International Politics: Finals

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Flash cards for the second half of International Politics
Emily Fenton
Flashcards by Emily Fenton, updated more than 1 year ago
Emily Fenton
Created by Emily Fenton over 9 years ago
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Question Answer
Clausewitzean War Trinitarian concept of war: revolves around the state, the army and the people The idea that violence is the only way to disarm the opponent and submit that enemy to the victor's will ("duel on extended scale")
New Wars Arose with the era of globalization, and are different from old wars because they are typically not led by the state; often fought internally and motivated by identity politics Happen when states are weak (ex. ISIS benefits from the weakness of state of Iraq and Syria)
New Wars Break Down Binaries (5) 1. War/peace 2. State/non-state 3. Public/private 4. Internal/external 5. Economic/political
Old -> New War Logic (4) 1. State-led armed forces -> combination of state and non-state actors 2. Geopolitical interest/ideology -> identity-driven wars 3. Military battles -> population control (guerilla warfare, repression, ethnic cleansing) 4. State finance -> predatory private finance (financed by those who benefit from the perpetuation of war)
Criticisms of "New War" Theories (3) (Kaldor) 1. Are new wars really new? (features can be found old wars too) 2. Are new wars really war? (maybe they criminal acts, not war) 3. Problems with data collection in new wars (on duration of war, casualties, forced displacement, etc)
Wars of the Third Kind (Key Concepts) Cold War-era term describing wars fought in the Third World, usually by way of guerilla warfare; neither inter-state nor state wars
Sovereignty (Old and New Definitions) Old definition: right to national self-determination and non-intervention New definition: RESPONSIBILITY of sovereignty, not right to it; the state is responsible for the protection of its citizens, and if it fails the international community has the right to intervene
Global Covenant (Ayoob) Assumption of respect for state sovereignty at all times This is challenged by the idea of humanitarian intervention
Challenges to Sovereignty since 1990's (2) 1. Globalization (information technology, rise in regional agreements like EU, crisis of the nation state) 2. Rise in political HUMANITARIAN norms (based on "universal values" of what is right; violation of those values means loss of sovereignty)
Humanitarian Intervention Protecting citizens from human rights violations caused by their own states; disregards state sovereignty for the good of the people
New Interventionism (Ayoob) Intervention for a universal good, supposedly not politically or economically driven, but done on behalf of the international community
Political Intervention (US in Iraq) US invaded Iraq under the pretense of humanitarian intervention (idea that Iraq had WMDs). When this became clearly false, the discourse changed to political intervention: promoting democracy
Bush Doctrine Interventionist foreign policy agenda adopted by US President Bush which was based on the idea that states (like the US) have the right and responsibility to promote liberal ideas
International Will (Ayoob) There is actually no such thing; international will is just thinly disguised national interest that dictates where to intervene Even international institutions like the UN Security Council favour permanent member states
Violence during State-Making Process (Ayoob) State-making naturally leads to violence, and these days humanitarian intervention disrupts this process. Ayoob argues that maybe what is/was happening in Kosovo is just a natural process (much like the state-making of France or Britain), and yet it is being further complicated by international community
Order vs. Justice (Ayoob) Defense of state sovereignty (order) vs. demand for human rights (justice)
Problematic Proposed Criteria for Intervention (6) 1. Must be a just cause for intervention 2. Legitimate authority intervening (UN Security Council? "Legitimacy" is in the eye of the beholder") 3. The right intentions 4. Proportionality (relation between goal, action and result) 5. Intervention should be a last resort (after negotiations) 6. Reasonable prospect of success
Post-Post Cold War Order Recently there has been a return to the importance of sovereignty, as the unipolarity of the United States has diminished; "emerging" states have questioned the "universality" of the values imposed throughout the world
Globalization according to Barber (5) 1. Neocolonialism (everything's becoming American) 2. Interdependence of states (especially economically) 3. Driven by information technology (opening borders) 4. Clash of civilizations 5. "Think global, act local"
Criticism of Barber's Globalization (6) 1. Orientalist (Islam vs. rest of world) 2. West-centric 3. Makes it seem like is democracy vs. globalization 4. Self-determination and religion presented as dangerous 5. Ignores historical context 6. Barber's theory is nothing new
Approaching Globalization (4 ways) 1. Hard, structuralist: global structure is dominant/concrete; globalization is taking over the state 2. Soft, structuralist: state is being pressed upon by the globalization; states are in a race to the bottom 3. Hard, agentcentric: states resist globalization because global actors are embedded in the state (internationalization, not globalization) 4. Soft, agentcentric: states create globalization for their own mutual benefit
Supraterritoriality Understanding globalization as the "reconfiguration of geography so that social space is no longer wholly mapped in terms of territorial places, distances, borders" (Scholte)
3 Ways Globalization is Possible 1. Economic interdependence 2. Information technology 3. Growing global consciousness/identity (global community)
Evolution of Globalization (3) 1. Up to 18th century: concept of globe as single, unified space 2. 1850's-1950's: creation of communication technology which "compressed" the world 3. 1960's-present: full scale globalization
Classical Liberalism (Peet) During the Industrial Revolution, political economic thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, Adam Smith, thought of the economy as having an "invisible hand" which controlled the market; market is self-regulating and should be left to itself without any interference from the government Ideas of comparative advantage, capitalism, faith in the market to solve social problems too
Keynesianism (Peet) Replaced traditional market liberalism after WWII, when John Maynard Keynes proposed radical government spending to kickstart the economy; government spending on business to get things going, and to maintain social welfare systems, etc Still prevalent in Europe, especially
Neoliberalism (Peet) Opposition to Keynesianism which arose after the financial crisis of the 1970's; a return to the self-regulating system of the market Reagan in the US, and Thatcher in the UK were big supporters of neoliberalist thought and implemented radical changes in the British and American economy
4 Aspects of Neoliberalism (Peet) 1. Markets are self-regulating (anti government-spending) 2. Rational economic actors do much better than the government 3. Supply-side economics, Say's Law, tax cuts are self-financing 4. Public choice theory (?)
Self-Actualization Through Consumption The idea that capitalism relies on our buying into neoliberalist ideas; our wellbeing is hinged on our ability to consume Buying will fulfill us!
Nixon Shocks (3) 1. Détente with Soviet Union 2. Engagement with China 3. Abandoning Bretton Wood system
Washington Consensus (8) Agreed-upon policy reforms which international institutions (like IMF) agreed to to help get developing economies in shape (based on 8 neoliberal ideas) 1. Increase fiscal discipline 2. Reduce public expenditures 3. Implement tax reform 4. Interest rates should be market determined 5. Exchange rates should be competitive 6. Trade liberalization 7. Encourage FDI 8. Secure property rights
Liberalist Rules of Globalization Game (3) 1. States must attract MNCs by implementing tax breaks, lowering labour laws, etc 2. States should exploit geography and technology in order to gain most profit (comparative advantage) 3. States should develop technology as much as possible, to boost economy
Japan's Way Japan's economic growth seemed like a miracle, because they ignored liberalist rules to the globalization game. Rather than deregulation and privatization, Japan began huge government finance programs (especially supporting infant industries) Alternative to neoliberalism?
World Systems Theory The idea that international relations should be examined through a "world system" rather than looking at nation-states; the world system is made up of the core, periphery and semi-periphery, where the core exploits the semi-periphery and they both exploit the periphery
Transformation of Production (3) 1. Fordism (assembly-line production) 2. Creation of international production networks 3. Attracting capital
Globalization to a Neo-Maxist Competition where businesses slash all labour rights, plunders human and material sources, weakening labour and environmental laws Pessimistic; race to the bottom
Neo-Gramscian Solution to Hegemonic Crisis (4) 1. War of movement (revolution) 2. War of position (counter-hegemony which slowly creates new regime) 3. Improve civil society 4. Replace bourgeois intellectuals (problem-solving) with organic intellectuals (critical)
Power in Global Politics The ability to affect others to get the outcome one wants
Power Resources vs. Outcome Just because you have power resources, the desired outcome is not guaranteed. For example, the US spends 39% of all global expenditure on arms, and yet is still unable to pacify or reform Afghanistan or Iraq, who are comparatively weak
Power Shifts (2 ways) 1. Power transition: flattening of power (power going from one state to another) 2. Power diffusion: power going from states to non state actors (ex. terrorist groups)
Hard Power (2 types) 1. Military power 2. Economic power (can also be soft power)
Success of Sanctions Sanctions are an element of economic power, that had great success in ending apartheid in South Africa. However, sanctions often harm the wrong people
Soft Power Think of "pull" rather than "push"; power of attraction or coercion
Power Transition according to Nye Era of the West is over, but the American century will continue with the new competition
Power Transition according to Kupchen The Era of the West is over, but the gap wont be filled by the east, but a shift to "no one's world"
Recognizing an Emerging Power (2) 1. Capabilities: economic, military, political power, resources; based on projection of the future 2. Ambitions: usually ambition to play more influential role in world politics
2 Most Important Emerging Powers 1. Russia 2. China Both overcoming shame/defeat/loss of power; actually REemerging
BRICS Emerging powers: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa Originally an economic concept, but became a geopolitical reality since 2001: emerging powers interested in playing the game AND changing the rules
Arguments for BRICS as Politically Important Idea BRICS is trying to restructure the global political economic order
Arguments Against BRICS as a Politically Important Idea (2) 1. Countries are two different to be all lumped together (economically, in their ambitions, etc) 2. BRICS are smaller as a whole than the sum of its parts?
US State Department Definition of Terrorism "Premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by subnational actors" Terrorism intended to influence an audience
International Terrorism (US State Department) Terrorism involving citizens or territory of more than one country
Terrorist Group (US State Department) Group which practices international terrorism
Problems with US Definitions of Terrorism (5) 1. One of many definitions put forward by the US 2. Problem-solving, policy-oriented definition 3. Focuses on sub-nation and excludes state terrorism 4. Thinking of terrorism in a way that doesn't engage with actual agents 5. "One person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter"
Critical Definition of Terrorism (Jackson) Violent strategy or tactic of political struggle which actors employ to achieve goals; means to a political ends Ambiguities: who are the actors, what are the political ends, etc. Critiques US definition: encourages engagement with motivations and agency, and highlights the social construction of terrorism
Modern Terrorism From 1960's onwards, and characterized by being transnational in nature as well as focusing on the media (a lot of people watching, not a lot of people dead) Ex. Munich Massacre of 1972
Munich Massacre 1972 Palestinian terrorist organization, Black September, kidnaps the Israeli Olympic team during the Munich Olympics and eventually kills them
New Terrorism Different from modern terrorism because they care about both lots watching (via media) as well as mass casualties. Usually called extremist groups, and characterized by the use of weapons of mass destruction
Loose Nukes Term used to describe WMDs used by new terrorist groups. Availability of these "loose nukes" is blamed on the end of the Cold War, because nuclear weapons were smuggled out of the USSR while they were weak
Post-Modern Terrorism Terrorism using high technology; literally fosters fear through the Internet Ex. The Interview (movie 2015) was about two men on a mission to assassinate Kim Jung Un, which provoked a strong online reaction from North Korea
Offensive Liberalism (4 objectives) The use of hard power to impose liberalism around the world 1. Seizing assets of terrorists 2. Pressuring states harbouring terrorists 3. Promotion of democracy 4. Alleviate poverty (therefore lessen terrorist recruitment)
War on Terror American stance on terrorism following the attacks on the world trade center of 9/11; the attack was perceived as an attack to globalization/modernity/civilization
Critique of Offensive Liberalism (6) 1. Simplifies too much 2. Accepts US as passive hegemon 3. Ignores domestic issues 4. Ignores construction of threat 5. Undermines some liberal values (imperialism) 6. Neoliberalism is always offensive?
3 Ways of Examining "War on Terror" Discourse 1. Temporally 2. Spatially 3. Ethically
Terrorism Discourse: Spatiality The idea that enemies are constructed based on space; especially prevalent when talking about so-called "Islamic terrorism"; Orientalist, stereotypical and binary assumptions are used to construct identity of self and other, as well as to justify/legitimize foreign and domestic policies
Axis of Evil Born from the "with us or against us" mentality prevalent in the US after the 9/11 attacks. Axis of Evil countries are those which actively defy "universal" (American) values/norms. Originally: Iraq, Iran and North Korea "Beyond the Axis": + Cuba, Libya, Syria "Outposts of Oppression": + Belarus, Burma, Zimbabwe
Terrorism Discourse: Temporality (3) 1. Temporal discontinuity: as though terrorism happens in isolation, not connected to the past; presents US as passive 2. Linearity: terrorism has been growing for some time, but has been ignored 3. Timelessness: fight between good vs. evil, where of course good always prevails
Terrorism Discourse: Ethicality Ex. If 9/11 is going to be used to disassemble freedoms for which we've fought, is it better to forget it? The idea that we construct self and other based on what we believe to be right; this discourse is used to socialize the population
Case Study: Easter Island Society Collapse In order to support construction of scaffolding and building, the society of Easter Island practiced mass deforestation. They also lived off of the forest which they were destroying, so when the forest was gone they turned on each other until the society collapsed.
Environmental Issues which lead to Society Collapse (6) 1. Failure to anticipate (it wont happen to us) 2. Failure to perceive problems (ex. rising sea levels; takes so much time we don't notice the change) 3. Rational bad behaviour (tragedy of the commons) 4. Disastrous values (ex. reliance on fossil fuels) 5. Other irrational failures (short term thinking) 6. Unsuccessful solutions (too little, too late)
World Views on Globalization and the Environment (4) 1. Market liberals 2. Institutionalists 3. Bioenvironmentalists 4. Social Greens
Market Liberals on Globalization & Environment They have faith in transnational corporations in the market to fix environmental problems; environmental welfare will improve if incomes increase, because it will lead to increased political will to address environmental issues
Institutionalists on Globalization & the Environment Believe that we need stronger institutions which can effectively protect the environment; in their mind states should still play a role, but that institutions can span between global and local governance
Common Elements of Bioenvironmentalists/Social Greens on Globalization & the Environment 1. Critical of neoliberal/market liberalization/capitalist system 2. Concerned with population crisis (world is surpassing carrying capacity) 3. Eco-centric viewpoint: fragile planet 4. Tragedy of the commons 5. Decentralization (importance of local; state is too big/small for environmental issues)
Tragedy of the Commons Idea that rational and independent individuals will act in their own self-interest to exploit a resource, because they know if they don't, someone else will
Bioenvironmentalists (Distinction) on Globalization & the Environment The solution to the problem of environmental welfare with globalization is to limit population growth/advocate for population control
Social Greens (Distinction) on Globalization & the Environment Blame overconsumption, not population crisis, for the current state of environmental welfare; the solution is to empower people currently being effected who have no voice in the environmental debate
Green Politics vs. Environmentalism Environmentalism: accepts framework of existing political, social, economic, normative structures (problem-solving theory) Green Politics: in favour of changing existing structures because they are part of the environmental problems (critical theory)
Ecocentrism (4) About inter-relations rather than individual identities; all entities are related to the ecosystem; humans are not free to dominate the rest of nature 1. Resource conservation 2. Human welfare ecology 3. Preservationism 4. Animal liberation
Green States Critical of neoliberalist view of states; the idea that states should act as a link between global and local, and should be concerned with an ecological approach to development
Climate Change Burning of fossil fuels gives off CO2 into the climate, and right now more CO2 is being produced than O2 is by plants (since Industrial Revolution); this has changed the conditions for life, especially in the polar regions, gulf stream, and natural disasters
Territorial Trap The territorialization of the carbon cycle We need to think of global environmental problems in terms of states, but that doesn't really work because then decisions are always made based on national interests
Water Wars Thesis Water is a key resource for life, and therefore who gets it and how and why is very important; population in the 3rd world has been a strain on local water resources and has led to conflicts
Case Study: Mekong River Water War Mekong river goes through 6 nation-states, and development has had a negative impact on the water supply which supports people from all the way long it. China wants to build a dam, and there is nothing anyone can do, even though it means reduced water quantity and quality downstream. This makes China an "upstream superpower"
Social Green Response to Water Wars Water wars are caused by structural inequality, and should therefore be more local. A solution would be to enhance local influence in the discussion
3 Approaches to Globalization (David Held) 1. Sceptical Thesis: globalization from economic standpoint; questions whether modern international independence is actually more "global" than other economic periods (colonialism/gold standard) 2. Hyperglobalist Thesis: states act as a link between global and local economies; growing businesses take power from states 3. Transformationalist Thesis: whole planet is not involved in globalization, but it is uneven; globalization is a social phenomenon
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