Global Revision Flashcards
(73 cards)
1
Q
What are the four key principles of realism?
A
Inevitability of War
Anarchical Society of states - states are sovereign
Security Dilemma
Power is Zero Sum
States are sovereign(?)
(do individual flashcards later)
2
Q
What are the four key principles of liberalism?
A
Potential for global governance
Complex Interdependence, mutual benefit
NGOs play a part in international resolution
Harmony and Balance
(do individual flashcards later)
3
Q
A nation state is..
A
A nation (people connected by shared characteristics - ethnicity, religion, language, culture, history) governed by an autonomous state
4
Q
Sovereignty is..
A
the attribute of highest power and authority
5
Q
State sovereignty is..
A
the principle that states retain the highest level of power and authority within their defined territory
6
Q
A failed state..
A
is one in which government do not have a monopoly on crime. Mechanisms for tax collection, law enforcement and participation in elections are often disabled.
7
Q
A rogue state..
A
is one in which illegitimate government exceeds its powers, often acting in contravention of international law.
8
Q
Powerful states
A
States with significant organisational leverage, with the capacity to reject international doctrine with little repercussion. These states may source their power differently.
9
Q
What are the two main power groupings?
A
Hard Power and Soft Power
10
Q
The types of hard power are:
A
Military Power
Economic Power
Population Power
Natural Resource Power
11
Q
The types of soft power are:
A
Cultural Power
Diplomatic Power
Regional Power
R&D Power
Population Power
Natural Resource Power
12
Q
A model demonstrating realism, and the application of hard power:
A
The Billiard Ball Model (States - the billiard balls - often fight and ‘collide’, exacting their will through Command Power, military and economic)
13
Q
A model demonstrating liberalism:
A
Complex interdependence - Spiderweb model
14
Q
Hard power is..
A
a coercive approach to international relations, involving the application of military and economic power
15
Q
Soft power is..
A
a cooperative approach to international relations, by why which bodies co-opt rather than coerce, as with hard power
16
Q
The realist school of thought emphasises..
A
that states are self-interested and no legitimate centralised international authority exists. Therefore war is inevitable.
17
Q
The (first) core realist thinker (and their work) is..
A
Hans Morgenthau, whose seminal work ‘Politics Among Nations’ layed the groundwork for realist thought.
18
Q
The liberal school of thought emphasises..
A
that states can cooperate via international organisation and mutually benefit, aided by NGOs
19
Q
A core liberal thinker (and their work) is..
A
Francis Fukuyama, whose seminal work ‘The End of History’ forecast an end to global conflict as all states adopted democracy and liberalism at the end of the Cold War
20
Q
Name the realist thinker, contemporary to Fukuyama, and his (cultural) theory of international relations:
A
Samuel Huntingdon, in his thesis ‘The Clash of Civilisations’ argued that after the dissolution of the USSR and collapse of Communism, future wars would be fought not over ideology but culture.
21
Q
Economic Power:
A
- Measured in GDP or GDP per capita (US 27.7 trillion, China 17.8 trillion. Since 1978 China has grown by 9% per year)
- Accounts for debt amounts and relationships with international trade organisations
- Tariffs and sanctions can effectively apply coercive pressure to states (February 25: USA 25% tariffs on Chinese aluminium and steel, Chinese 15% tariffs on American coal and 10% on oil
- economic sanctions on Russia over Ukraine. In 2024, the ruble dropped 21% against the dollar)
22
Q
Military Power:
A
- the size of a nation’s standing army (India 1.2 mil active soldiers)
- but also the capability of a military to strike anywhere at any time, as characteristic of a superpower (USA 750 overseas military bases)
- Technological, cyber, naval and air capacity are all considered
- Nuclear weapon ownership is a crucial military deterrent (China - 320 (2020) warheads, USA 5,800 (2020) warheads, Russia 5,580 warheads (2024))
23
Q
Cultural Power:
A
- a state’s global cultural outreach
- Americanisation via the globalisation of American culture, defined by ‘coca-colonisation’ and ‘McWorld’ theory
- The influence of Bollywood (producing 1,500 films per year to Hollywood’s 500) in the Eastern World
- Japanese culture through anime and Korean through K-Pop and K-Dramas
- Cultural Homogenisation and the assimilation of local language and customs
-‘Globalisation’ and the globalisation of select culture, practice and colloquial language
24
Q
Cultural Homogenisation is..
A
the idea that rapid globalisation sees culture and language assimilate with a ‘global culture’, adopted universally
25
'Glocalisation' is..
the idea that certain localised cultural practices, colloquial language and customs are adopted globally
26
Smart Power is:..
the combination of hard and soft power strategies
27
Diplomatic Power:
- The ability to negotiate with other states to reach agreement
- Diplomatic strength is exerted through global leadership (on conflict resolution *Trump*, the environment [UNFCCC, Paris and Kyoto protocols], the global economy [WTO, EU, regional trade blocs], poverty and development *CARICON - 10 Point Plan for Reparatory Justice*)
- Often intersects with features of structural power
28
Population Power:
- Gives states legitimacy on an international level (although India still has no seat on the UNSC)
- A large population means a large workforce, with the potential for military and economic growth
- Many nations struggle with declining populations, with a low replacement rate causing a top-heavy society, and an insufficient workforce to fund service/elderly pensions. Russia's poor fertility rates, Japanese rejection of immigration, South Korean out-of-wedlock childbirth taboo and years of one-child policy in China have all seen populations decline.
- The UK's population would be declining were it not for immigration.
29
Structural Power:
- Defined by a state's influence in international/regional organisations
- intersects with features of diplomatic power as more structural power means a stronger base for diplomacy
- China dominates the AIIB (Asia Infrastructure Investment Banks) among many other global organisations like the African Development Bank and Caribbean Development Bank
- The USA has dominated Bretton Woods Institutions (The Three-Legged Stool), the WTO, World Bank and IMF serving American corporations and government
30
Regional Power:
- The level of influence over neighboring countries, usually through regional organisations
- The USA dominates the Organisation of American States
- Russia dominate the Eurasian Customs Union (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia)
31
R&D Power:
- 'Research and Development' Power
- International influence from a leading role in a technical field, being the primary producer of certain technology and proving consistent innovation
- Taiwan monopolise the global market for the manufacture of chip sets, used in most motherboards and *crucially* modern military technology, hence China's will for acquisition
32
Natural Resource Power:
- power derived from the possession of natural resource
- Gives states significant bargaining power and can attract foreign investment (positive and negative)
- Sanctions are rarer on such states, given the international reliance on their resource. This was proven in 1973 as King Faisal of Saudi Arabia placed a total embargo on oil shipments to America, causing the 1973 oil crisis and global recession. Saudi has since used its oil abundance to maintain immense US investment
- Many states owning vast natural resource become target to systematic economic assault by global superpowers, as seen in much US foreign policy since 1949
33
What is a nation?
An area (not necessarily represented by a state) in which a people share common identity - culture, language, history, religion, ethnicity etc.
34
What is a state?
A territory governed by a single administrative governing body
35
What was the Unipolar Moment?
The point at which the USA became the sole Global Superpower, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union
36
The strengths of NATO:
- A collective security agreement with the capacity to act and agree (unlike the UNSC)
- Vital protection for smaller states (The Baltic States and Finland, for example)
- An organised military force in a state of constant readiness, with a real capacity for protection and intervention, supported (for now) by the World's largest superpower
37
The Weaknesses of NATO:
- Overreliance on US military and economic aid (68% of total in 2023)
- The Security Dilemma; NATO's increasing organisation of state militaries against Russia has rekindled Cold War tensions
- Unity is fracturing; Trump describing NATO as 'obsolete' is bypassing NATO council and entering direct discussion with Putin over Ukraine. Under Biden, US-Turkish relations became strained
38
What is 'strongman' leadership?
The rule of a country in an autocratic way, systems of checks and balances diminished, using economic and military might to exercise power
39
Autocratic definition:
Relating to a ruler who has absolute power
40
Totalitarian definition:
Relating to a system of government requiring complete subservience to the state
41
Authoritarian Definition:
Relating to a system in which strict obedience to authority is enforced at the expense of personal freedoms
42
Democratic Definition:
Relating to a system in which democratic values of representation, participation and freedom of expression are upheld
43
Polarity Definition:
The way in which power is distributed in the international system
44
Unipolarity definition:
The concentration of power in a single hegemonic global superpower e.g. US post 1991 or Britain 1815 - c.1900
45
Bipolarity Definition:
The concentration of power in two superpowers e.g. The US and USSR during the Cold War period
46
Multipolarity Definition:
The concentration of Power in multiple global powers
47
The members of BRICS are:
- Brazil
- Russia
- India
- China
- South Africa
(since formation)
- Saudi Arabia
- Egypt
- UAE
- Ethiopia
- Iran
- Indonesia
48
The G7 includes:
- UK
- USA
- Japan
- Italy
- Germany
- France
- Canada
49
What is a Great Power?
A state wielding significant hard power, military and economic, with leading roles in IGOs, often forward on foreign policy
50
What is a Superpower?
A great power whose influence can be felt anywhere in the world, with the capacity to intervene anywhere at any time
51
What is an Emerging Power?
A state generally becoming rapidly more powerful, starting to acquire 'Great Power' status (India)
52
Defensive vs Offensive Realists:
- Defensive Realists argue that maintaining the power balance, maximising security, will ensure the maintenance of status quo and state integrity
- Offensive Realists (Mearsheimer, 2001) argue that great powers can ensure themselves only by maximising their own power
53
What is Westphalian State Theory:
Established at 'The Peace of Westphalia' 1648:
- No state has the legal right to intervene in the sovereign affairs of another
- All states possess the same legal right to independence
- All states are sovereign within their borders
54
According to the Montevideo Convention 1933, what 4 things must a sovereign state possess?
- a defined territory
- a permanent population
- a viable government
- the capacity to engage other states diplomatically
55
The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI):
- A regional organisation comprised of Nile Basin states
- Promotes political cooperation over the treatment of the Nile, given the dependency of local countries on its climate, for environmental and economic benefit
56
The Alliance of Sahel states, a political, military and economic bloc..
Promotes unity between states, launching a shared passport and more-effectively confronting great powers (expelling American and Australian corporations from Gold Mines)
57
The Four Global Commons are:
- The High Seas
- The atmosphere
- The polar regions
- Outer Space
(make individual cards later)
58
What is 'The Tragedy of the Commons'?
the challenge that states, being self-interested, are motivated to neglect, harm and harvest the global commons, causing irreparable damage in the name of national interest
59
Ecologists believe on states:
that it is the moral responsibility of states to take into account environmental concerns
60
3 arguments of Shallow Ecology:
- The environment must be maintained for the benefit of humankind
- Sustainable development combines natural conservation and human development, protecting the interest of future generations
- Human priorities can be modified, but human needs must ultimately be prioritised
61
4 arguments of Deep Ecology
- All living things are of equal moral value
- Rejecting 'anthropocentrism', humans are not more important than other living things
- Individualism should be rejected, humans aspiring to live in harmony with nature
- Nature mustn't be exploited for human gain
62
The Dependency theory:
The idea that resources flow from a 'periphery' of underdeveloped states to a 'core' of wealthy states
63
Similarities between Marxist theory and Dependency theory:
- Workers in poorer states are exploited by domestic and international forces
- Colonial states force colonised states into subordination
- Systems of colonisation endure past official political independence
64
World Systems theory:
- an expansion of dependency theory, capitalism creating three groups of states: Core states, Periphery states and Semi Periphery states
- first modelled by Wallerstein in his book 'The Modern World System', 1974
65
World Systems theory, Core State Example:
- The USA
- US corporations have an intimate relationship with government and international organisation (WTO, IMF, World Bank)
- states are offered loans with high interest for unrealistic projects and become highly dependent on US support, industry and corporations
- Exxon Mobil, a US oil company, has a 20% market share in Angolan oil
- Russia is another core state, extraction company ROSATOM polluting aquifers through 'In-Situ' Uranium mining in Namibia
66
World Systems theory, Periphery State Example:
- DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- 4th in world poverty ranking, with just 1500 DDP-PPP per capita
- Corporation from core states invest in the low-wage often-slave labour (440,000 enslaved as of 2024) in DRC, where Coltan is almost exclusively mined, a key component to most electronic equipment
- Apple and Samsung are two of the highest investors, and have become rich as a result
67
World Systems theory, Semi-periphery State Example:
- Brazil, South Africa
- The debate in such states is whether a 'free trade' or protectionist approach should be taken
- American pressures, manifest through in the IMF and World Bank, see most states adopt free trade, a system bent towards the benefit of the primary owner of the means of manufacture, the USA
- Such states, despite industrialisation, often still sell raw materials to American/Chinese corporations at low prices
68
Who is a key Offensive Realist?
- Mearsheimer
- Established his 5 'Bedrock' Assumptions of international relations, including that no state can be certain of the intentions of another
- Infamously said that the Ukrainian war was 'The West's fault'
69
The Paris Agreement 2016 committed:
- Over 200 countries agreed to cut carbon emissions in The Paris Protocol
- Emissions must be cut by 45% by 2030 and at net zero by 2050
- This should keep global warming no higher than 1.5 degrees
- Trump withdrew from Paris in his first term and has withdrawn again in 2025
70
COP stands for..
Conference of The Parties
71
The Kyoto Protocol 1997 asserted:
- that Greenhouse gas limitations must be reached in accordance with individual targets
72
Article 6 of the Paris Agreement..
- allowed 'carbon trading' of 'carbon credits' to aid states in reaching net zero targets. Bhutan is a world leader in carbon trading, high forestation seeing the state operate at a carbon negative
- Singapore was the first buyer of Bhutan's credits, offsetting their own carbon release
73
How have India and China scaled back net zero commitments since Paris?
India and China have since announced they aim to reach net zero targets by 2070 and 2060 respectively, instead of 2050
