Theories Flashcards
What are the two assumptions in Classical Realism?
- There must be anarchy in the international system (no central authority telling states what to do)
- States are the main actors (corporations, NGOs, etc. are not important)
What is the first principle of Classical Realism?
The behavior of states can always be predicted.
Like science.
State behavior/decision-making process never changes.
What is the second principle of Classical Realism?
Realist policies are rational.
They make pro/con or cost/benefit analyses.
What is the third principle of Classical Realism?
Every state only wants/makes decisions based on two things: (the increase of) power and (safeguarding of) security.
According to Classical Realism, states are not _______.
normative (based on ethics or morals)
What is the fourth principle of Classical Realism?
Realists aren’t as terrible as they sound. They make decisions based on power and security, but they do acknowledge that their decisions can have normative (or realist) consequences. They take this into account when making pro/con lists.
What is the fifth principle of Classical Realism?
There are no good or evil states.
All are acting with the intent to better their country through power and security.
What is the sixth principle of Classical Realism?
Economics plays no role in politics.
It shouldn’t influence the state’s decisions about power and security.
containment theory
preventing the spread of Communism
Neorealism = ?
New Realism
What sub-theory is under Neorealism?
Balance of Power Theory
What is the first principle of Neorealism?
Economics doesn’t belong in politics.
What is the second principle of Neorealism?
States are the main actors.
What is the third principle of Neorealism?
States seek security and power.
What is the fourth principle of Neorealism?
There’s anarchy in the international system.
There is no world government.
What is the fifth principle of Neorealism?
States do not have free agency.
The structure of the international system influences their decision.
Balance of Power
Balance of Power
The international system wants to be balanced between two powers.
If you want peace, you must have a bipolar international system.
According to Neorealism, the structure of the international system always wants a ____ system.
bipolar
What is the sixth principle of Neorealism?
Relative v. Absolute Gains
States are only concerned with Relative Gains.
What is the Realist position on Relative v. Absolute Gains?
Realists want the same or more than everyone else.
Stephen Walt (Balance of Threat) agreed with the ____ theory.
Neorealism
What two things does Balance of Threat involve?
balancing and bandwagoning
When will you see balancing?
when other states see the hegemon as a threat
bandwagoning
allying with a threat
What is the first condition under which you’ll see bandwagoning?
The weaker the state, the more likely it is to bandwagon.
What is the second condition under which you’ll see bandwagoning?
If you are an isolationist state, you can’t find states nearby to ally with (to balance against hegemon), so they bandwagon with the hegemon.
What is the third condition under which you’ll see bandwagoning?
During a war, a state may see they’re on the losing side and switch sides.
Describe the pyramid in Power Transition Theory.
- Hegemon (USA)
- Great Powers (China, Russia, South Africa, Brazil, India, UK)
- – Medium Powers (Japan, Germany, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Australia, Spain)
- — Small Powers (Central America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Luxembourg, Moldova)
According to Power Transition Theory, what 5 things are needed to be the hegemon?
- Must have sizable population.
- Must have a fairly large territory.
- Good number of natural resources (oil, etc)
- Need large military.
- Need a stable government.
In Power Transition Theory, the hegemon sets the ____ ___.
status quo
The hegemon doesn’t need to worry about revisionist states unless…
great powers are revisionists.
What will eventually happen according to Power Transition Theory?
One of the great powers will challenge the status quo and/or the hegemon.
When is the Power Transition Theory weak?
during world wars
The Power Transition Theory does not allow for a ____ international system. It presumes a _____ international system.
bipolar; unipolar
According to Power Transition Theory, hegemons live without challenge for ___ to ___ years.
60 to 90 years
According to Power Transition Theory, after 60-90 years, the hegemon will…
face a challenge to their status quo by a great power.
What five things does liberalism entail?
- power of the individual (little role for the state); limited government
- Democracy is the best form of government (liberalism will also cover non-democratic states)
- capitalism/free markets/trade
- International cooperation
- progress
Why does the government exist in a (truly) liberal state?
to enforce contracts/agreements
Because there is limited government in liberalist states, individuals can…
control their own lives.
Do liberalists believe in change?
yes
The End of History theory deals with types of ____.
government
What type of government does the End of History theory believe is best?
democracy
According to End of History theory, what will happen if every state is democratic?
There will be no more war or conflict. The End of History will occur.
Describe the Dialectic: Forms of Government.
Tribal -> Slave-owning -> Theocratic -> Democracy (End of History)
Can a state move backward on the End of History theory’s dialectic?
Yes, but it will eventually move forward all the way.
What is the assumption of the Democratic Peace Theory?
No two democracies have ever gone to war with each other, so they never will.
What the Democratic Peace Theory version of End of History?
Democratic Peace
How many years does a country have to have a democracy for it to be a stable democracy?
5 years
What is the mission of Democratic Peace Theory?
spread democracy to stop fighting and bring peace
What are the two ways to establish democracy in a country?
Force (hard power)
Fukuyama: Allow state to reach it on its own (soft power)
hard power
force; military
soft power
providing a democratic example to show other states how great it is; persuasion (foreign aid, loans, grants, make friends)
Revenge of the Losers
ethnic divisions in society
previous ethnic group that lost power (by switch to democracy) will always be trying to regain it
The Coming Anarchy
chaos from one state crossing the border into another state and destabilizing the democracy
Clash of Cultures
some cultures will/can NEVER accept democracy because it doesn’t fit with their own cultural norms
Rocky Road to Freedom
Sometimes a country wants to transition, but it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a very slow process. If you try to enact democracy quickly, you’ll have setbacks.
Economic Collapse
A state’s economic collapse can cause a democracy to fail.
Be careful what you wish for!
If you install a democracy, you have to live with the consequences.
What type of theory is The Prisoner’s Dilemma?
game theory
What is a game theory?
mathematical model
What is the game?
Will states honor or break agreements?
What three things does a game theory like The Prisoner’s Dilemma involve?
cooperation, defection, payoff structure
What is the payoff structure in The Prisoner’s Dilemma?
DC > CC > DD > CD
where D=defect and C=cooperate
What is the initial conclusion of The Prisoner’s Dilemma?
States will first choose to break agreements ALWAYS if they stand to gain. They’re second choice is to cooperate, hoping the other state in the agreement cooperates as well.
When you iterate the game (The Prisoner’s Dilemma) on a computer, what is the result?
The state’s first choice will be to cooperate.
Shadow of the Future
over time, in international institution, there is an expectation of future cooperation
Who is responsible for Failed States Theory?
Stephen Krasner
What are the three types of sovereignty according to Krasner?
Westphalian,
International Legal,
Domestic
Westphalian Sovereignty
a state has the right not to be interfered with (because of the presence of a government)
International Legal Sovereignty
states have the right to sign a treaty in the international community; other states perceive them as a functional state
Domestic Sovereignty
state has control over its own people within its borders; the government has sovereignty; the government can provide or maintain security in its own state
In order for a state to NOT be failed, which types of sovereignty must it have according to Krasner?
all 3:
Westphalian,
International Legal,
Domestic
What can cause a state to lack domestic sovereignty (4)?
- Revolutionary War
- Ethnic War
- Adverse Regime Change/ Military Coup (military constantly overthrowing the government)
- Genocide
What does Krasner think should be done to stop conflict worldwide?
Intervene in failed states
Why are institutions like the UN so bad at intervention?
They often can’t decide whether or not to intervene because of sovereignty.
Who is responsible for the Definition of IPE?
Robert Gilpin
IPE stands for…
International Political Economy
What is the Definition of IPE?
The assumption is that IPEs tell is a reciprocal relationship between power and wealth. States are the main actors. Individuals/ People/ MNC are main actors. States affect Individuals/ People/ MNC. Individuals/ People/ MNC affect states. You use wealth to gain more power and you use power to gain more wealth.
(states) power wealth (MNC etc)
IPE theories are influenced by what 3 schools of thought?
Liberalism (economic)
Realism (mercantilism)
Marxism
Economic Liberalism
As little government as possible
A true liberal society would have no import/export taxes.
States are liberal if they try to keep import/export taxes as low as possible.
If the government didn’t intervene, the economy would work perfectly as if guided by an Invisible Hand.
True liberals do not support government regulations.
Mercantilism
all about gold; there’s a fixed amount of gold in the world; the goal is to get as much as you can; competition over gold
horde gold then use it to build power (military, etc)
Government taking very large role in economy (telling businesses what/ how much to sell and buy)
Relative Gains
export more than you import; sell more than you buy
ex.: China, South Korea, etc.
Marxism
Karl Marx
Dialectic of Economic History (late 1800s)
Primitive Communism [technology] Slave Society [technology] Feudal Society [technology] Capitalism [Socialism] Communism
Who originated Hegemonic Stability Theory in 1973?
Charles Kindleberger
Who updated Hegemonic Stability Theory in 1982?
Robert Keohane (also known for Neoliberal Institutionalism)
What school of IPE thought does Hegemonic Stability Theory employ?
Economic Liberalism
Why did Kindleberger form the Hegemonic Stability Theory? What was his conclusion?
What caused the Great Depression?
Debt; everyone pulled their money out of the stock market because businesses weren’t sustainable
According to Kindleberger, why is an economic hegemon needed?
to regulate the world economy/ keep it stable
prevent mass depression
What are the 3 Bretton Woods Institutions? When were they created?
World Trade Organization (WTO)
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
World Bank
1944
comparative advantage
states trade with each other because they have a comparative advantage over other states on certain products; some states make certain products more efficiently than others
everybody (consumers) wins: absolute gains
countries do not win equally
ex.: China (rice) (lots of flat land and more people) and Japan (electronics) (infrastructure, educated workforce)
electronics are worth more than rice
What controversy is associated with the WTO?
subsidies: payment by government to help offset the cost of producing a product
ex.: farmer needs land, machinery, laborers, irrigation equipment; Subsidies cover those costs so domestic farmers can compete with foreign farmers
Government Intervention has made domestic products (ex. American peanuts) cheaper than foreign products (ex. Peruvian products) despite other countries having better means by which to produce them
This protects the industry and preserves jobs
Original WTO members can have subsidies but new members cannot.
Agreements cannot be reached (past 15 yrs) because new members are upset by subsidies.
List the conditions in the Washington Consensus (4).
- Liberalization of trade and capital flows
- Deregulation
- Privatization
- Fiscal Austerity
Who has Problems with Bretton Woods?
Helen Milner
Problems with Bretton Woods: The institution can have little to no positive impact on…
The IMF and World Bank need…
the states they are meant to help (poorer states).
a budget increase.
Problems with Bretton Woods: When you give these states money, the money is…
Giving states lots of money sometimes makes it ____.
misused by corrupt governments.
worse.
Problems with Bretton Woods: The money doesn’t always go to…
States that …_____… get the most money.
____ states should get money, rather than states that…
Give an example.
states that need it the most.
vote in the UN with IMF leaders
Poorer; bigger states need something from.
ex.: Pakistan gets the most money because of the war on terror.
Problems with Bretton Woods: Sometimes the WTO is under too much influence by ____.
Give an example.
corporations.
ex.: ARV drugs for HIV/AIDS, India violated international property by selling generic brand, US pharmaceutical companies took to WTO court and won, they were controlling international politics
Problems with Bretton Woods: The Institutions themselves need to be ____. They ____ people for the ____ reasons.
They give out lots of loans to countries they know can’t…
reformed
promote; wrong
pay them back and will suffer.
Who is responsible for World Systems Theory? What year was it published?
Immanuel Wallerstein
1974
World Systems Theory is a ____ inspired theory.
Marxist
What is the purpose of World Systems Theory?
explain why some states are rich and others are poor
inequality between states and why it persists
World Systems Theory: What are the three categories of states?
- Core States
- Periphery States
- Semi-Periphery States
World Systems Theory: You will never make as much money selling a ____ as you will selling a _____.
natural resource; finished product
ex.: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Coltan/Tantum used in cell phone
World Systems Theory: Why can’t the periphery catch up with core states?
They will always be poorer if they rely on one natural resource, because the core states will take it (not pay much) until the peripheral state runs out.
ex.: Cacao beans grown in Ivory Coast sold to Hershey/Mars
World Systems Theory: The core takes power out of the periphery by allowing ____.
semi-periphery
Who wrote the Definition of Terrorism?
Bruce Hoffman
What is the Definition of Terrorism?
violence, or the threat of violence, committed by non-state actors for a political purpose
Who published Clash of Civilizations theory? When?
Samuel Huntington
1993
What are the 3 components of Clash of Civilizations?
1- Up until now (1993), most wars have been state vs. state
2- Most wars have been over ideology
3- In the future, wars will be civilizations fighting each other
According to Huntington, what is a civilization?
highest cultural grouping of identity
What are Huntington’s 8 civilizations? Who do they include?
Western (US, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand) Confucian (Chinese-influenced) Japanese Islamic (based on religious identity; middle east, North Africa, Southeast Asia, Indonesia) Hindu (India and surrounding countries) Slavic Orthodox (Eastern Europe, Russia) Latin America (Mexico, South America) Africa (sub-saharan)
What are Huntington’s 5 Reasons for Conflict between Civilizations?
1- differences between civilizations are real and basic
2- the world is a much smaller place than it used to be
3- globalization
4- there’s very little compromise between cultural civilizations
5- the west is at the peak of its power
