Nation State

Question 1

Sovereignty

Answer 1

A principle that the state has absolute and ultimate power

Question 2

What is the Westphalian system

Answer 2

Each individual state is sovereign over its own internal affairs and no other state or superior body has the legal right to interfere within its borders

Question 3

Montevideo Convention

Answer 3

A state’s sovereignty is determined by:
-Defined Territory
-Permanent population
-Viable government

Question 4

Impact of COVID-19 on nation states

Answer 4

President of the EU commission criticised member state for unilaterally re-imposing boarder controls to stop the spread of the virus.

Question 5

Synoptic Link to Core Ideas

Answer 5

-Democracy
-Rule of Law
-Capitalism
-Human Rights

Question 6

What is a democratic state

Answer 6

Free and fair regular elections which governments are elected and are accountable to the public. A democratic state derives from the popular consent of the people.
Value in liberal right and freedoms and th

Question 7

Example of a democratic state

Answer 7

UK and US

Question 8

Semi Democratic state

Answer 8

A state that superficially possesses the characteristics of a democracy but has underlying authoritarian features where the govt is not constrained by the rule of law.

Question 9

Example of a semi-democratic state

Answer 9

South Africa

Question 10

Authoritarian state

Answer 10

Places power with one individual or party usually unelected so lacks legitimacy and controls the media and judiciary

Question 11

Example of authoritarian state

Answer 11

Russia and China

Question 12

Non-democratic state

Answer 12

An autocratic or authoritarian state which lacks any democratic legitimacy and not accountable to its citizens.

Question 13

Autocratic vs Democratic

Answer 13

Autocratic:
-Power is centralised in hands of single party or person
-No elections
-Judiciary lacks independence
-Heavy state control over population and political institutions

Democratic:
-Power is distributed with various checks and balances
-Free and fair elections providing govt with legitimacy
-Govt is made regularly accountable
-Rule of law ensures there are limits on what the govt can do protecting citizens rights.

Question 14

Is democracy most effective to promote. Yes

Answer 14

-Good for political development as it empowers the populace so they are less likely to want to rebel against the system
-Democracy goes hand in hand with liberal values which encourages multilateralism and cooperation
-Democracy complements free trade and capitalism a significant factor in economic development enabling a more peaceful and sustainable development
-Democratic govt are held to account and therefore more able to uphold human rights.

Question 15

Is democracy most effective to promote peace. No.

Answer 15

-A dictator can benefit an underdeveloped on new country through strong leadership in a country that is volatile this could create more stability.
-Democracy is unsustainable if implemented too early
-Many developing countries benefit from protectionist policies as they are a good way to stabilise economic growth
-Western Liberals often assume that democracies always provide the best form of govt and that authoritarian govt impede development. However some authoritarian states have achieved impressive growth rates, e.g By 2028 China’s economy is set to overtake the US.

Question 16

Arab Spring

Answer 16

Beginning in Tunisia 2010 when protesters mounted against the movement of the Presidents oppressive regime sparking a revolutionary wave of support for the installation of democracy across the Arab World

Question 17

Failed State

Answer 17

A state which has lost its ability to fulfil it fundamental security and development function, lacking effective control over its territory

Question 18

Example of a failed state

Answer 18

Somalia and South Sudan.
Democratic Republic of Congo:
-Characterised by civil war and suffers from great ethnic divisions
-In an unstable region with deep seated corruption at the highest levels of authority and militias being prominent in the country
-Victim of Western colonialism, exploitation and interference

Question 19

Rogue state

Answer 19

a state that does not respect other states in its international actions.

Question 20

Rogue state example

Answer 20

North Korea:
-Readiness to threaten to use nuclear weapons poses a threat to international stability and other nation states.
-Hostile to neighbours -South Korea
-northkorea does not cooperate in the international system and has frequently broken international laws. it has one of the worst human rights record directly against the UN and has failed to uphold international agreements even when it has signed them
E.g. Treaty on the non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

Question 21

Soft Power

Answer 21

Ability to persuade other states to emulate its world view

Cultural power: A state’s global outreach through television, film, food, fashion and brand names which can have influence in international relations.

Diplomacy: Reach of foreign policy and global impressions made by a state. A state should be prepared to provide global leadership on conflict resolution, environment, global economy, poverty and development

Question 22

Hard Power

Answer 22

Threats and coercion

Economy: Levels of debt, stability of economic growth and influence over trade rules and contributions to international programs

Military power: Size of nations standing army and its ability to deploy anywhere at any time. Naval strength, air force and technological capacities

Question 23

Smart Power

Answer 23

The use of both hard and soft power to achieve aims.

Example: Obama’s administration
-1st presidential term in the Cairo speech he focused on the benefits of islamic culture and need for cooperation
-2nd term Obama demonstrated willingness to use hard power where necessary in the Cairo speech stated the US wouldn’t tolerate extremist threats to its national security

Question 24

Other powers

Answer 24

Structural Power: states capacity to influence intergovernmental organisations such as the UN, IMF, WTO, G7, G20, AIIB

Regional power: states may pool sovereignty to enhance their influence which may give them a greater level of diplomatic pressure.

Research & Developmental power: can provide states with a strategic advantage especially in terms of nee technology

Natural Resources: states that are resource rich can possess significant bargaining power and harder to sanction due to other state’s reliance on their resources. They may also be able to act more independently

However being resource rich has its hindrances (resource curse) as it can encourage powerful states to try to economically dominate poorer countries. Relegating them to neocolonial dependency.

Question 25

Vaccine Diplomacy

Answer 25

Example of soft power. During covid-19 vaccines were used to improve diplomacy.
While the west focused on developing a vaccine some emerging powers harnessed the vaccine to increase their international influence.
-Serbia has the fastest vaccination rate in Europe and became a hub for vaccinations supplying vaccines that it acquired from its neighbours China and Russia

Question 26

UAE Soft Power Strategy

Answer 26

-Developed a unified direction for the, economy, tourism, media and science
-Promotes the UAE as the gateway to the region
-Establishes the UAE as a regional capital for cultural, art and tourism
-Establishes its reputation as a tolerant country welcoming people from across the world

Question 27

Realism and hard power

Answer 27

Hard power is the most dominant form of poset and most significant in defining a state’s strength without which a states sovereignty is weakened.
-Hard power is crucial in an anarchic system where every state is competing and conflict is inevitable
-Generally used more unilaterally

Example:
-Obama ordered drone strikes on Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria
-Russia invasion of Crimea in 2014 and War in Ukraine
-Economic sanctions placed on Russia by other states as a result of its actions in Crimea

Question 28

Liberals and soft power

Answer 28

Believe that soft power is an increasingly important form of power in an even more globalised world where interconnectedness is more common
-Soft power is generally used multilaterally

Example:
-Obama’s Cairo speech marked a move towards increased of soft power in US foreign policy especially in relation to the Arab world
-Arguably the formation of BRICS was a move to increase soft power by using diplomatic influence especially within IGO’s (G20, IMF, WB)

Question 29

What type of power is most effective. Hard Power

Answer 29

-Without a strong military power, states do not have the capacity to defend themselves or use military force as threat.
-Economic power is essential in order to be taken seriously on a global scale and to be influential with economic sanctions
-Enable states to act in their own national interest as they see fit and hard power is generally more effective at getting quicker results
-For democratic govts hard power is to the electorate as voters see the importance of economic security and a strong military to maintain stability

Question 30

What type of power is most effective. Soft power

Answer 30

-Antagonistic behaviour can only get states so far without isolating themselves
States need to have strong alliances and therefore popularity in global politics
-Soft power enables states to be more influential in the long term with the spread of culture, ideas and values enabling states to win the heart and minds of those abroad creating a stronger leadership position.
-Avoids the need for military intervention or economic sanctions
-Soft power needs to be built up over many years.

Question 31

Carrots and sticks

Answer 31

The carrot is a reward or an incentive while the stick represents punishment.
-US in the past has offered N Korea a carrot of energy and a food aid the stick of economic sanctions in relations to the testing of nuclear weapons.

Question 32

Has Military become redundant in global politics. Yes

Answer 32

-Because of increasing levels of economic interdependence and globalisation makes war almost unthinkable because of the high economic costs associated.
-Changes in warfare have made it increasingly difficult to predict the outcome of war reflected in the Vietnam war, if the US the worlds only military superpower is unable to wage war with a guaranteed success, alternative non-military means is likely to become more attractive

Question 33

Has Military become redundant in global politics. No

Answer 33

-War is endless. Military power remains the only guarantee of a state’s survival and security.
-New security threats have emerged, demonstrated by 9/11 terrorist attacks which shows how globalisation has made the world more dangerous. These underlying threats give the need for states to develop more sophisticated military strategies to ensure stronger domestic security and possibly to attack foreign terrorist camps and states that harbour terrorists.

-Since the end of the Cold War there has been a change to world order as it is increasingly multipolar and therefore unstable.