International relations Flashcards
What is International relations
international relations is a discipline that studies the interactions among the actors that participate in international politics.
For example, sovereign states, international organizations, individuals…
It also studies the behaviors of these actors as they participate individually and together
in international political processes by looking at ideas, history and emotions
Name 3 types of interactions
Interactions can be cooperative, interactions, conflictive
Which actors interact in international relations?
These actors include sovereign state organized nation-state, international organizations,
NGOs and individuals. The state is also a prominent actor, and sometimes the only actor because
of political theories that exist.
Who are the founding fathers of international relations?
Kenneth Waltz. For neorealism
Keohane for neoliberalism
Alexander Wendt for constructivism
What is state centrism?
The idea that international politics is centered around the state. State centric
theories create a single, unit of actors as if every actor in the state where one individual.
Why? Because every state is a unitary actor, it makes it way more useful to explain world
politics.
What are the most important unit of the Modern States System?
Sovereign states
What are the internal dimensions of the sovereign state?
Territoriality, no states lack territory. (For example, in the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church didn’t have a clear territory, even if it was a political unit.) The boundaries may be contested
- Population (For example, the state needs to have a population which the government can control. The population needs a government.)
- Hierarchy (For example, the political authority needs to be organized in the form of pyramid. The top means more power than the bottom.)
What is the external dimension of the sovereign state?
Peer recognition. (It’s not enough to have the three internal dimensions if you don’t have the recognition of other sovereign states.)
What does state sovereignty imply?
State sovereignty implies that there is no higher authority. Each state has a ruler that is the
ultimate authority. There’s no actual hierarchy in international relations
What is domestic policy?
Politics that exist within the nation. Organized hierarchy
What is international politics?
Politics in the international system organized by anarchical system.
Where does sovereignty comes from?
Sovereignty comes from the 16th and 17th centuries. Especially after the 30 years war, since Europe was devastated and ready to do anything in order to avoid another war. It was thought of doing the agreement reached in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648
What does international anarchy and sovereign states have in common?
They both don’t have a superior authority
What is a decentralization of authority?
There is no authority out there that you can rely on in order to bring someone else misbehavior back into compliance with the rules. It’s a self-help system.
Why in a decentralization of authority, are the alliances non-reliable?
Because there is no ulterior authority to make sure these alliances are enforced. There is no monopoly of the legitimate use of force.
