Power and Powers in IR

Question 1

The study of power

Answer 1

The study of power is fundamental to the study of world politics. We can use power to describe how the world changes.

Mainstream IR states that power is concentrated in 1 of three pools, these include unipolar, bipolar and multipolar.

Power was conceptualised by early realists like Morgenthau and Waltz, it is a entity and intrinsic to tangible things such as military, wealth and geography. Therefore IR developed into a discipline focused on material resources and the states that controlled them.

Question 2

Bipolar

Answer 2

Bipolar is argued as the most stable option of all the three, in a system where there are two equally dominant power there is reduced incentives of balancing.

There is a constant movement of adjustment and readjustment, if one state becomes too powerful, then others will balance too it.

The cold war showed a more perfect balance of power, the incentive for balancing was low.

Question 3

Unipolar

Answer 3

Most prominent after the cold war which led the discussion towards the importance of international institutions, economic growth/development and away from military and competition, the USA brought stability as they were the major world power.

Question 4

Benefits of unipolarity

Answer 4

Hegemonic stability - this is the idea that international order can be provided by a single hegemonic power. For this to happen, the hegemon needs to define its long-term interests in ways that are compatible with the interests of others in the system (e.g. through regimes and institutions).

This hegemonic stability is grounded on hard power aspects such as, Largest military arsenal, largest economy and the currency of the last resort, in practise the US could not go bankrupt, the result would be the collapse of the world economy.

Question 5

Hard power

Answer 5

The ability to get others to do what otherwise would not do through threats or rewards. (coercion, payment).

Question 6

Soft power

Answer 6

Getting others to want the outcomes that you want (attraction, persuasion)

Question 7

Examples of soft power

Answer 7

For the USA this is the attraction of culture such as Hollywood and the American way of life. They attracted others to want the same lifestyle and want to be like you and live the same lifestyle. This made the USA a particularly powerful hegemonic power.

It is more challenging to be authoritarian and to be a soft power.

Question 8

Smart power

Answer 8

The ability to combine hard and soft power resources into effective strategies.

Question 9

Change in power post 1990

Answer 9

9/11 was a movement away from this 1990s landscape, there was a shift towards the importance of security.

For the first time in a very long time, the USA was heavily weakened and the idea of a unipolar world was changed. For the rest of the decade the US spent money and drained resources in Afghan and Iraq conflicts, and whilst this happens other states grow economically and become more relevant.

Brazil, Russia, India and China began to emerge, they were named the BRICs, these countries now in 2023 outweigh the G7 in global GDP at PPP, 32.1% vs 29.9%. China now has the largest global share.

We can now argue that the world today is more multipolar or bipolar, USA and China dominate, but Russia, India, Brazil and the G7 are also important, so can be described as multipolar.

Question 10

Definitions of power

Answer 10

A has power over B to the extent that he can get B to do something that B would otherwise not do.

This definition can be to do with many factors such as military force or money.

Power can be unsuccessful, no matter resources, for example Vietnam. The USA had vastly superior resources but still managed to fail to win. Sometimes a unbalanced interaction can fall in favour of those who are perceived to have little power. Ukraine for example.

Question 11

Problems with power - Circulatory argument

Answer 11

‘Power is often used as the killer argument, the ultimate put-down, something happens because of power’ and if something does not happen then it is because the power did not reach its potential. We do not try and argue why the power did fail.

Question 12

Lump-power falicy

Answer 12

‘In real world politics, we have no existing measure to tell us how much a billion inhabitants weigh in power compared with a nuclear weapon or hundreds of them’

Inaccuracy of measuring power in a nice and precise way, particularly when you compare resources, behaviour and success.

Question 13

First face

Answer 13

Decision making power, involves a person having power over another’s so that they do something they otherwise would not do, Robert Dahl 1952

Question 13

Second face

Answer 13

Agenda setting power, involves more covert exercise of power, controlling the terms of discussion, Peter Bachrach and Morton Baratz, 1962.

Question 14

Third face

Answer 14

Shaping preferences, refers to power that circulates through thoughts and beliefs. Prevent someone from even discussing something.

Question 15

Realism and power

Answer 15

This is a short term view of power, crisis by definition are a short term idea, and there is significant emphasis on military power as you are simply concerned on survival, you are in a crisis mindset.

Question 16

Neoliberal institutionalism

Answer 16

Authors understand the importance of survival, but also they value the importance of the future beyond the short term.

This means that power can yield increasing returns over time, particularly through institutions

Question 17

Constructivism

Answer 17

There is now a greater emphasis on power through norms, rules and ideas, there is a longer term view on power.

Power as ‘the production, in and through social relations, of effects that shape the capacities of actors to determine their own circumstances and fate’ (Barnett and Duvall 2005, 3)

Exists in four forms: compulsory (‘direct control over another’), institutional (indirect power), structural (constitutive relations), and productive ( which ‘highlights how the discourses and institutions of international relations contingently produce particular kinds of actors with associated social powers, self-understandings, and performative practices’)

Question 18

Importance of power

Answer 18

The importance of distribution of power in understanding the evolution of international history.

The importance of distribution of power in understanding the evolution of international history.

Question 19

The end of the cold war and the end of history

Answer 19

Just before the cold war ended Francis Fukuyama wrote the ‘end of history’ imagining a history where communism had failed and what this would mean. For the best part of 50 years the ‘west’ had defined itself as being in counter position as the ‘east’. Free market Democracy west vs the communist and authoritarian east. If you define themselves as we are not them for the best part of 50 years what do you do when its over, who are you?

Question 20

Belt and Road

Answer 20

Belt and Road, A Chinese world order Bruno Macaes 2018. The idea is that there would be a number of cross land and sea routes to access European markets. Is it primarily about offloading surplus Chinese steel production, or is it a way of acquiring much needed technical skills.

Question 21

China realities

Answer 21

Chinas Economy by Arthur R. Kroeber. The share of governmental expenditure taking place at subnational level is 85%, compared to about 25% in most democracies and less than 20% in non democracies. They devolve power to their provinces more than any other country on earth. It isn’t just controlled by the ‘communist’ central government and Xi Jinping.

We are also told that China are building huge infrastructure projects and want to leave African countries in dept to China and therefore grow dependency. HOWEVER most dept is owed to western countries and the world bank, a very small amount of dept is owed to China in relation to these.

Question 22

West vs China in Africa

Answer 22

Condoms for Africa, is it worthy? Even though it is the least densely populated place on earth. Water Wells for Africa, building a well instead of hydroelectric dam? I saw this Goat and it reminded of you. Would you rather this stuff or serious infrastructure problems, we project when China are doing the serious and important things in Africa.

Question 23

Dependency ratio myth

Answer 23

Mythology, dependency ratio, ratio to those working and those not working. Working age population in western countries has reduced in recent years, people are retiring earlier, so there is greater dependence. This doesn’t matter. If your economy is coming more efficient than less people working can support more people not working, China is going through a transition where they are moving from a less efficient economy to a more efficient economy, so a small working population can support the rest.

Question 24

How strong is Chinas economy

Answer 24

China has had its industrial revolution, very quick and the grew first, however inland the agricultural economy is very low, they still have a huge surplus army of labour ready to play their cards right.

Birth rate in China was collapsing well before the one child policy, the biggest impact it did was make the population more male. The impact of the pone child policy is relatively marginal after the massive fall in the 1960s.

Question 25

Russia and Ukraine Myths

Answer 25

Western media, Kiev ‘could fall to Russians within hours as Ukraine air defences eliminated’ everyone’s presumption was it was going to be a walk in the park.

Why the Ukraine crisis is the wests fault, the west expanded NATO all the way up to the Russian border, look at NATO before 1997 and after 1997

UN wrote reports of corrpution in Ukraine all the way up to the Russian invasion, report on

Question 26

Russia economic sanctions

Answer 26

Mythology impact of Ukraine invasion, Dutch newspaper RTLnieuws, over 93 countries have been breaking sanctions in relation to Russia, you don’t have to trade with Russia, huge trade boom with Kyrgyzstan because of falling trade in the west.