Realism/Liberalism 12MQ Flashcards
Realism
The belief that nation states are the most legitimate and powerful actors in global politics. Although states may choose to work with other non-state actors they don’t abandon their sovereign right to advance their own interests.
Perspective:
-Takes place in an anarchical society with no government that can impose authority and order, since nation states retain the exclusive right to act in whatever way they wish.
-Originates from a conservative, pessimistic view of human nature as fundamentally selfish, since states exist in a state of global anarchy they live in a self help system in which they must build up their own security and must always be watchful and suspicious of others creating a security dilemma because they can only rely on themselves for protection.
- All states are therefore trying to find ways of increasing their own power and influence within the global politics.
Security Dilemma
As one state builds its defences others will respond by building up their defences thereby increasing tensions between the two states or provoking conflict
Liberalism
State’s interest are interdependent and best advanced through cooperation with each other and IGO’s in order to achieve common political objectives
Synoptic link
Conservatism:
Hobbes- state of nature is inherently selfish, motivated by greed and suspicion of others.
Burke- society is operating in little platoons seeing a benefit to society from hierarchical structures.
Iraq War 2003
Believing that Iraq owned and was prepared to use WMD the US and other allies including the UK invaded the country.
-US launched military action without a clear UNSC resolution authorising the use of force.
Realist view Shows:
-US was prepared to go to war without international support (no clear UNSC resolution)
-The war’s legality was highly questionable (it was concluded the case for the war was unjustified and saddam’s regime posed no imminent threat + UN weapons inspectors found no WMD)
-US and it allies were acting in their national self-interest (Iraq represented a serious threat by the belief it had WMD)
Realism and Human Nature
-Selfish and egotistic therefore states are interested in their own self interests
-Human nature is fixed and driven so states are motivated to dominate and have power over others
-States are motivated by need to survive especially in a self help system where there is no guarantee that any other state will help them.
Liberalism and Human Nature
Optimistic vision of human nature
-Human Nature isn’t fixed and states can therefore improve and develop
-Humans and therefore sates are committed to individual liberty and freedom.
-Humans and therefore states prefer to work in partnership with others and look for opportunities to do so.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative
Since 2013 the project which is spanning over 70 countries.
To improve infrastructure and key shipping routes.
The network stretches from China’s boarders as far as western Europe and East Africa
Realist perspective:
-China’s project is ti maximise power and cement china as a global superpower to exert influence far beyond its boarders.
Enabling China to project economic power across the region and invest in a huge number of states bringing new markets for Chinese goods.
-The wider ambition is to build China’s global economic power to overtake the US as the worlds largest economy which proposes a challenge US power with presidents struggling to respond effectively to China’s growing economic power.
Russia annexation of Crimea 2014
Russian backed militia entered the Crimea, which was declared independent subsequently voted in a referendum to become part of Russia.
-Russia argued that it was acting in its national self interest: from a Russian perspective there were worrying signs that Ukraine might be tilting into towards closer ties with the west, the EU and NATO (pro-western alliance) Moscow judged this as a threat to its national self interest and in 2008 declared the prospect of Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO as a hostile act.
-The primary objective was to regain territorial control of Crimea to protect a majority ethnically Russian population and keep its historical significant black sea naval base.
Consequences of international anarchy
-IGOs (EU & UN) are limited in the effectiveness because states determine the success or failure of these international efforts.
-IGOs can’t force states to do anything as any authority they have has been granted by the member states themselves
-States have created IGO’s so they ultimately serve the states interests when they no longer do this they collapse such as the League of Nations or states leave seen in UK decision to leave the EU.
-States prevent IGOs from making decisions that are not in their national interest. (veto powers of the 5 UNSC permanent members)
-International laws aren’t always enforceable in an anarchical system as there is no international body that can force states to sign up to international law (Rome statutes are completely optional to sign up to)
-International courts may be ignored or may not have decisive powers to investigate (ICC has limited powers to hold states to account for crimes against humanity) and states that have not fully agreed to the ICC founding Rome statute are able to escape justice as there is no authoritative global force to bring those states before the court.
-State are able to breach international law or to commit human rights abuses within their states without fear of being held accountable or stopped from doing so.
-If world order is without authority, the most powerful state will try to gain enough power to exert their own control over global politics, the desire to become a global hedge and is in itself a further source of tension
Realism and states as key actors
-IGOs only exist because states created them, they have the ultimate power to join and leave (UK leaving the EU)
-IGOs succeed or fail based on member state actions, the UNSC is able to act only when majority of it’s member states agree to the resolution.
-Free trade only exists because states have agreed to it. States are the building blocks of the global system of international trade. They have power to abolish or reduce the amount of measures making trade easier and have power to enter into trade agreements with groups of countries.
Realism and the inevitability of conflict
-States try to maximise their power and influence provoking conflict if necessary
-States are inherently selfish and likely to promote own self interests even if that means resorting to conflict.
-In an anarchical system there is no authority capable of preventing conflict unless states judge that conflict isn’t in the interests.
Bipolar world
Realist believe a balance of power in a bipolar world order is best for security. It is most stable for the powerful states to roughly match each other’s power. Then neither state in a balance of power will want to risk attacking the other because they would risk retaliation.
Example: the Cold War
The concept of mutually assured destruction insured that there was no nuclear confrontation between the US and the Soviet union during this period.
Both instead engaged in proxy wars using other actors to fight each other, e.g. the US Army using the mujahideen Afghanistan to fight the Soviet Union.
China v US (Balance of power)
-China is set to surpass the US as the world’s biggest economy by 2028
-The belt and road initiative may extend its power.
-Greatest amount of regular armed forces
-Opened its first base in 2017
-Increased use of veto in the UNSC created the AIIB.
-Largest defence budget
-US is better than china in wealth of the population and less poverty than china
-Still prominent and influential figure in key global institutions
-Has a global military reach surpassing china in bases across the world
Liberalism and cooperation
Governed by the belief states can and should work together and international agreements, laws and institutions are helpful and possible.
-states are not the only actors in global politics a wider range of non-state actors have a positive role to play including IGOs, NGOs
-International law is possible and desirable. World order should be based on agreed international rules which can help to hold states to account e.g UDHR set out basic principles of human rights that all states should respect
-A states primary aim shouldn’t be to become powerful at the expense of other states.
-There are mutual benefits in cooperation and working together on matters of security, trade and development.
IGOs such as the UN and EU offer clear rules and forums within which cooperation can be organised
-Democracy plays a key role in keeping states peaceful. Democratic states are less likely to fight each other.
-International trade binds states together in common interests reducing likelihood of conflict
Liberalism and optimism on human nature
-Humans are rational and reasonable and therefore able to solve problems if they work together
-This ability to solve problems means it is desirable to create disputes resolution forums such as the UN to work on collective action problems
-liberals agree that clashes would occur within a state of nature if no rules or government is organised in its place they see need for international law and human rights protection and state structures in national politics.
-liberals see vital need to protect the human rights of the individual wherever they may live in the world. When individuals are sufficiently protected from those empower, they are more likely to reach their potential.
-Democracy offers the best chances for the individual to flourish freely and fairly and view a world of democracies to be the safest for both individuals within states and to reduce the likelihood of interstate conflict. liberals are suspicious of non-democratic and autocratic states.
Liberalism synoptic link
-The harm principle is that states should not interfere with the freedom of the individual unless the is causing harm to others. Individual states should therefore exist in freedom unless they are harming their citizens therefore other states should intervene in their affairs to protect individuals from human rights abuses.
The argument of an Enabling state put forward that states should actively help individuals to achieve their social and economic potential which translates into global politics through global governance structures which aim to reduce poverty such as the UN development goals.
Liberalism,complex interdependence and globalisation
Complex interdependence is the idea that states are linked. An economic crisis in one state has the potential to impact other states because economies are tied together through trade.
Globalisation is increased links and dependence on state, liberals are convinced that globalisation needs to be managed through increased cooperation. They believe that greater interconnectedness and cooperation is the direction for global politics.
