The IR of Africa Flashcards
what is Charles Tilly famous quote
State Made War and War Made the State
what Tilly argues
through a process of natural selection, in which weak states were destroyed by the strong in numerous wars, only the strongest states survived. When we look at France, or Russia, or Greece, we are looking at the survivors of a giant competition. Tilly argues that “Over the millennium as a whole, war has been the dominant activity of European States.” to survive, more efficient
is there a difference between war and development Tilly
no, Since the technological momentum created by the Renaissance, it is frankly hard to distinguish developed and developing states: all states to some extent are developing all the time, just at different rates and with different results.
what can we say about The New African War State
that war is taking the African states down the same path of development as experienced by European states, including all the suffering.
what’s a Rentier States
a state whose elite derive national revenues from the rent paid by foreign individuals, concerns or governments. It is typically used to describe Middle Eastern states that derive profits by taxing passing caravans or ships, but also states that obtain revenue from primary resources like oil or gold.
what is the consequence of Rentier States
they have little incentive to develop, socio-economically, their own population, and instead buy-off their population consent with benefits. This lack of development, and in its worse form: corruption, is captured by the term: resource curse.
_In contrast to European states, African states are termed..
juridical states. Most African states are the result, institutionally, territorially, and in some cases, identity-wise, of colonialism.
what are the characteristics of African states
1) too bureaucratically under-developed to organize for inter-state war, and develop as a consequence of war, like the European states
2) African states face greater security challenges from their domestic populations, than threats to their territory from their neighbors
3) trans-national non-state actors can exert disproportionate influence on African states.
4) African states therefore are centered around the capital, and depend on foreign assistance, particularly foreign aid from wealthier states and international institutions for financial assistance.
5) borders were determined for convenience of the colonizing countries, and at decolonization, identity groups were left dispersed across different states.
why are the African states call juridicial
because inter African state territorial disputes are more likely to be resolved according to the rules and procedures of donors and their international institutions, than as a result of the state’s own military action.
what are the three step of explanation as to why African states are weak
First, these states fail to push for the internal development of their bureaucracies.
_Second, heavy borrowing makes states subject to heavy interest payments, to making domestic concessions in exchange for repayment alleviation.
_Third, the continued weakness of indebted states facilitates the interference by more wealthy states in their domestic affairs, influencing sub-state actors.
. States with policies of state intervention have generally performed better than states withdrawing from direct state intervention in the market in Africa. true or false
true
how Michael Doyle defines liberal regimes
a. Private market-based economies
b. Sovereignty
c. Judicial Rights, with an emphasis on individual rights
d. Representative Government
- Francis Fukuyama, End of History (1989) article argued that two systems triumphed as a result of the Cold War:
a. Capitalist (as a creator of wealth)
b. Democracy (as a creator of personal and collective freedom)
- The African experience demonstrated that
a. Rights may be hierarchically applied, in the sense that some people may be denied its benefits.
b. Fully procedural democracy may be illiberal.
c. Democracy worsens domestic socio-economic stability.
d. Democracy may cause war in Africa.
