order: Theory and World Politics
Climate Change
- Anarchy: No institution at the international level that can enforce Climate Change Agreements
- Order: Existing international framework through which agreements can be facilitated