PSCI 230X Intro to international relations midterm (good deck) Flashcards
what is the key structural difference between international political systems and domestic political systems
International: anarchical system
Domestic: heirarchical system
what does it mean when states are considered to be anarchical (3)
There is no world government
we depict states as coexisting in a flat realm
States are independent and have authority over their own affairs (sovereignty)
In order for something to be considered a state by definition they must exhibit what
monopoly of legitimate force over a territory
for a realist, a written constitution is not good enough to prove sovereignty, what must be present for a realist to consider a territory a state
Sovereignty has to be able to physically demonstrate that it is sovereign through actions and physical evidence
what is the difference between a country and a state
a country is an area on a map
a state has control of a territory
there can be multiple states within a country
Nation state:
a state that contains all and only the members of one culture or civilization
why is history not a reliable guide for predicting political outcomes (2)
conditions change
trends can be deceiving
Theories focus on what (that is able to help predict outcome and prescribe policy)
cause and effect
if the same conditions exist as before we should expect a similar outcome
what are the two main political families
Realists and idealists
what is the difference between realist and idealist theory at their very core in regards to conflict and cooperation
realists are pessimistic
idealists are optimistic
what is the difference between classical realists and structural realists? What is the root of their pessimistic nature?
Classical realists are pessimistic about human nature and it ability to resolve conflict
structural realists believe international anarchy makes cooperation difficult
What level of analysis do structural realists focus on compared to classical realists?
SR - international level of analysis
CR - individual level of analysis
according to classical realists what causes perpetual conflict
human nature
according to classical realists, what are the characteristics of humans
power seeking, greedy, irrational
what is the policy advise of classical realists and why
maximize power
People and states should try to have as much power as possible so they can influence or control others (zero sum logic)
according to structural realists what leads to perpetual conflict
international anarchy
according to structural realists, due to the lack of world government, what do states do to protect themselves
develop capabilities
what causes a security dilemma
states build up capabilities with no intention of harming others but their capabilities may inadvertently frighten other states who may retaliate in self defense
uncertainty of intentions
according to structural realists, perpetual peace and cooperation is impossible. What takes the place of a world government?
balance of power politics
according to structural realism, what are the 2 aspects of the international political system
anarchy and polarity
what are the three types of polarity and in what time period do they exist?
multipolarity pre 1944
bi polarity 1945-1989 US and Russia 2015- present US and China
Unipolarity 1990-2014 US
for structural realists, power is based on blank instead of blank
capabilities instead of control
what are the main two schools of thought in idealist thought and what is their core belief system?
liberalism - perpetual peace and cooperation can occur over time due to human nature
critical evolutionary theory - change is possible but only through revolutionary change
what are the three types of liberals and what do they believe to be the path to peace
classical economic liberals - capitalism
classical political liberals - democracy
neoliberals - international trade and organizations
what are the three types of critical evolutionary theorists and what do they believe to be the path to peace
marxists - revolution from capitalism to socialism
feminists - revolution from male leadership to female leadership
constructivists - more cooperative ideas