Power Flashcards
Traditional understanding of power and by who
Robert Dahl: “ capacity of A to make B do smtg that B would otherwise not do”
Modern understanding
Waker States can have power over strong states,
Non state accord can have power
Ideas have power
US example
-compulsory power:
military level ( the more basis and troops in the world sp in Europe, NATO, nuclear weapon, biggest military expenditure: 2023= 40% of the total of military expenditure
Economic level: US dollar for int transactions, technologies ex ASML forced to suspend exportations to China although it is a dutch compagny
- institutional power: key position in UN, iMF, World Bank
-structural power: américain dream, westernalisation, so US as leader and others as followers
Mesuring power
-power as a ressource= based on country’s resources and capabilities: military, economic strenght, technology… ex “Comprehensive National Power”= ranking of countries by China
Clear ranking of states but it is inaccurate, don’t capture the full complexity of power dynamics + long terme so assumes that power is fuxed and static
-power as outcomes : who gets their way, who prevails in specific conflicts or negociations, more accurate in réflection réal influence but lacks generalizability across different contexts so diplomacy, negociation, conflict
Capture situational influence and effectiveness and reflect the fluidity of power relations but hard to generalize, subjective interprétation of outcomes
Who did the taxonomy of power?
Barnett and Duvall in: in Int Politics
Taxonomy of power by Duvall and Benett in In Int Politics the 4 types
Compulsory
Institutional
Structural
Productive
Compulsory power
Compulsory power( durect and power work through interaction of specific actors): direct exercise of control by one actor over another, directly shapes the behaviour of another ( trad understanding)
By threat, sanctions, military actions
Military force + economic sanctions + diplomatic pressure
Cear and tangible, measurable with immédiate impact so good for adressing urgent crisis
Résistance and backlash, resentment leading to long terme hostilitiy and limited effectiveness ex NK freez assets but no major political change
Institutional power
Diffuse and power through interaction of specific actors
Influence of an actor in int institutions and orga: control of the framework
Rule-making, norms- and standard- making power ( shape int rules), control of décision making ( ex UN security council decide when to send the peacekeepers…)
Legitimacy and long term influence
Depend on consensus, institutional capture ( states are accused to use int orga for their own benefits so less crediility for the orga)
Structural power
Direct and work trough social relations of constitutions
Power of relationship who constitute the actors:
A only existe as an actor bcs he has a relationship with B
Power relationship allocates power, rôles ans shapes self-undersatanding
Ex debtor-creditor relationship
Productive power by Foucault
Diffuse and work through social relations of constitutions
Productive knowledge, shape ideas of what people and states consider possible or legitimate in global politics
Shape beliefs and norms, cultural influence, define the terms of global debates such as HR, terrorism…
Power of the words on shaping ours way to think so deep influence and soft power but hard to measure and subject to resistence
Who talked abt Exclusive Knoweldge
Inayatullah in “why do some people Think they know what is good for others?”
Explain exclusive Knoweldge
Inayatullah in “why do some people Think they know what is good for others?”
The idea that a group of people has supérior and unique Knoweldge over a topic ex christianisation in Africa and South America: they think they know what is the Best for the others
Pb: political and ethnical pressure ( often it was the western, white, catho people) + limits sovereignty ( often interventionism)+ hidden self interest ( ressources…)
What we need to have is a cycle of mutual enrichemement, stop spiting the donnor and recievor everyone has Knoweldge to give
Who wrote “why do we obey?”
Jenny Edkins
Why do we obey according to Jenny Edkins
- authority through political institutions, social norms, légal framework
-3 types of authority:
Légal rational ( décisions made on the law raher than on rulers)
Charismatic authority ( to a specific pers for his extraordinary qualities leg by heroic arts, victories…)
Traditional authority ( husband/father on the household, King on sujects…)
-desobedience permitted if it is done in a civil way “ civil desobedience “ in a democracy but won’t solve the pb
