POLS 131 1st Edition Exam 1 Study Guide Lectures 1 7 Lecture 1 January 23 Introduction to International Politics What is international politics Politics in the absence of a common sovereign no ruler above the entities Lecture 2 January 26 Theoretical Foundations Realism central problem in international politics is war and the use of force where the central actors are states Liberalism in world politics belief in a global society including trade across borders UN intervention absence of war Constructivism looks beyond the instrumental rationality of pursuing current goals Asks how the current domestic or international situation came to be How can theory help us understand current world problems Provides a road map that allows us to make sense of unfamiliar terrain What are the relationships among state nation and nation state State most important actors in world politics requires land territoriality and the absolute right to rule that land sovereignty Nation a group of people who have some combination of common language culture religion history etc i e Ethnic group Nation state state whose citizens are overwhelmingly members of a single nation Lecture 3 January 28 War and Ethical Questions What role should ethics play in the conduct of international relations A limited one except in cases of genocide etc What role do ethics play Skeptics believe there is no or very limited room for moral categories in international politics State Moralists believe that national boundaries have moral value so it is wrong to breach them Global order depends on the system of states Cosmopolitans base their vies on the individuals within states Say national borders have no moral standing Ethical viewpoints in Statement by the President on Syria Skeptics not well supported but the knowledge that not intervening threatens the United State s national security is aimed at this group State Moralists not well supported Since they believe in the system of states Obama says Assad broke the contract to not use chemical weapons and must be confronted Cosmopolitans supported throughout Obama disregarded the idea of morality of state borders and made a plea to help the innocent people of Syria Lecture 4 January 30 Levels of Analysis There is not necessarily a wrong level of analysis to use when looking at world problems Individual most narrow looks at individual people and at the human race State asks if what happens in world politics is a function of domestic politics domestic features or the machinery of government System most broad mostly used by realists as a systematic level of analysis Lecture 5 February 2 Paradigms Paradigms systematic statement of the basic assumptions concepts and propositions employed by a school of analysis Foundations we build our knowledge on Why are paradigms useful in studying international politics They are a systematic method by which to study politics on the global scale Ex Realism balance of power issues Liberalism Democratic Peace Neoliberal Institutionalism Marxism dependency theory theories of revolution Constructivism structuration theories of norm evolution Lecture 6 February 4 Globalization What does interdependence is the foundation of society mean States can function better through mutual dependence and cooperation for the benefit of greater general well being How does it relate to globalization Interdependence leads to mutual benefits through the integration of markets politics values and environmental concerns across borders Forms of Globalization Economic free trade open markets competition in the world economy movement of people and ideas across borders Financial expansion and deepening of global finance Consolidation of financial institutions globalization of operations new technologies and universalization of banking Political the rapid spread of international and regional organizations composed of states and the spread of nonstate political actors Cultural spread of one culture across national borders Military networks of military force that operate internationally actual uses of force and threats Environmental the interdependence of countries to work together to solve environmental problems Criminal intercontinental spread of global crime and its impacts on governments and individuals Arguments made in the debates about the extent to which globalization is occurring Hyperglobalizers believe that profound changes are occurring in international systems such as the erosion of sovereignty the weakening of nation states creation of a borderless economy that challenge traditional states Weak Globalizers believe that globalization doesn t affect sovereignty and people are remaining loyal to their states Skeptics believe globalization is a myth and that national governments remain in control of economic activities Lecture 7 February 6 Key Concepts Collective Action Problems The effort of a group to reach and implement agreement in the absence of a common sovereign Prisoner s Dilemma when individuals who ultimately would benefit from cooperative agreements also have powerful incentives to break the agreement and exploit the other side Requires trust to break out of the dilemma Tit for tat begin by being nice only retaliate when the other does and do the same thing they did to you Coordination increase with the size of the group makes coordination unachievable Free Rider form of the prisoner s dilemma that affects large groups when each member s contribution is small and inconsequential Tragedy of the Commons a good that already exists will be destroyed if its exploitation is not controlled Conceptual Toolbox Actors those who can be properly said to perform on the international stage Nonstate Actors multinational corporations intergovernmental organizations nongovernmental organizations Goals Security most important Economic wealth and security Social issues Ecological issues Instruments Military force Economic interdependence Communication and Technology International Institutions Transnational actors National Interest Realism defined in terms of power states do not choose their national interests Liberalism defined by more than a state s location Power Power is in the hands of those with the ability to convert their resources from potential to realized power Hard Power coercive Soft Power indirect persuasive more of an appeal