Intro to International Relations Exam 1 Friday September 27th Introduction o Puzzles are observations about the world that demand and explanation o A theory is a logically consistent set of statements that explains a phenomenon of interest o A theory specifies the factors that play a role in causing the events we are trying to understand and they show how these pieces fit together to make sense of the puzzle o Ex theories of war trade and international environmental policy o Theories help us to describe predict and prescribe Describe events by identifying which factors are important and which are not Predict by offering a sense of how the world works Prescribe policy responses by identifying what has to be changes in order to foster better outcomes o Theories provide manageable explanations for complex phenomena We do not build theories because we believe the world is simple or mechanical we build them because we know the world is complex and the only way to understand the important phenomena is not cut away some of the complexity and identify the most important factors o A probabilistic claim is an argument about the factors that increase or decrease the likelihood that some outcome will occur o Framework o Interests the goals that actors have the outcomes they hope to obtain o Interactions the ways in which two or more actors choices combine through political action to produce political outcomes o Institution set of rules known and shared by the community that structure political actions in particular ways o Applying the framework o Think about who the relevant political actors are and what interests o Think about the choices or strategies available to each actor and how those choices interact to produce outcomes and how the strategic interaction influences what the actors actually decide to do o Finally think about what institutions might exist to govern their they have behavior o In building explanations we do not precommit to any one set of actors or interests as being the most important regardless of the issue area o Assumptions are simplifying devices which means that none capture the exact entire truth o We cannot judge whether an assumption is right or wrong rather we judge whether any particular assumption is useful or not useful in explaining the puzzle o Two broad types of interactions o Bargaining situations in which two or more actors try to divide something they both want o Cooperation when actors have common interests and need to act in a coordinated way to achieve those interests o Three levels of analysis of interactions o International level representatives of states o Domestic level subnational actors o Transnational level groups whose members span borders o The two step process of building explanations from the bottom up o 1 Domestic interests interactions and institutions determine the interests that state representatives bring to the international level o 2 These interests combine in international interactions and institutions to determine the final outcome o Realism o Thucydides Machiavelli Hobbes Rousseau Morgenthau o Two key assumptions States are the dominant actors The institutional setting of world politics is characterized by anarchy absence of central authority o Because there is no central government states must live in constant fear of one another in acquiring power o Security is the superior interest of all states which leads to an interest o Security dilemma when one state improves its military capabilities to enhance its own security it typically undermines the security of its neighbors o Nearly all interactions involve bargaining and coercion o International institutions are weak and exert little independent effect on world politics o Liberalism o Accept many different types of actors as important in world politics o Doesn t require that any one interest dominates all states o Governments interests come from within from the interplay of different domestic actors operating within domestic political institutions o Optimistic about cooperation in world politics conflict arises when actors fail to recognize or act on common interests but it is not inevitable o Democracy is the best way to ensure that governments foreign policies reflect the underlying harmony of interests among individuals o The scope of cooperation gives rise to a demand for institutions o Danger of way can be reduced by Spreading democracy Strengthening on global institutions Fostering economic interdependence o Constructivism o Focus on a wide variety of actors and interests in world politics and believe that international institutions can be effective and transformative o What actors want is based on their culture prevailing ideas and their identity o Emphasizes the role of norms or standards of behavior o Institutions embody the rules appropriate for behavior and thereby exert a profound effect on actions and observed outcomes o Significant potential for change o Emphasis on role of transnational actors Chapter 1 What shaped our world The 1800s were a time of peace and economic growth whereas the 1900s were characterized by postwar violence economic uncertainty fragile democracy financial boom and ethnic conflict Mercantilism was a system by which imperial governments used military power to enrich themselves and their supporters then used those riches to enhance their military power o Controls on trade served to manipulate the terms of trade the prices paid for imports and received for exports o The goal of mercantilism policies were to turn the terms of trade against the colonies and in favor of the mother country Wealth is power and power is wealth Hobbes Peace of Westphalia o Ended the Thirty Years War o Stabilized the borders of the belligerents and attempted to resolve some of the religious conflicts that had complicated their relations o Regarded as the beginning of the modern system of states which are expected to respect one another s sovereignty Sovereignty is the expectation that states have legal and political supremacy within their territorial borders Hegemony is the predominance of one nation state over others Pax Britannica o Century from 1815 to 1914 o British Peace o Europeans used military and economic means to tighten and expand their control over people in their colonies and other poor countries Colonists and the Colonized o Fante Confederation Several local governments in what would become Ghana came together in 1868 to create the confederation It had an
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