Midterm 1 Study Guide

Question 1

Balance of Power

Answer 1

The strategy by which states counterbalance to ensure no single state dominates the international system, or an outcome that establishes a rough equilibrium among states. Concerns over this can lead to alliances between states. Outcomes may involve equilibrium or hegemony

Question 2

Cult of the Offensive

Answer 2

The belief that attacking one’s enemy first provides an advantage in war. This belief leads states away from resolving conflict peacefully, and the invention of the machine gun contributed to this notion in World War I

Question 3

Prisoner’s Dilemma

Answer 3

A game in which two prisoners rationally choose whether or not to cooperate to avoid even worse outcomes. This situation helps us illustrate realist, liberal, and identity perspectives of international relations

Question 4

Zero Sum Game

Answer 4

The idea that one party’s gain from a conflict is equivalent to the other’s loss. This implies the net power in the international system does not change

Question 5

Shadow of the Future

Answer 5

In game theory, the idea that we behave differently when we expect to interact with someone repeatedly. People saw no shadow during World War I because they thought a single European power would emerge and take control of the world, so states felt compelled to act

Question 6

Multilateralism

Answer 6

Cooperation between three or more states. Liberal thinkers support this course of action to build trust among states and in international organizations

Question 7

Hegemony

Answer 7

Where one state dominates all others. It is a potential outcome of power balancing and the primary goal of states according to offensive realists

Question 8

Globalization

Answer 8

The growing interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations. This is a result of more liberal approaches to international relations

Question 9

Universal Jurisdiction

Answer 9

The recognition that certain crimes are so serious that the duty to prosecute them transcends all borders. War crimes are an example of something subject to this

Question 10

League of Nations

Answer 10

This was created in the aftermath of World War I in an attempt to sustain international peace. The United States chose not to participate, and it ultimately failed to stop World War II

Question 11

Social Darwinism

Answer 11

Simply put, it is the “survival of the fittest”. Realist thinkers view the domination of stronger states in this light

Question 12

Fungible

Answer 12

The capacity of one type of power to be converted into another. Money is the best example of this

Question 13

Security Dilemma

Answer 13

The situation states face when they arm to defend themselves and, in doing so, threaten other states. It is a real-life illustration of the Prisoner’s Dilemma

Question 14

Bipolarity

Answer 14

Where two states hold significant power in the international system (Ex: post-WWII USA and USSR). Some realists believe this outcome is the most stable because the two hegemons have only each other to worry about

Question 15

Tripolarity

Answer 15

Where three states hold significant power in the international system (Ex: pre-WWII Germany, USSR, and USA/GB)

Question 16

Multipolarity

Answer 16

Where several states hold significant power in the international system. Some realists believe this outcome is the most stable because declining powers have more potential allies and thus are more inclined to deter than fight rising powers

Question 17

Collective Security

Answer 17

The establishment of common institutions and rules among states to settle disputes peacefully and enforce agreements by a preponderance, not a balance, of power. It is a fundamental idea of liberal theory

Question 18

Thucydides

Answer 18

A realist thinker who lived in fifth-century Greece. He wrote “History of the Peloponnesian War” and is a prime example of a realist thinker

Question 19

K. Waltz

Answer 19

The father of structural realism, a perspective based primarily on the systemic level of analysis. He identified the following measures of a state’s capabilities: “size of population and territory, resource endowment, economic capability, military strength, political stability, and competence”

Question 20

Machiavelli

Answer 20

An Italian Renaissance thinker who wrote “The Prince”, in which he argues for a pragmatic, power-focused, and state-centric view of international relations. His ideas laid the groundwork for realism theory

Question 21

Van Evera

Answer 21

An influential figure in the realm of international relations. He argued that World War I was the result of “six remarkable misperceptions… prevalent in Europe during the years before…”; these were the Cult of the Offensive, overestimation of hostility, fear of bandwagoning, exaggerated rewards of conquest, beneficial views of war, and mythical nationalism. He is a defensive realist

Question 22

Bismark

Answer 22

The foreign minister for Prussia in the nineteenth century. He understood the threat Prussia’s growth posed to other states, so he set up a complex series of alliances between states. We credit him for staving off a great power war in Europe until 1914 with a liberal approach to international affairs.

Question 23

Triple Entente

Answer 23

The alliance of Russia, France, and Great Britain during World War I. Russia and France don’t want to fight Germany alone, and Great Britain doesn’t want one power ruling the European continent

Question 24

Triple Alliance

Answer 24

The alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy during World War I. Germany is a rising power at this time, and Italy decides this alliance is better for them than the Triple Entente

Question 25

Sovereignty

Answer 25

An attribute of states such that they are not subordinate to a higher power either inside or outside their borders, and they agree not to intervene in the domestic jurisdiction of other states. In realist theory, states wield power to protect theirs from the will of other states

Question 26

Mythical Nationalism

Answer 26

The idea that one’s nation is better and more equipped to rule than all others. Several states had this notion during World War I

Question 27

Causation vs Correlation

Answer 27

Explaining events in terms of one another rather than just describing them, versus situations in which events occur in the same context but aren’t necessarily linked

Question 28

Inductive and Deductive Reasoning

Answer 28

Reasoning beginning with observation and arrives at a conclusion via pattern recognition, versus reasoning beginning with a theory and arrives at a conclusion via observation

Question 29

Preemptive vs Preventative War

Answer 29

When a country strikes another who’s preparing to attack, versus when a country strikes another who may attack in the future

Question 30

Mutually Assured Destruction

Answer 30

The idea that the threat of annihilation via nuclear weaponry is enough to ensure peace between states. This was the prevailing sentiment during the Cold War, but miscalculations were still possible and nearly occurred

Question 31

Binding Value Allocations

Answer 31

Who gets what, when, and how? This is fundamental to the political process and thus to international relations

Question 32

Politics

Answer 32

The process through which binding value allocations are made for a collectivity. This is fundamental to international relations

Question 33

Realism Theory

Answer 33

Sees the world largely in terms of a struggle for relative power in which strong actors seek to dominate and weak actors seek to resist (Example: Characterizing 9/11 as an event where “the weak turned the guns of the strong against them” [Ronald Steel])

Question 34

Liberalism Theories

Answer 34

Emphasizes repetitive relationships and negotiations, establishing patterns or institutions for resolving international conflicts (Ex: Characterizing 9/11 as a result of unresolved diplomatic disputes that sowed discontent [Caryle Murphy]). There are three types of liberal theory: regulatory, republican, and commercial

Question 35

Generalizability

Answer 35

The extent to which a theory holds across all cases. Theories of international relations ideally should be like this

Question 36

Degree of Complexity

Answer 36

The extent to which something lends itself to many explanations. International relations is inherently like this

Question 37

States

Answer 37

Units in the contemporary international system who have the largest capabilities and right to use military force. Realist theory is primarily concerned with these

Question 38

World War II

Answer 38

In this war, lasting from 1939 to 1945, the Allied Powers (US, Great Britain, USSR) fought the Axis Powers (Germany, Japan, Italy)

Question 39

Unitary Actors

Answer 39

States are treated as a single entity that attempts to maximize national interests. This is an assumption of structural realism.

Question 40

Rational Actors

Answer 40

States will make rational choices that support their interests and goals. This is an assumption of structural realism

Question 41

Anarchy

Answer 41

The decentralized distribution of power in the international system, where there is no leader or center to monopolize power. From a realist perspective, this is a fact of international life.

Question 42

Self-Help

Answer 42

The principle of self-defense under anarchy in which states have no one to rely on to defend their security except themselves. Realist theory places a premium on this

Question 43

Levels of Analysis

Answer 43

The direction from which the primary cause of events is coming. These can be systemic (from the international system as a whole), domestic (from general features inside a particular country), or individual (from one or several decision-makers within a particular country)

Question 44

Melian Dialogue

Answer 44

An exchange between Athenian and Melian representatives during the Peloponnesian War. Melos refuses to submit to its more powerful foe, and the Athenians argue that “the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must”; this supports realist theory

Question 45

Descriptive Theories

Answer 45

“What are the essential features of the world?”

Question 46

Explanatory Theories

Answer 46

“Why does the world look the way it does?”

Question 47

Predictive Theories

Answer 47

“What will the world look like if certain conditions continue or change?”

Question 48

Normative Theories

Answer 48

“What should the world look like?”