International Relations Flashcards
Main principles of the Westphalia Treaty (4)
- Sovereignty over defined territory
- Territorial Integrity / Non interference
- Separation of religion and state
- State based system replaces imperial rule
Westphalian system is trade off between…(2)
- Security within states - state authority over own people
2. Insecurity between states - no overarching authority between states to maintain peace
Theoretical Approaches to International Relations (2)
- Liberal/Idealist School of Thought (Locke, Kant)
Positive view of human nature (can work together/soft power) - Realist School of Thought (Hobbes, Machiavelli)
Largely negative view, humans and states seek power (hard power)
Idealist/Liberal School of IR (post WWI)
Principles & Objective) (4
- Human nature is basically cooperative
- Central problem: how to secure peace
- Motivation of actors is mutual assistance
- Nature of international relations is cooperative
Objective: create international authority
Realist School of IR (post WWII)
Principles & Objective) (5
- Human nature is power-seeking
- Key actors are states
- Anarchy underpins international system
- Motivation of states is national interest
- National Security is central problem
Objective: balance of hard power between two states
What creates [in/]security?
Answer depends on history
Creation of IR?
After WWII
IR issues in WWI
Insecurity: Greatest threat is state to state warfare
Solution: International Cooperation
IR issues in WWII
Insecurity: Greatest threat is external nuclear attack
Solution: National Security
IR issues Presently
Insecurity defined by transnational threats to human beings rather than state to state threats: pandemics, global warming, terrorism, etc.
Examples of New Threats (Name at least 3)
Proliferation of weapons Nuclear Non-nuclear Population/environmental threats Intra-state/ethnic conflict/ ‘cleansing’ Terrorism Pandemics
Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (1970)
International Treaty to limit the spread of nuclear weapons (beyond US, UK, France, Russia and China)
Four nations have not signed : India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel
Security Threats in Post Cold-War World (3)
- Nuclear weapons in unstable region/state
- Nuclear weapons obtained by non state terrorists
- Nuclear weapons and superpower (e.g. USA Trump 2020)
Nuclear Weapons Proliferation
Superpowers declining stockpile but growing in other countries
Non nuclear weapons Proliferation
- Small arms kill 1000 people/day in conflicts
- Arms are sold largely to countries in conflict
- Global Small Arms Trade is big business
- Arms Trade exacerbates conflict in developing world