POLI150 August 22 Actors Interests Institutions and Interactions What is politics The process through which individuals make collective choices about who gets what Collective choice majority rules in the interest of everyone Unanimity rule International politics interactions between different states Institutional structure is what differs from domestic political systems Who is in charge of the international scheme of things Domestic v international politics Looser bonds holding together governing body More actors more parties affected Institutions that concentrate power Hierarchical power Anarchy everyone has their own states and people that will be affected so they must look out for themselves in theory Representation on international scale UN General Assembly one country one vote Upper chamber most powerful 5 countries have more power EU representation based on population More power more influence Who implements these decisions Legislative branch decides executive branch implements judicial branch enforces Supreme Court judges act independently there is no threat of reappointment so they have no concern of outside opinion SC comprised over time and over different processes so there is no one president of body that has a hand in judicial carryout Theory abstract set of statements principles that help the understanding cause and effect Help predict what will happen Help understand what has happened Help anticipate what may happen in order to prepare design institutions that will be effective Actors want to achieve interests State a central authority e g The U S Iraq Ability of coercive force police system etc Economic and political power to enforce decisions and legislation Sovereignty the concept that states have total legal and political supremacy within their boundaries Who decides on sovereignty Bottom up democratic Top down communism Why isn t Taiwan sovereign China still holds governing force though they act as their own separate state Primary actors in the international political system Non state actors Inter governmental organizations IGOs Non governmental organizations NGOs Interests are preferences over outcomes basically survival in whatever developmental sense the state is in An actor motivated by an interest in money prefers scenarios in which it receives more money over those in which it receives less Types of interests Power or security Actors already have a sense of self security Desire to control others Economic or material welfare Actors desire a higher standard of living The US is involved in the Middle East because we need oil to upkeep the US standard of living Ideological goals Political religious etc Cold War ideology 30 Years War religion US Middle East policy 1 Material oil 2 Security anti terrorism 3 Ideological democracy Government a central authority e g The Bush Administration National Interests interests belonging to the state government itself e g security power Interactions The ways in which the choices of two or more actors combine to produce political outcomes Assumptions in studying interactions Actors are purposive behave with intention of producing a result Actors adopt strategies Coordination A type of cooperative interaction in which actors benefit from all making the same choirs and subsequently have no incentive to not comply Collaboration A type of cooperative interaction in which actors gain from working together but nonetheless have incentives to not comply with agreement The Prisoners Dilemma Public goods v private goods Clean air national security etc Collective actions problems Obstacles to cooperation that occur when actors have incentives to collaborate but each acts in anticipation that others will pay the costs of cooperation Easier for smaller number of actors to cooperate and monitor behavior vs a larger group There may be groups in which a single member or small group of members is willing to pay for the entire public good Benefits for privileged costs of providing for the whole Free ride to fail to contribute to a public good while benefitting from the contributions of others Cooperation is more likely to occur when actors have opportunities to cooperate over time and across issues interation repeated interactions Linkage linkage institutions Power Ability to control others actions to get what you want Bargaining who wins and who loses Reversion outcome no bargain is reached Coercion The threat or imposition of costs on other actors in order to change their behavior Eg military force economic sanctions embargoes What matters is not the overall size and fighting powers of one s own troops but one s capabilities relative to an opponent s Outside options The alternatives to bargaining with a certain actor Anarchy the absence of a central authority with the ability to make and enforce laws that bind all actors International Order War today Fewer deaths in recent years since WW2 Worldwide nuclear testing has fallen over time Exception North Korea possibly Iran Mostly about cooperation between states International Order An arrangement that promotes the primary goals of states State of Nature no security no order no institutions no cooperation because there is no incentive no investment because there is no expectation of a return on investment They are more likely to kill you than join you or support you States accumulate weapons simply for the sake of hypothetical security threats Anarchy Order in Social Life an arrangement that promotes specific goals and values Primary goals of order security of person physical security against attack by others security of promises explicit or implicit basis of social interaction You do x I do y security of property what s mine is mine and what s yours is yours Attainment of Primary Goals allow for pursuit of secondary goals Cooperative interaction in pursuit of joint gain Secondary goals can be anything not directly concerned with Primary Goals International Politics Primary Goals Security of Government from external interference sovereignty Security of treaty commitments There is no true enforcement of international law so states must believe in promises Security of property Territories Canada will not take away the Northern US International Order vs World Order International Order social politic between states World Order States order directly affecting individuals The UN promising security to individuals in a particular state