Lecture 3 Flashcards
What was the Thirty Year War?
- The 30 yr war was a conflict found largely within the holy roman empire from 1618 to 1648.
- Considered one of the most destructive wars in European history.
What was the peace of Westphalia?
It Reduce the power of the overarching church and Ended the war
What was the Treaty of Westphalia?
- The Peace of Westphalia recognized the full territorial sovereignty of the member states of the empire
- regarded as a key step in the development of tolerance and secularization across the world.
- Overturned the medieval system of centralised religious authority and replaced it with a decentralised system of sovereign, territorial states.
What were the key points of the Treaty of Westphalia?
- National self-determination;
- Precedent for ending wars through diplomatic congresses;
- Peaceful coexistence among sovereign states as the norm;
- Maintained by a balance of power among sovereign states and acceptance of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other sovereign states.
Key Actors: International
- States
- Nations
- International organizations
- NGO
- Multinational corporations
- Private volunteer organization
- Non state actors/armed resistance groups
- Terrorist organizations
- Regional actors
- Public opinion/media
Power: What is it?
Power = Force x Will
“The ability to influence the behavior of other actors in accordance with one’s objectives
3 Types of Power
- Hard → Forceful, military, economic sanctions, coercive manner
- Soft → Laws, international agreements, public opinion
- Smart→ Shared values
Characteristics of Power
- Contextual
- Multidimensional
- Interrelated
- Relative- not absolute
- Situational
Determinants of National Power
Natural vs Social vs Instruments of National powers
Determinants of National Power, Natural
- Geography
- Population
- Natural resources
Determinants of National Power, Social
- Economic
- Military
- Political
- Psychological
- Information
Instruments of National powers
Tools of national security policy /strategy → These are the tools, or means, we have for accomplishing strategy
- Diplomatic
- Information
- Military
- Economic
- Finance
- Intelligence
- Law enforcement
Balance of Power
in international relations, the posture and policy of a nation or group of nations protecting itself against another nation or group of nations by matching its power against the power of the other side.
States can pursue a policy of balance of power in two ways.
States can pursue a policy of balance of power in two ways:
- by increasing their own power, as when engaging in an armaments race or in the competitive acquisition of territory
- by adding to their own power that of other states, as when embarking upon a policy of alliances.
When confronted with a substantial threat states can either:
Balancing vs Bandwagoning
Balancing
allying with others against the prevailing threat
—The belief that states form alliances in order to prevent stronger powers from dominating them lies at the heart of traditional balance-of-power theory
Bandwagoning
alignment with the source of danger
Security Dilemma
The principle involved in preserving the balance of power as a conscious goal of both domestic and foreign policy, as David Hume pointed out in his Essay on the Balance of Power, is as old as history, and was used by Greeks such as Thucydides both as political theories and practical statesmanship.
Levels of Analysis
- Foreign policy influences
- Systematic influence
- State or internal influences
- Individual influences
- Policy making process
- Foreign policy decisions
Systematic influence
The systemic level of analysis refers to the interactions of states and nonstate actors on the global stage whose behaviors ultimately shape the international political system and the levels of conflict and cooperation that characterize world politics. The capacity of rich states to dictate the choices of poor states falls properly within the systemic level of analysis. So does the capacity (or incapacity) of the UN to maintain peace.
State or internal influences
The state level of analysis consists of the authoritative decision-making units that govern states’ foreign policy processes and the internal attributes of those states (e.g., type of government, level of economic development, public opinion of its citizens, and strength of military power), which both shape and constrain leaders’ foreign policy choices. The processes by which states make decisions regarding war and peace and their capabilities for carrying out those decisions, for instance, fall within the state level of analysis.
Individual influences
The individual level of analysis refers to the personal characteristics of human beings, including those responsible for making important decisions on behalf of state and nonstate actors, as well as ordinary citizens whose behavior has important political consequences. At this level, for example, we may properly locate the impact of individuals’ perceptions on their political attitudes, beliefs, and behavior. We may also explore the questions of why each person is a crucial part of the global drama and why the study of world politics is relevant to our lives and future.
Key Conceptsand terms for understanding World Politics
Macro-political vs micro-political
Macro political lens
look at internal affairs from a bird eye view and explain the behavior of world actors based on their relative position within the global system.
—Major macro trends in world politics set boundaries for action
Micro political lens:
look at world politics from the “ground up,” meaning the individual is the unit of analysis from which aggregate behavior is extrapolated.
—Values, interests, capabilities of individual actors affected by global trends
