Final By Region Flashcards
1
Q
US-EU Relationship:
A
- Economic policy vs. security (NATO) concerns
- Strong partnership
- Historical alliance since ww1
- But tensions following 9/11 – felt they were left out of the Iraq decision making process
- How should the US build relations with them/how do they fit into US hegemony
- Bilateral focus (UK, Germany, France)
- Notion of egalitarianism but still major powers (small states don’t like it)
- Strategic partnership
- Security and NATO
- Ideological trust
- Logistical security – Most countries dependent on American protectionism and NATO
- France, Germany, UK
2
Q
US-EU Relationship:
2 Broad ways to look at relations
A
- Economic partners: often gets tense
- Security partners: lingering tension after Iraq but strengthening
- *Because both, use soft and hard power to improve the relationship
- *Don’t abandon it even though imperfect – balance periods of tensions with those of strong support
- There are times when disagree – is a complicated relationship
- Some say we need to break economic and security apart – stick with nato and ditch EU
3
Q
US-EU Relationship:
Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP)
A
- Is an extension of current economic policies of EU – with economic integration
- Tries to create fully, integrated regional trade
- TTIP trying to reduce Non tariff barriers by focusing on making regulation standards same
- Ex. Different ideas food regulations, regulations in health, drug testing, cosmetics
- Consumer protection – different standards for different things
* We don’t want to feel less safe
- Consumer protection – different standards for different things
- Role of businessmen in deciding standards
- Environment protection – oil drilling in America
- Corporate growth
* Large businesses are better at negotiation and less focused on domestic goods
- Corporate growth
- *Different interests but stick together with overarching goals
- Used to be communism à counterterrorism
4
Q
US-EU Relationship:
What should US do about concern of Europe reborn
A
- They could turn away to Russia/China, could make us neglect other regions
- Who should protect E. Europe?
- Germany starting to turn East
- Why? Partially because of weak postwar integration, not being integrated anymore
- Becoming less dependent on the US and more on China
- Has had an attitude shift
- New Ostpolitik: Eastern policy
- Used to balance western policy
- Using it to partner with Russia
- Also pivoting to China – economic and strategic relationship
- *Germany is one of the strongest countries in the EU – could take the rest of Europe with it if it shifts East
- Why? Partially because of weak postwar integration, not being integrated anymore
5
Q
US-EU Relationship:
NATO and EU Enlargement:
A
- Debate on if this is a good thing or not
- 1990s opened EU and NATO doors to Eastern Europe to give democracy and stability
- Tied them to the west
- This was a success
- Should reconsider keeping to do this now because don’t’ feel the same historical and moral commitment if keep pushing East
- Core security interests: connects Russia, Europe, Middle East
- Could enhance security but already has too many commitments
6
Q
US-EU Relationship:
People starting to think EU is Irrelevant
A
- People in past thought it would fail, people starting to think that again
- Has a lot of reasons to believe this
- People don’t trust EU institution, more difficult economic issues, Europe’s economy is in shambles after the recent crisis
- The young blame EU for financial issues
- Looks week in the face of Russian aggression
- Why the EU can revive itself
- Has capable new leaders
- More consensus on economic policy emerging
- Internal and external threats
- Internal: threat of UK leaving
- External: Putin and Ukraine
- *Creates a new solidarity
7
Q
US-Russian Relations:
Why Russia acts the way it does
A
- Russia has always wanted to be seen as a strong power
- 2 Arguments for why it acts the way it does
- Geopolitical: Russia has always pursued a sphere of influence policy
* They want to the dominant power in Eastern Europe
* They do not have many warm ports, are huge and diverse
* Putin doesn’t want NATO, a major dominant power, to expand towards them
- Geopolitical: Russia has always pursued a sphere of influence policy
- Constructivist: frustrated that for a long time people have seen it as backwards
* Their primary trade is with Europe, they see themselves as European
* Sociological argument – psychological impact of them feeling like we do not understand them and that they are an “other”
* Inertia of American analysts seeing Russia as less important after Cold War
* West signals its irrelevance by not including them in negotiations which Russia doesn’t like
* Therefore Russia wants to assert its power and get attention
* (Russian) don’t want terrorists, need access to ports
* Culturally distrusting, more conservative, different sense of democracy
- Constructivist: frustrated that for a long time people have seen it as backwards
- Collaboration between Russia and US: new START, cooperation over Iran*
8
Q
US-Russian Relations:
Is Russia Resurgent?
A
Can see it from 3 Approaches
- Real politik
- Liberal constitutionalist
- Constructivist
Is Russia resurgent? Why are they behaving this way?
- Security: Russia threatened, Putin wants strategic strongholds
* Is offensive realism
- Security: Russia threatened, Putin wants strategic strongholds
- Some say just geopolitical: will feel secure with a few places in Crimea
* Want to be a regional hegemon
* Is defensive realism
- Some say just geopolitical: will feel secure with a few places in Crimea
- A lot is motivated by internal issues
* Domestic politics: say Ukraine is a diversionary war
* Russia is not really democratic, is more autocratic- The people who have the money (oligarchy) are the same people who have political power
- Have a tiny middle class
- Only 10-15 people decide Russian politics so most of domestic interests have to do with pleasing oligarchs
- Some say Putin has a Macho persona because he has an inferiority complex with Oligarchs
- A lot is motivated by internal issues
- NATO: would feel threatened
* Likes sphere of influence- might add dimension of political insecurity
* Combine with former Russian republics and soviet colonies and end up
* Expand towards Russia – former soviet states want Eruope
* Feels very isolated
* Defensive realism
- NATO: would feel threatened
9
Q
US-Russian Relations:
What should we do about Russia?
A
- Accept that Russia is not a democracy
- US policymakers should change what they are doing in Turkey with ABM system
- Hypocritical if we come down too hard on them
- They are violating self-determination and sovereignty because they are removing legally elected governments for pro-Russian one
- Is pressuring Ukraine with energy coercion
- US would be defending their values there
10
Q
US-Russian Relations:
Crimea
A
Crimea: Russia took it last year
- Easy because they were ethnically Russian
- Ukraine is an important buffer state between Russia and West
- We should make Ukraine a neutral area
What Caused the Issue?
- US Caused the issue:
* NATO enlargement, EU expansion and democracy promotion- Feel like we are trying to integrate other countries into our sphere of influence
- West supported Ukraine’s democracy movement
- Were worried we might use Crimea as a NATO naval base
- Threatened their core strategic interests
- We ignored realpolitik in 21st century
- Realists opposed expansion – said it would cause trouble
- Liberals favored it: US is benign and Russia shouldn’t see it as a threat
- *Mismatch: US acting according to liberal ideas, Russia is realist
* EU looks like its chartering a course for NATO
- US Caused the issue:
- Russian domestic politics did
* Internal political dynamics: there were protests and Putin’s regime was coming under attack
* He tried to bring people back together by portraying the US as an enemy
* Putin blames US and sees competition in zero-sum terms
- Russian domestic politics did
11
Q
US-Russian Relations:
New Cold War
A
Similarities to the first Cold War:
- Frame the conflict in unforgiving terms, speaking poorly of the other side and its leaders
- See the current situation as the other side’s fault- don’t consider interactions that created the situation
- Neither thinks it is feasible to pursue cooperation and try to change the overall relationship / take the first step in that direction
- Already using Cold War style reprisals
- Confrontation of security of Eastern Europe and its stability will drive it
Lessons from first Cold War:
- Distorted perceptions of the other’s intentions and mistrust
- Need to look at how their own behavior contributed
- Events rather than plans or policies determined behavior
12
Q
A
- Is a threat and an opportunity
- Threat: rising power, usually leads to a war
- Tendency to want to take out this power while you are still more powerful
- 2 ways to think about Chinese as a threat: regional hegemon
- As a military power
- As an economic power
13
Q
US-China Relations:
Military Capabilities
A
- Has many nuclear weapons
- Very large and fairly well trained standing army
- Trying to build up their navy
- Building an aircraft carrier – projection of naval power because could put it anywhere
- For smaller, more strategic but seriously increased power projection, no longer need a country foreign operating base
- Doesn’t have many strong allies that would let it
- It wouldn’t be a threat to America but could threaten allies like Japan, Korea, Vietnam
- Building an aircraft carrier – projection of naval power because could put it anywhere
- Japan vs. China: Islands in South China Seas
- Archipelago with oil that both lay claims too
- China has been very creative and built mini islands out
- Fear that military could be used against us OR ALLIES abroad
- Could use China on our side to fight rogue states
14
Q
US-China Relations:
Economic capabilities
A
- US creditor relationship with China
- Aware of over alliance – started getting more credit from Japan and Canada instead
- If they call in debt, we cannot pay it back and they can leverage this
- We import and export with themThey manipulate exchange rates – is undervalued so that people will invest more
- They deflate their currency so imports are high but exports prices stay low
- Some say this has added to wealth inequality
- Wealth inequality could lead Chinese economy to implode
- Issues with cybersecurity and intellectual property rights
- Patents – must take to China where they don’t’ honor American patents (trying to stop this in the TPP)
- Cyber warfare – DoD accused China of spying even though we are also doing that
15
Q
US-China Relations:
Is China a threat?
A
No consensus, Lots of disagreement
- Their economy is slowing down and lots of their legitimacy is based on that
- Leverage – can’t use it well because wouldn’t cut ties with us probably
- More issues on how to respond to China
