Why do we need concepts and theories of IR? Flashcards
What is the field of IR mostly influenced by?
History
- (Britain pre-WW2)
Political Science
- (US post-WW2)
Why are concepts contested?
- definitions are rareley consensual
- meaning isn’t fixed in time
- ethno-centrism
What is the concept of state based on?
European/regional history
Why do we have concepts?
4
To describe complex realities
To make sure we’re talking about the same things
To ensure constructive dialogue
To develop and evaluate theories
How was the concept of State defined?
Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States
1933
Legal criteria of statehood
4
- Defined territory
- Permanent Population
- Capacity to enter into international relations
- Government (governance = functioning bureaucracy)
Constitutive theory statehood
external validation/recognition is necessary to gain statehood
declarative theory on statehood
declaration is enough to achieve statehood
De Facto state / internal sovereignty
state monopolizes some functions within its territory
De Jure State / external sovereignty
State has recognition from other states and actors as well as autonomy over its territory
What is a state?
entity with well-defined population, territory and recognized political authority over a geographical space
What is a nation?
a group of people that are bound by cultural artifacts or history
what is a nation-state
state with a monogamous population
Is India a nation-state?
India is more of a state-nation: it became a state first, then made/bended into a nation
what is sovereignty?
there is no actor above the state that can compel it to act in certain ways
Case study statehood IEA
IEA = Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan
It has:
- de facto state: monopoly force + military and police force
- bureaucracy
- diplomatic outreach
- to be able to provide assistance to Afghans
It hasn’t:
- official recognition from other states
- legitimacy
- governance capabilities
Case study statehood ISIS
It has:
- control and governance of large areas of territory
- tax revenue
- police and military force
- infrastructure
It hasn’t:
- UN membership
- recognition from other states
- legitimacy
- permanent population
- limited state capacities
Pheasant Island
swaps nationalities (France and Spain) every 6 months
questions the concept of sovereignty
What is a theory?
an explanation and interpretation, it identifies patterns and helps explain them
it makes your assumptions explicit
What is a metatheoretical question?
questions above any particular theory
How can we categorize theories?
Explanatory theories v. Constitutive theories
Anti-foundational theories v. foundational theories
most explanatory theories are also foundational
most constitutive theories are anti-foundational
(social constructivism claims to be between foundational and anti-foundational)
explanatory theory
see the world as something external to our theories
e.g. realism
foundational theory
all truth claims can be judged true or false
e.g. realism
e.g. neoliberalism
anti-foundational theory
there is never neutral ground to judge what is true or false
every theory defines what is seen as facts
e.g. postmodernism/poststructuralism
e.g. postcolonialism
e.g. feminist theories
constitutive theory
believe that theories help construct the world
e.g. social constructivism
naturalist theories
see the social world and the natural world as the same
Arguments for Globalization as a new phase of world politics
5
- states become less like closed independent units because of the high pace of economic transformation
- communications have revolutionized the way we deal with the rest of the world
- risk culture: global problems that states can’t fix
- global/cosmopolitan culture
- global polity is emerging (political and social movements)
Arguments against globalization as a new phase of world politics
6
- globalization is a buzzword to denote the latest phase of global capitalism (neoliberalism)
- globalization is uneven in its effects (not all regions are equally connected)
- globalization may be the latest stage of western imperialism
- globalization is imperialistic and exploitative
- not all globalized forces are necessarily ‘good’
- responsibility and global governance: most of the emerging actors in a globalized world aren’t accountable to democratic publics
Hirst and Thompson (1996) on globalization
globalization is made bigger than it actually is + the global economy isn’t beyond our control
- internationalized economy isn’t new
- transnational companies are rare (most are national with international elements)
- no shift in capital between the richest and the poorest countries
- world economy isn’t global, it is centralized in certain areas
normative theory
ideology
says what states should do
explanatory theory
tries to explain what states do and why
social theory
theory on how to conceptualize the relationship between agents and structures
! don’t necessarily relate to IR topics
reshapes our way of understanding how the world hangs together
substantive theory of international politics
theory that offers specific claims and hypotheses about patterns in world politics
civil society
the network of institutions and practices that enjoy some autonomy from the state, through which individuals and groups organize, represent and express themselves to each other and to the state
problem solving theory
theory that accepts the status-quo and thus helps legitimate an unjust and deeply iniquitous system
critical theory
attempts to challenge the prevailing order by seeking out, analyzing and assisting social processes that can potentially lead to emancipatory change
epistemology
how we think about and know the world / how we generate knowledge
ontology
what we know and what we chose to study/know
failed state
state that is still recognized, but is starting to fail in many of the criteria to have internal sovereignty
disaggregated state
state is never completely centralized, not everything is decided by the states’ government
(there are always sub-state actors)
hybrid sovereignty
states share some degree of their sovereignty with non-state actors (act in the name of states)
transnational relations
relations between non-state actors across borders
Discourse analysis
the ways things are connected together, the way they are framed and described
