IR Exam 3-12/1 Flashcards
What is the Biblical perspective on war & peace?
- war is an inevitable part of human reality
- perpetual peace is an illusion historically & Biblically
- Human power and wisdom for security can be futile
- God uses every war for His divine purpose
What is a Bible verse that discusses end times wars?
- Matthew 24:6-7
What is one definition of war?
- An organized and deliberate and fatal violence by an identifiable political authority with 1,000 or more deaths in a 12 month period
– at least 2 actors capable of harming each other
What is Clausewitz definition of war?
- The continuation of politics by other means
What are some causes for war?
- human nature (ambition, greed, desire to conquer/revenge)
- ideological differences (democracy v. authoritarian)
- territorial disputes
- nationalism, ethnic or religious identity
- political means or tactic
What is preemptive war?
- targets an imminent threat
- aims to gain a strategic advantage in an impending war shortly before that attack materializes
What is involved in conventional warfare?
- fought by people-chosen, trained, authorized to attack or defend against adversaries
- off limits to kill some groups: women, children, elderly
- fought with conventional weapons
- ends with acknowledgement of defeat (ex: Germany-WWI, Japan-WWII)
What are WMD’s?
- weapons that have the potential to cause large scale death and destruction
- chemical weapons-toxic chemical substances
- nuclear weapons-massive explosion & radioactive fallout
- biological weapons-pathogenic or toxins
- radiological weapons-radioactive, dirty bombs
What is terrorism?
- intentional use of violence by non-state actors against civilians in pursuit of political, ideological or religious objectives
- a mix of crimes and war
What’s the purpose of terrorism?
- to instill fear to attain goals, and gain attention
- ex: Munich massacre-1972 Olympics by the PLO
What’s true about terrorism since the 1990’s?
- attacks have been more lethal
- choice of weapons become more diverse, trucks, bombs, cars
- more efficient infrastructure for terrorist networks like ISIS
What’s true of state sponsorship of terrorism?
- provide resources or safe haven
- ex: Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, North Korea, the U.S.
- concern about procession of WMD’s
- some sense–terrorism-the weapon of the weak
What are challenges to counter-terrorism?
- hard to identify, arrest, and kill terrorists
- almost impossible to prevent new terrorist attacks
- gov’ts counterterrorist measures accompany side effects on economy & civil liberties
- increasing use of drones (UAV)
- affective way to reduce threats, personnel can be saved
- concerns of abuse and overuse, concerns about misuse
What is true about cyberwarfare?
- actions taken by states or nonstate actors to penetrate another states computers–cause damage/disruption
–cheap, easy, hard to trace origin
What is true of guerilla warfare?
- not the same as terrorism
- groups a type of violent non-state actors
- form of warfare-small groups of combatants use military tactics; ambushes, raids, hit & run tactics
- ex: Mao Zedongs “revolutionary Guerrilla warfare
- ex: Viet Cong in Vietnam war
What is true of globalization (what we discussed in class)?
- economic integration
- growing integration in terms of politics, economies, and culture
- distinct in terms of speed, scale, scope
Who is the “father of containerization”?
- Malcolm Mclean
What are some “pros” of globalization?
- engine for material growth
- better products for cheaper prices
- freer travel (ex: missions trip)
- cultural diversity
- international cooperation
What are some “cons” of globalization?
- growing inequality
- exploitation
- unethical business practices
- fear and criticism of westernization
- environmental concerns
- spread of disease (COVID-19)
- 1991, 2008-2009 economic crises
What is a bible verse that discusses globalization–in terms of end times events?
- revelation 7:9-10
What is true of economic regionalization?
- emergence of sub-regional trading blocks
- EU (1993-)
- ASEAN (1967-) free trade agreement area (1992)
- MERCOSUR (1991-) Southern Common Market in South America
- Bilateral/regional trade agreements
- 20 in 1990 to 300 FTA’s in 2019
- the U.S. has 14 FTA’s with 20 countries
What’s the TPP?
- Trans Pacific Partnership
- partnership would include 12 countries
- now about 13.5% global GDP (expected 40% without the U.S.)
Who are some leading individuals in favor of economic liberalization?
- Adam Smith (1722-1790)
- individualism
- free trade-laissez-faire
- David Ricardo (1772-1823)
- logic of comparative advantage
What is comparative advantage?
- theory that one country can produce a good/service more efficiently relative to other goods and services compared to another country/business
What is the Bretton woods system?
- American Hegemonic leadership
- economic liberalization
- collapse of the system in the early 1970’s
What is the IBRD?
- the World Bank
- International Bank for reconstruction and development
- designed to facilitate reconstruction in post WWII Europe, and eradicate poverty
- to loan funds to states for economic development projects
- long term infrastructure building
- middle and low income countries
What is the IMF?
- International Monetary Fund
- designed to provide stability in exchange rates
- short term loans to help states with payment imbalances
- now acts as a lender of last resort to keep debtor countries from collapsing
- encouraging structural adjustments and provide policy advise on macroeconomic issues and economic restructuring
What is the Washington consensus?
- a set of economic policy recommendations for developing countries since the 1980’s
- agreed and espouses the IMF, WB, and U.S. treasury dept.
- neoliberalism advocating for free market-reduction of state intervention
- privatization
- liberalization of trade and FDI
- deregulation for open competition
- tax reforms
What is the Nixon shock?
- in 1972, President Nixon stopped the U.S. dollar from being fixed to the gold reserves
- the Bretton Woods Era ended
What is floating and mixed (for IPE)?
- decided by supply and demand in the market, without the gov’t influence
- participants buy and sell, exchange, speculate on currencies at foreign exchange markets
- the central gov’t may intervene to stabilize the local currency
What is GATT?
- General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs
- stimulate trade by lowering tariffs
- treat foreign companies same way as domestic companies/firms
- support of trade liberalization b/c trade is engine for growth
- most favored nation (MFN) principle
What are the top 5 donated organs?
- kidney
- lung
- heart
- pancreas
- liver
What is the Beijing consensus?
- state driven growth as a model for development
- state owned enterprises
- state intervention in financial markets
What is mercantilism & economic nationalism?
- policy to build economic wealth as an instrument of state power
- strong and central gov’t
- protectionism
- domestic economy and infant industries from foreign competition
- President Trump’s America first protectionism
What are types of protectionist trade barriers?
- Tariffs
- Non-tariff barriers:
- import and export quotas
- currency manipulation
- subsidies
- export control
- dumping
- complicated administrative rules and procedures
What did Ha-Bon Chang (Korean Economic historian) think?
- came up with the idea of “Bad Samaritans”–rich countries taking advantage of poorer countries
- kicking away the ladder (to reach the richer country status
What are 2 bible verses that talk about humankind (discussed in class)?
- Genesis 1:27
- Galatians 3:28
What are the International Bill of Human Rights?
- UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights-1948
- Committee led by Elanor Roosevelt
- adopted in 1948
- international document that states basic rights and fundamental freedoms for all humans
– a declaration not a treaty - international norm
What are considered personal rights (part of human rights around the world)?
- life, liberty, freedom of choice, religion
What are rights in law?
- equal protection
- social economic rights
- education
- jobs
- labor unions
- Community (group) rights
What is cultural relativism in terms of rights?
- understanding a groups beliefs/practices in context of own culture–don’t make judgements
- state sovereignty
What is an instance where Asian values “clashed” with Western values?
- when Michael Fay was arrested in Singapore, and was sentenced to caning–seen as harsh punishment in western states
What is Thomas Franck’s strategy for those who don’t adhere to human rights laws?
- diplomatic non-recognition
- suspension of air traffic
- withhold World Bank loans, IMF credits, Bilateral trading privileges
What are some sources of human rights violations?
- states
- wars and conflicts
- genocide, ethnic cleansing
- systematic rape as a weapon of war
- natural disasters
- COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, earthquakes
Why do states abuse human rights?
national security, etc.
What is the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)?
- notion: all human beings are in need of protection, and that states have an obligation, not just the opportunity to intervene when gross violations of human rights occur
- obligates states to take coercive action against state offenders–also obligates states to protect people by providing asylum & refuge
What are some limitations of the R2P?
- lack of resources
- lack of political will
- security concerns
What are the international politics of human rights?
- politicization of human rights
- political tool to advance national interests
- incentive such as funding or admission to the EU
- disincentives such as sanctions
- enforcement challenges
- not easy to universally enforce these rights nor punish those who violate them
- the U.S. has failed nullifying threats
What is the “North/South Population divide”?
- Northern countries are dying off–not replacing population fast enough
- Southern countries (generally poorer) have population booms, high birth rates
What is the South “youth bulge”?
- demographic pattern in Asia, Africa, & Middle East
- large share of youth population (usually 16-28)
What are the implications of the “youth bulge”?
- Demographic dividend:
- large economically productive population can drive to economic gains
- Demographic bomb”
- youth related violence & civil strife
- potential recruits into rebel or terrorist groups
What does Dr. Kim say about the world and the population?
- We live in a Good world made Bad (Romans 8:19-22)
What is true about the U.S. population percentage?
- almost 14% of the U.S. population is foreign born (immigrants)
What are Internally displaced peoples (IDP)?
- those who move from one place in a country to another place in the same country
What are economic migrants?
- people who move mainly to improve their lives
- remittance
- treated under immigration laws
What are refugee rights?
- the 1951 refugee convention–and its 1967 protocol
- 149 states have signed as of 2023
- UNHCR
What is non-refoulement?
- they cannot be forced to return to their country of origin
What are asylum seekers?
- someone who claims to be a refugee but whose claim hasn’t been evaluated and confirmed
- not every asylum seeker is given refugee status
What is “brain drain”?
- emigration of highly skilled/trained/educated people moving from one country to another for better working or life conditions
- scientists
- doctors
What is “brain waste”?
- individuals–migrants end up in unemployment or underemployment in a foreign country
What is the function of International Law?
- create order
- set expectations of behaviors
- provide mechanisms for protecting states and for settling disputes
- guarantee fairness and equity (at least in theory)
- legitimize the use of force to maintain order
What are some examples of International laws?
- the UN charter
- the UNCLOS
- The Geneva Conventions
- The NPT
- The CEDAW
- The International Bill of Human Rights (UNDHR, ICCPR, ICESCR)
- The Rome statute of the International Criminal court
- Kyoto Protocol & Paris agreement
What was the RIO Earth Summit?
- 1992
- The UN framework convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in 1994
- recognized the existence of climate change
- agreed–collective action to stabilize green house gases
What was the Kyoto protocol?
- adopted in 1997–operational in 2005
- 192 parties
- aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2012
- “Most significant treaty ever signed”
- developed states agreed to reduce GHG emissions
- except the U.S.
- less developed states not obligated
What is the Paris agreement?
- 195 countries agreed to cut GHG emissions
- 192 countries and the EU joined
- agreement is a legally binding international treaty
What is true about Domestic vs. International Law?
- Domestic law operates in a hierarchical system
- authoritative structures in place
- violators are judged and punished
- International law operates in a horizontal system
- authoritative structures are absent
- no reliable enforcement, other than voluntarily compliance
Why do states comply with International law?
- the right thing to do
- international law reflects universal ethics
- they deserve to be seen as legitimate
- it is in their best interests
- they are capable to do so
What does states compliance depend on?
- whether compliance is in their interest of the state
- states ability and resources to comply
What is the view of International law from a realists perspective?
- self interest and power politics will always trump international law
- powerful states use or ignore international law as it suits them
What is the view of International law from a liberals perspective?
- an essential part of international policies
- helps states regulate their relations in ways they find mutually beneficial
What is the view of international law from a structuralists perspective?
- international law-heavily biased in favor of powerful states
- a potential tool to level the economic and political playing field b/w the strong and the weak
