International Politics quiz 1 – Flashcards

China is set to overtake the United States in many aspects -This has caused Japan to increase their military action in China's presence -India is also a very strong presence in Asia *when Barack Obama announced a 5 billion dollar deal defense fund, Pakistan and Russia increased their military ties -Though China is rising, the United States won't be backing down anytime soon

1. The inability to distinguish between the offensive and defensive 2. The inability of one state to trust the other

-Absence of an anarchic power is the anarchic element -Force is the Ultima ratio (the arbitrator between states) -States are more concerned w/relative advantages than absolute gains

There are three generic reason why an actor might obey a rule 1.Because the actor fears the punishment of the enforcer 2. Because the actors sees the rule in its own self-interest 3. Because the actor feels the rule is legitmate and ought to be obeyed -Power is involved in making something "legitimate" -Legitimacy=a belief held by the actor that an institution should be obeyed, defined by the actors perception

1. Political Realsim is governed by objective laws that have their roots in human nature *Develop a rational theory that reflects objective alws *Ascertaining facts and giving them reason through meaning 2. The concept of interest defined in terms of power *The statesmen thinks and acts in terms of interest defined as power *Requires a sharp distinction between the desirable and the possible *Considers rational foreign policy to be good foreign policy 3. Interest defined as power is universally valid but does not endow that concept w/ a meeting that is fixed once and for all (?) *There will be different interest associated w/ different parts of history *Doesnt assume that contemporary conditions cannot be changed 4. Political realism is aware of the moral significance of political action *Realism considers prudence--the weighing og consequences of alternative political actions--to be supreme in politics 5. Refuses to identify the moral aspirations of a particular nation with moral laws that govern the universe *You cannot know the certainty of good/evil within a nation 6. Political realist maintains the autonomy of the political sphere* Also the difference between political realism and schools of thought are real and profound

1. Objectivity is culturally associated with masculinity 2. National interest is multi-dimensional and contextually contingent, therefore it cannot be solely defined in terms of power 3. Power cannot be infused w/meaning that is universally valid 4. The feminist perspective rejects the separation of moral command from political action 5. Governments should seek to find common moral elements which could be used as forms of de-escalation 6. The feminist perspective denies the autonomy of the political; the narrowly defined political realm excludes the concerns and contributions of women -Few women have risen in the ranks of the International Politics world -The reason why men have an upper hand is bc it is primarily men who are creating the theories of International Politics -Women have different modes of thinking that would change Moreganthau's principles

Three different aspects of relational power 1. Command power --Uses threats or rewards to change B's behavior against B's initial preferences and strategies. B knows this and feels the effect of A's power 2. Controlling Agendas --A controls the agenda of actions in a way that limits B's choices of strategy. 3. Establishing resources --A helps to create and shape B's basic beliefs, perceptions, and preferences. B is unlikely to be aware or this or to realize the effect of A's power on B. ***The Ultima ratio is the use of force Military force as their ultimate instrument ***Smart power the ability to combine hard and soft power

Political Structure 1. Ordering principles -Parts of the domestic political system stand in relation of super and subordination -compare to economic markets -motivations of actors is assumed rather than realistically described survival motive 2. The Character of the Units -States are the inits whose interactions form the structure of international politics -states are alike in the tasks they face, though not their abilities to perform 3. Distribution of capabilities -power is estimated by comparing capabilities across a number of units -defining international political structures and grouping them Anarchic Structures and Balances of Power 1. Violence at home and abroad -all states must be prepared to use force 2. Structures and Strategies -Tyranny of small decisions 3. Virtues of anarchy -self-help; mans of control become an object of struggle; states are insecure in proportion to the extent of freedom 4. Anarchy and Hierarchy -world politics falls short of complete chaos, lessening of anarchy

1. International systems ordering principle is anarchy -there is no supreme governing international system -Self-help system=states are just undifferentiated, autonomous systems that are always fending for themselves 2. Distribution of capabilities between systems -Capabilities of a state varies by how much power the state has -Though states are undifferentiated, they are differentiated by their capabilities for states with more power can do more, and states with less power have less influence (structural constraints) 3. Fundamental for every state is survival Ex:The Cold War greatly changed the balance of world power

Self-help system -states cannot rely on others, states faced with threats to security of aggression can't call the police abc there is non Constructivist social theory -people act towards objects, including other actors, on the basis of the meanings that the objects have for them Self-help -required for the coexistence of the anarchic system; forms of defense against attack 1.Competitive self-help -identifies negatively w/other security -concerned with relative 2. Individualistic self-help -indifferent between own and other states security 3. Cooperative collective self -identify positively with others security -concerned with international

1. leaders know things about the military capabilities sand willingness that other states don't know so they have incentives to misrepresent information in order to gain a better deal 2. Treaties fail (trust issues) -ex: Germany unable to come to an agreement w/Russia on Balkan states during WWII 3. Issues indivisbilities -States might not be able to locate a peace settlement bc they simply will not ciompromise Summary 1. combination of private information about resolve or capability and incentives to misrepresent these 2. state's' inability, in specific circumstances, to commit to uphold a deal 3. Prewar bargaining may fail to locate an outcome because of strategic incentives

-An increase in one states security decreases the security of others *men have created geography buffer zones *Cannot defend from nuclear weapons *Security rests on the belief that each side would rather risk MAD than sacrifice its vital interests *what? so dumn) -When offense has advantage it is easier to destroy then defend, when defense has advantage it is easier to protect than destroy

1. Change in leadership makes so that therein no status quo bc there is no guarantee that the successor will follow the same path 2. On orde rot protect their possessions, states often seek to control land or resources outside of their own 3. Security dilemma: by of the means by which the states tries to increase its security, decreases the security of other states Cooperation -Fearif being exploited is most strong when u cooperate Exploitation -When A cooperates and B exploits, B avoids being exploited and gains advantages from exploiting

Balancing -aligning with others against external threat when the threat grows in power *more secure/sronger states can work together against aggressor *As a state grows in power, the more likely it will gain opponents Bandwagoning -joining with the proposed threat *less secure/weaker states tend to bandwagob *states facing eternal threat allies with opposite power

Four Tasks of Diplomacy 1. Diplomacy must determine its objectives in the light of the power actually and potentially available for the pursuit of these objectives 2. Diplomacy must assess the objectives of other nations and the power actually and potentially available for the pursuit of these objectives 3. Diplomacy must determine to what extent these different objectives are compatible with each other 4. Diplomacy must employ the means suited to the pursuit of its objectives. Failure in any one of these tasks may jeopardize the success of foreign policy and with it the peace of the world

-To avoid war, a state must display the ability to wage and win a war Spiral Model -States exaggerate one another's hostility when their differences are, in fact. States will rely on threats to prevent war -States seek security may believe the best value to self-protection is to expand and attack *Both the US And Soviet only made the Cold War worse by both increasing their security (led to more proxy wars) Deterrence Theory: Weapons are intended to deter other states from attacking with their nuclear weapons, through the promise of retaliation and MAD -Firmness can check aggression

Psychological milieu= the world as the actor sees it Operational milieu=the world in which policy is carried out Levels of Analysis in a situation 1. The level of decision making (The individual) 2. The level of the bureaucracy (The state) 3. The International Environment *changes in external situation not leadership alters the behavior of a state *A states internal system determines its foreign policy *states of the same type behave in the same type of way

Politics in Democracy is seen as a zero-sum enterprise -by cooperating, all can gain something to a varying degree Why don't democracies fight? -Transnational institutions make peace -Distance prevents war -Alliances make peace -Wealth/political stability make peace -Political culture prefers diplomacy over fighting

In 1898-99, the United States became a colonial power which was very odd due to our anti-colonil tradition Conditions that led to lasting popular movement for imperialism 1. Manifest destiny 2.Juliet Pratt and Social Darwinism *Expansion is necessary for advantage (Argued that we would be at a disadvantage if we didn't have a coal station in the phillipines) 3. Economic Forces *Politicians but business interests above all ad thought the public would do the same 4. Psychic crisis *a brief escape from domestic turmoil

-The SU installed nuclear missile in Cuba -Bundy wants to make a clear assessment of what Kennedy and the Americans were thinking -Key: Bundy wanted to give the president time and secrecy to make his decision *Two choices of action: Air strike or naval quarantine on weapons -The Quarantine was a good step bc it was a sign of detterence and and the airstrike would have been a blatant acttak and could have caused a major war -Soviet responded by turning around their ship and demanding that the US take our their nuclear weapons from cuba which they ended up doing

This conversation demonstartes the security dilemma -They establish their goals (capitaism and communism) and that neither of them actyally want to go to war =

State=ruling a defined piece of territory Nation states-they rile over borders and aren't affiliated w/an official government (The Kurds)

There is no supra-national force in International politics -There is a still a structure though *this comes from the distribution of power; the most powerful states set the rules for the least *order=anarchy; actor=states -all states under the system are pursuing their self-interest (all states are the same)

-It is called the Cold War bc there wasn't full on military action/aggression from both sides -A rivalry that never manifested into a full on direct combat

1. Individual 2. Domestic 3. International

When one party wins, another loses (part of the security dilemma)

This is an implicit suggestion on an domestic level w/international components -

Deterrence=appeasement Spiral=Punisnment and security