Realism and its varieties Flashcards
Who wrote The Prince?
Machiavelli
What are the three levels of analysis in poli sci?
individual leader, domestic population, state (government)
What is the state’s role? (3 things)
- solve collective action problems
- protect domestic populations from foreign attack
- protect citizens from each other
What is Max Weber’s definition of a state?
having a monopoly on the legitimate use of force (citizens accept the state’s ability to intervene and lead)
Who said “war made the state and the state made war”?
Charles Tilly
Generally, what is the idea of “war made the state and the state made war”? (ie. what does war mean and how does it “make the state”)
War means:
- raising an army
- collecting taxes
- building infrastructure
Since you have to build infrastructure to transport soldiers etc, this infrastructure can be used after the war for the benefit of the citizens.
“Rally around the flag” effect = war unifies populations from different backgrounds as they fight together
What are some examples of the “rally around the flag effect”?
France, Italy, and Canada in participating in WW1 and WW2
What is The Prince?
a handbook by Machiavelli about authoritarian rule through force and subterfuge
What are some of the thoughts shown in Machiavelli’s The Prince?
- recommends alliances of convenience, not principle
- doesn’t believe leaders need morality and idealism
- need to appear to have morals, but not actually have them
When was the idea of a state adopted/with what “event”?
Treaty of Westaphalia (1648) at the end of 30 years war
Why was Hobbes’ Leviathan (1651) so important?
foundational political science text, discusses on domestic and international politics
What did Hobbes think of the world?
Thought it was a brutish, “dog eat dog” world
What was Hobbes’ solution to the world?
-people need to consent to be coerced by a central power/government
How does Hobbes view politics?
A zero-sum game
Does Hobbes agree with Machiavelli’s thoughts that morality/justice don’t need to be a part of international politics?
Yes
Says “force and fraud are in the war the two cardinal values”
According to Mearsheimer, what are the four main ways to gain power?
- War
- Blackmail
- bait and bleed (make rivals engage in war)
- bloodletting (make sure wars between rivals are long and costly)
What are the two main ways for checking aggressors?
- balancing
- buck-passing
What is balancing?
Way of checking aggressor, direct, send clear signals to aggressors through diplomatic channels that they are committed to maintaining the balance of power
ex. defensive alliances, mobilizing additional resources
What is buck-passing?
Way of checking aggressor, indirect, makes another state bear the burden of deterring or fighting aggressor (you stay on sidelines)
Who is Hans Morgenthau?
- one of most influential realist writers
- considered one of the originators of realist thought
- lived from 1904-1980
- one of first scholars to approach International Politics methodically
What are some main ideas of Hans Morgenthau’s Realism?
- politics are governed by objective laws rooted in human nature (unchanging)
- criticizes idealism, thinks that it’s wishful thinking
- moral principles in real-world are minimal
What does realism enable in politics?
Prediction and comparison
Interest is defined in terms of _______
power
Why do realists argue that there is always a risk of war?
Mistrust and power struggle
States will generally seek to _______ a potential enemy rather than _________
deter a potential enemy through military preparations rather tan defeat them in battle
In addition to military force, power can also be asserted via ________
economic leverage
What is an example of economic leverage being used to show power?
Trade wars
T or F: our domestic vs. international views are very similar
F: they are drastically different (example murder in a country vs. war)
Political actors seek to _______, ________, or _______
keep power, increase power, or demonstrate power
How do states try to keep power?
Preserve the status quo/balance of power via treaties and alliances
What causes empires to rise? (four main things)
- increasing economic power (industrialization)
- Military force (naval power and land army)
- conquering territory to capture new resources to fuel empire
- colonies and allies contributing material and personnel to empire
What causes empires to fall? (5)
- Emergence of rival empires
- losing wars
- overreach
- costs of maintaining a huge military
- domestic unrest
What are some examples of overreach?
Hitler and Napolean invading Russia
What are some examples of maintaining a huge military?
- wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are costly and non-essential for US
- USSR is “Upper Volta with rockets” (German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt) meaning they have a very low quality of life
What is hegemony?
preponderant influence and authority over others; ability to force other countries to follow your key policies as opposed to their own
What are the components of military power?
land, naval, air, and nuclear forces (some argue cyperspace)
What doe deterrence mean in terms of balancing?
- using the threat of war to deter an opposing power
- —–must convince a state that at a certain point they will provoke you (as a state) into war
What must be done for deterrence to work?
- demonstrate resolve
- –must be willing to fight
- –must act upon threats if needed
If not for survival, why do states try to contain other states/their values?
for reputation
Why did the US want to contain communism?
response to the Greek civil war, felt that they lost states, wanted to protect reputation
What ‘document’ did the US implement to try to contain the USSR and communism?
Truman Doctrine