GOVT 1817 Flashcards

Question

29. Keeping Saddam in the Box Mearsheimer & Walt What? Why? How?

Answer 1

9/11, Iraq, Afganistan What- containment would have been a better strategy than war for iraq/saddam hussein Why- containment costs less than war, look better for the US, hussein as a rational actor How- resorting solely on war makes the US look like a bully, jeopardizes international unity

Answer 2

Constructivism / Eclecticism ? What- one paradigm will never sufficiently explain world politics, so a combination must be used Why- How-

Answer 3

Cold War What- soviet power is a product of ideology and circumstances Why- SU consolidated domestic control by playing up the threat of global capitalism How- innate and eternal conflict between socialism and capitalism

Answer 4

Cold War What- by letting people blame the out-group, leaders divert from a domestic politics issue Why- How-

Answer 5

Cold War What- Four schools of Cold War scholarship (whos fault?) traditionalism, revisionism, post-revisionism, realism Traditional: Soviet union: expansionist nation primarily responsible for political and military contention (what macdonald believes) Revisionist: United states was primarily to blame for Cold War, US= expansionist (Vietnam) Post Revisionist: striking a balance between traditionalism and revisionism (Europe good bc valid threat, Third World no bc not genuine threat) Realist: competition over capabilities among states that determines policies (nationalism and self interest that lead to conflict)

Answer 6

Cuban Missile Crisis What- Three models Rational policy model More realist Value maximization Response to cuban missile crisis: reasonable act from point of view of Soviet Union Soviet thinking of putting missiles in cuba arguably offensive realist Organizational Process model Policy is organizational output Actors are organizations? Response to cuban missiles: what relevant organizations and their past behaviors have effects Bureaucratic Politics Model More like domestic politics International affairs are like a game and the actors are the players Cuban missile crisis is like domestic politics because so dependent on the ideas/identities behind

Answer 7

Cuban Missile Crisis What- by empahasizing threats too heavily, it was difficult to stop calls for war. Why- straining to appear more determined and fearsome can lead to miscalculation and heightened dange

Answer 8

Cuban Missile Crisis What- the social construction of what actors are like in war plays a role in the crisis Why- national interest is socially constructed How-

Answer 9

Cold War What- relative peace at the end of the cold war Why- Bipolarity: Easy to manage (multipower is complex because alliances were uncertain and constantly changing) How-

Answer 10

Cold War What- the very existence of a security community among the leading powers challenges theory's attempts to explain war Why- How-

Answer 11

Cold War What- to understand change, don't look for the cause, but for the historical conjuctions Why- How-

Answer 12

Nuclear Weapons What- Nucleus → costly war as form of deterrence Unpredictability → risk → avoid uncertainty Defensive Realism Why- How-

Answer 13

Nuclear Weapons What- you can't correct for human error, and when dealing with something like nukes the consequences are devastating Why- How-

Answer 14

Nuclear Weapons What- nukes are irrelevant because they won't be used Why- How-

Answer 15

Nuclear Weapons What- The taboo on nuclear weapons is declining, threat of nukes being used to show power Why- How-

Answer 16

Interventions What- US interventions in South America caused more economic, political, and humanitarian harm than good. Why- How-

Answer 17

Intervention What- Changing international norms in the postcolonial era explains the rise in humanitarian interventions by western powers. Why- How-

Answer 18

Ukraine and ISIS NATO enlargement explains the increased aggression of Russia in Ukraine.

Answer 19

The war in Ukraine is a colonial struggle for democracy, and it is one which Ukrainians are willing to fight.

Answer 20

Ukraine & ISIS What- Although the IS challenges state-centric models of international politics, the organization still partakes in some state-like behaviors such as taxation and labor management. Why- How-

Answer 21

Ukraine & ISIS What- The IS’s disruption of the international system should be understood not just in terms of material power but also ideational power. Why- How-

Answer 22

Ukraine & ISIS What- ISIS seeks to radically challenge not just existing dynamics within the state system, but the existence of a state system at all Why- How-

Answer 23

Trade and Investment What- International politics → economics and structure of int’l system can explain the role of transnational actors throughout history Why- How-

Answer 24

Trade and Investment What- econ → IP; growth of firms inherently produces economic expansion abroad, and restructures hierarchies across the globe Why- How-

Answer 25

Trade and Investment What- MNCs want the ability to foreign invest to take advantage of other markets and escape domestic competition Why- How-

Answer 26

Globalization and Finance What- The ‘08 financial crisis undermined the material and ideational basis for the US-led postwar order; US relative power in the int’l system has taken a hit Why- How-

Answer 27

Globalization and Trade What- The ‘08 financial crisis was kindled by the opportunistic practices of political and economic elites; failure to crack down on banks points to the hypocrisy of the LIO Why- How-

Answer 28

Internationalization and Oil What- Contrary to popular belief, OPEC does not exert significant influence over energy markets – but members of the organization politically benefit from this misconception Why- How-

Answer 29

Internationalization and Oil What- the US’s transition to becoming a net energy exporter offers great economic prospects and geopolitical advantages Why- How-

Answer 30

Internationalization and Oil What- Oil dependence is predicated on economically, geographically, militaristically, and culturally discriminate practices that necessarily harm those from extractive zones. Why- How-

Answer 31

Global and International Regions What- porous regions, as opposed to state units, offer a more useful understanding of agency and power structures in world politics Why- How-

Answer 32

Globalization and International Regions What- Globalization has brought about distinct tensions of transnational ideologies, particularly in the form of commercial expansion and parochial struggle Why- How-

Answer 33

Global and International Regions What- globalization marketizes everything even your body Why- How-

Answer 34

Eclecticism What- social scientists should forgo big fish theories in favor of a more pragmatic approach to research - one which honors the causal complexities of the social world Why- How-

GOVT 1817 Flashcards

(58 cards)