Types of State Flashcards
arguments suggesting that global order is significantly affected by the nature of government in different types of state
democratic states foster peace
rogue states make the world a more dangerous place
undemocratic and autocratic states threaten global peace when democratic states become concerned about the treatment of citizens by the governments of these states
arguments suggesting that global order is NOT significantly affected by the nature of government in different types of state
realists argue that all states selfishly pursue power, type of state does not have an impact
there will always be conflict in the world system, no matter what types of state are in existence because conflict is inevitable
interventions are not always because democratic states are concerned with the lack of democracy, interventions are often for selfish reasons, so would occur anyway
democratic states foster peace
DEMOCRATIC STATES
Liberals believe that as most states are becoming democratic they share the same interests of promoting peace and stability in the international system meaning that peace is far more likely and the risk of conflict is reduced
Democratic peace theory – Inspired by the works of Immanuel Kant and Thomas Paine
Believes that the increasing number of democratic states is an opportunity for peace and corporation
Both Kant and Paine Claimed that republics what we now call democracies are less war-like people do not like war so would not vote for representatives who support conflict
The theory received a boost in the late 20th century with Francis Fukuyama end of history which claims that conflict in the world would decline as more and more states adopt liberal democracy and capitalism
Empirical evidence also demonstrates that wars between democracy is a far less common than between other types of state indeed there are areas of the world where democratic states are more numerous and these areas have had long periods of peace including North America and Europe
The norms and values of democracy and its structures are also thought to promote zones of peace
the sharing of democratic values creates a cultural bond between states which makes them likely to see each other as friends rather than enemies
Democracy is also promote institutional structures and mechanisms that ensure a peaceful resolution of conflict
Legislatures act as a neutral forum where competing views can be heard and votes are taken to decide which view has won the argument
Elections allow competing candidates and parties to demonstrate their suitability for office
In both legislatures and elections losers accept the result peacefully as they know that they have had a fair opportunity to present their case and by participating in the process they agree to be bound by the outcome
Changes in government take place without violent revolution
Democracy is learning to resolve conflicts peacefully meaning they are willing to exhaust all other possibilities in their dealings with other states before resorting to conflict
realists argue that all states selfishly pursue power, type of state does not have an impact
REALIST ARGUMENT
Realists argue that the type of regime doesn’t affect the state interest all states will always pursue their own national interests whether democratic autocratic or rogue meaning that war and conflict is always inevitable
Realists believe that war and conflict is inevitable, largely due to their pessimistic view of human nature. They believe that humans are inherently selfish. Thucydides argued that humans are fundamentally self-centred and will place their own interests above and beyond the interests of others. Conservatives share a similar view of human nature, with Thomas Hobbes arguing that humans selfishly seek “power after power”. Consequently, because humans are selfish, states are selfish too because they are ruled by humans. This selfishness causes a lack of trust because states will always look out for their own interests, meaning others can never be sure of their intentions. This inevitably causes tension and leads to a clash of interests, which in turn leads to war. For instance, in 1941 Hitler invaded Russia despite agreeing to a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union. This demonstrates that states behave selfishly and this creates conflict. More recently, China has been seeking to become a hegemon state by building islands and increasing naval patrols in the South China Sea. Thus, attempting to expand its territory without considering the interests of neighbouring countries such as Taiwan and Vietnam which inevitably creates tension and could lead to serious conflict.
rogue states make the world a more dangerous place
ROGUE STATES
On the other hand the existence of non-democratic states autocratic states failed states and rogue states makes the world a more dangerous place
the examples of various types of these states illustrates the dangers that they pose to other states
For example North Korea is a rogue state and its position as one of the few remaining states in the world that has chosen to follow a variant of communism that promotes self-sufficiency and autarchy Puts it at odds with the rest of the world
It does not share the same values or political ideas as its neighbouring countries or countries further afield which leads North Korea to view its neighbours as potential threats which it seeks to minimise through self-imposed seclusion and the development of a nuclear deterrent
It’s a unique political system makes dialogue with other countries difficult which inevitably fosters misunderstanding and mutual suspicion
This causes state to react by building up their arms and holding military exercises in the vicinity to deter a potential attack
But North Korea sees this as a threat and often launches missiles to demonstrate its ability to to defend itself
So far these activities have amounted to nothing more than posturing but such actions can trigger a chain of events that leads to war
For example the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand the heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire led to the outbreak of World War I — a war that redrew the map of Europe
there will always be conflict in the world system, no matter what types of state are in existence because conflict is inevitable
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE CONFLICT
No matter what type of state or government, there will always be conflict – e.g. if all states in the world were democracies, they could still be seen as posing threats to one another
realist view that war is inevitable
The existence of rogue states has not altered the global order – the USA remains the clear hegemon
undemocratic and autocratic states threaten global peace when democratic states become concerned about the treatment of citizens by the governments of these states
UNDEMOCRATIC STATES
Undemocratic and autocratic states threaten global peace when democratic states become concerned about the treatment of citizens by governments of these states
China and Syria have been heavily criticised by countries like the US and the UK for the treatment of political opponents
in the case of Syria these critics have recognised and supported rebel groups in their bid to topple the Assad regime
interventions are not always because democratic states are concerned with the lack of democracy, interventions are often for selfish reasons, so would occur anyway
INTERVENTIONS
Interventions in such states are not always because democratic states are concerned with the lack of democracy there, interventions are often for selfish reasons, so would occur anyway
e. g. Iraq 2003
e. g. East Timor
