midterm Flashcards

Question

What are rationalist theories of ir?

Answer 1

Realism and liberalism (including structural realism and neo-liberal institutionalism) are both rationalist Both assume that human reason is the main source and test or truth; reality is objectively out there Significant overlap with rational choice theory; states act to maximize expected utility based on cost-benefit calculations; preference for material explanations Rational actors follow a 'logic of consequences' try achieve goals as efficiently as possible: Refers to the idea that actors will do what they need to do to achieve their goals as efficiently as possible; Does it serve my interests not does this break social rules Assumed to be the 'theories of choice' among policymakers; Openly prescriptive Critics (including constructivists) argue that rationalists theories rely on unrealistic assumptions; have failed to predict or explain key events (e.g. end of Cold War)

Answer 2

"ideas matter" "Constructivism is the view that the manner in which the material world shapes and is shaped by human action and interaction depends on dynamic normative and epistemic interpretations of the material world" "Constructivism is centrally concerned with the role of ideas in constructing social life [but] constructivism is not pure idealism. Instead, the emphasis on ideas is meant to oppose arguments that about social life which emphasize the role of brute material conditions like biology, geography, and technology"

Answer 3

Social construction of reality; the world is of our making; Self-fulfilling Agents and interests are not given a priority: Start from the assumption that states are what matter most - they think that this will make them miss important things because you cannot say that the state will be the big actor forever; Cannot just take the interests for granted; Cannot just assume they are one way, might fulfill that way, but it may not be set in stone Role of agents and structures and potential for change; social construction is a continuous, ongoing process Agents have the potential to change the system They are mutually acting Centrality of norms, culture, and identity; role of intersubjective knowledge Role of ideas Norms - Shared standards for their given identity (Shaking hands, It changed during COVID) Culture - Their culture international and domestic Identity - How they see themselves How they can shape FP decision making Logic of appropriateness vs. logic of consequences Logic of consequences - a cost/benefit efficient process Logic of appropriateness - I should do this because it is right and it is expected No immediate reward, it’s an expectation Key concepts and sights borrowed from other fields; did not start out as a theory of IR

Answer 4

Unites of analysis (states) and their interests are socially constructed; they should not be taken for granted Norms, culture, and identity shape foreign policy decision making Decisions based on a "logic of appropriateness" vs. "logic of consequences" Concept of bounded rationality ○ Assumes that every option is on the table ○ Bounded rationality - norms, culture, identity give you some sort of zone There are options that you don't have

Answer 5

Constructivism is an 'empty vessel' that does not specify the actors or issues of interest in international politics Does not offer solutions to specific problems; does not offer clear policy prescriptions

Answer 6

Actors are critical: potential to reshape the system Argument and language matter a lot: We will change the way we look at things with the language 'If you can't change the physical, change the social":You cannot change that a state has nuclear weapons but you can change the social ideas that you have towards that Don’t assume rationality or a "logic of consequences" Try to initiate "norm cascades": Term for when you have the emergence of a norm and it gets to the tipping point where most people buy it and it becomes the main way to look at something Encourage/discourage self-fulfilling belief

Answer 7

Unlike mainstream IR theories Marxist and post/decolonial theories emphasize hierarchies within the international system, not anarchy These political, racial, and economic hierarchies are understood as products of empire, colonialism, and capitalism Hierarchies create structural advantages for some, structural constraints and exploitation for others Critiques of IR theory and foreign policy analysis for being Eurocentric and ignoring the impact of colonialism and capitalism Post/decolonial and Marxist approaches share an explicit normative dimension

Answer 8

Theories like realism and liberalism start from the premises that the international system is anarchic They assume that sovereign states are mostly alike Both Marxist and post/decolonial theories emphasize hierarchical dimensions of the international system Both highlight structural advantages enjoyed by Western states, constraints, and exploitation faced by non-western states

Answer 9

The Berlin Conference (1884-1885) The history of the division of states for their colonizers is impacting the politics today so you can't talk about the state and its priorities without thinking about its history and past of exploitation

Answer 10

Imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism It will always reach this point Economic motivations for colonial expansion; quest for raw materials, new markets, export of excess capital Capital - money invested, there's only so many things you can invest in, in your own country Connections between capitalism, war, and foreign policy Critiques of Lenin's economic determinism It doesn't always play out in practice

Answer 11

Dependency theory highlights ongoing exploitation despite formal, sovereign equality Relations between states in the core, periphery, and semi-periphery Core - the privileged western states, looking down on the periphery and semi-periphery states Immanuel Wallerstein and the world system as units of analysis Role of multinational corporations and global capitalism

Answer 12

Empire and colonization as key explanatory factors in international politics; structure of power that influence other types of power (e.g. sovereignty) Inherent violence of colonization; bases of Western power rooted in domination and exploitation of people and resources around the world Racism and dehumanization; assumptions about superiority of western civilization Differences between post-colonial vs. decolonial theory Did not start out as a theory of international relations; highlights Eurocentric origins of IR theory

Answer 13

Neo-colonialism; relations of imperialism and colonization persist today in global institutions and in relations among states * "the essence of neo-colonialism is that the State which is subject to it is, in theory, independent and has all the outward trappings of international sovereignty. In reality its economic system and thus its political policy is directed from outside

Answer 14

* Both have a fixed exchange rate that is connected to the Euro * Both have to give part of their money to the French Government Restricts the sovereignty

Answer 15

Mainstream theories of IR and foreign policy have traditionally stressed hard power (e.g. military and economic power) States also use soft power to advance foreign policy objectives Theories that focus on structural power highlight the role of rules and institution in foreign policy Knowledge, power ethics figure prominently in foreign policy practice, and in the study of foreign policy

Answer 16

Hard power Soft power Structural power All three are important for explaining variation in states' foreign policy behavior

Answer 17

Military power Economic power Associated with threats, coercion, and compulsion Examples: coercive diplomacy, economic sanctions, formation of military alliances, use of military forc

Answer 18

"when one country gets other counties to want what it wants might be called co-optive or soft power in contrast with the hand or command power of ordering others to do what it wants "Power is the ability to affect others to get the outcomes one prefers, and that can be accomplished by coercion, payment, or attraction and persuasion. Soft power is the ability to obtain preferred outcomes by attraction rather than coercion or payment" Power of a magnet Hard power is under the control of the government, soft power has a lot to do with culture, art, music, etc. America has this power of attraction, it has some control but not full control over this power

Answer 19

Ability to shape and determine structures of the global system Structures include global norms, rules, and institutions States wield structural power when they shape these norms, rules, and institutions Decide what the rules of the game are, who does/doesn't get to play the game Example: influencing the development of international law or trade rules

Answer 20

Hard power and structural power Permanent 5 (P5) members: Untied States, France, United Kingdom, Russia, China Centrality of both hard power and soft power in determining composition of the UNSC Structural power associated with membership (e.g. passing binding resolutions)

Answer 21

Scholars disagree about how much regime type matters for foreign policy behavior Democratic peace theory holds that democracies do not go to war with each other Key factors in democratic foreign policies include public opinion, legislative oversight, preference for diplomacy, economic interdependence, concern with human rights Autocratic regimes are more likely to exhibit centralized decision making, less transparency, personalist alliances Hybrid regimes (i.e. partially democratic, partially autocratic) complicate theories about how and why regime type matters in foreign policy

Answer 22

Form of government based on rule by the people Popular sovereignty as a defining characteristic Closely aligned with liberal pollical principles; premised on individual liberty and equality Difference between democracy and liberal democracy According to Dahl, democracy is an ideal best approximated when 7 conditions are met: 1. Elected officials 2. Free and fair elections 3. Inclusive suffrage 4. Right to run for office 5. Freedom of expression 6. Alternative information 7. Association autonomy

Answer 23

IR scholars disagree about whether regime type determines foreign policy behavior or how much it matters Realists downplay significance of regime type; all stats pursue power and security based on relative capabilities Liberals believe that regime type shapes foreign policy via institutions, norms, and values Constructivists attentive to impact of norms, culture, and identity Critical theories wary of claims about democracies as proponents of 'values-based' foreign policy

Answer 24

Behavior is ostensibly shaped by liberal norms and values Preference for diplomacy and multilateralism (UN, NATO) Propensity for economic interdependence (free trade agreements) Constraints on war initiation (public opinion, legislative oversight) Concern with human rights (focus on upholding civil and political rights) * "End of History" by Francis Fukuyama ○ Its the end of ideological history because there is no back and forth of ideas after the cold war Example: Post-Cold War Democracy Promotion * After the end of the cold war, there's more of a nudge to democracy UN becomes an extension of western states

Answer 25

More centralized decision making: leaders face fewer constraints (e.g. fewer electoral constraints) Greater use of coercion and military force Less transparency in decision making, less public accountability Tendency to form personalist alliances (e.g. China-Russia) Example: Russian invasion of Ukraine Most of the public accounts suggest that Putin invaded Ukraine because his advisors said it would be a straight forward process Fewer constraints Lack of electoral accountability Willing to use force and coercion to solve differences Limited constraints on democracies Less transparency in decision making North Korea sending troops Example: China and UN Peace Operations Pushing back on human rights work and human peace operations

Answer 26

Non-democracies may unintentionally promote democracy; enabling autocracy but not promoting it Democracy promoters can inadvertently promote autocracy; democratization is a destabilizing process

Answer 27

"the post-Soviet area, which became the target of EU and US effort at democracy promotion, has not made any significant progress towards democracy. The so-called newly independent states seems to have developed rather stable hybrid regimes 'in the gray zone between democracy and autocracy', which have been referred to as 'semi-authoritarian, 'electoral authoritarianism', or 'completive authoritarianism'" Scholars often rely on a dichotomous understanding of regimes type Many states are best understood as hybrid regimes (e.g. 'competitive authoritarianism) Hybrid regime combine democratic and autocratic characteristics Democratic backsliding raises questions about what foreign policy behavior to expect Example: Hybrid Regimes & NATO Turkey and Hungry

Answer 28

Culture and identity are contested concepts in the field of foreign policy analysis; scholars disagree on how (or whether) they shape foreign policy Some focus on culture and identity as sources of conflict, while focus on how they enable cooperation Constructivists pay particular attention to culture and identity, treating them as social constructs that shape states' foreign policy behavior The concept of strategic culture provides a link between state identity and state actions Culture and identity play an important role in threat perception, with important implications for foreign policy

Answer 29

Identity refers to individual and/or collective sense of self In foreign policy analysis, identity refers to vary constructions of nation-and statehood Nations are "imagined communities" inherently limited and sovereign (Anderson) Norms are "collective expectations for the proper behavior of actors with a given identity" (Katzenstein) Expect states to do something or not do something Shared expectations based on their identity

Answer 30

Culture refers to shared values, beliefs, traditions, and practices of a society In FPA, culture refers to the "collective models of nation-state authority or identity carried by custom or law" (Katzenstein) Strategic culture links national identity with foreign policy behavior

Answer 31

Nationalism and ethnocentrism; culture and identity as causes of conflict Samuel Huntington's post-cold war "clash of civilizations" thesis ○ Seen as controversial § Racism ○ Argues that instead of ideological conflicts its going to be cultural ○ Divides the world into 9 "civilizations" ○ We're most likely to see conflict between the different civilizations, most likely at the borders § Some countries are prone to fighting more Culture and identity as stable, fixed, and rooted in history

Answer 32

Culture and political values as core elements of soft power Importance of cultural diplomacy and identity projections Influence via attraction and emulation Culture and identity as sources of power and influences

Answer 33

Constructivists view culture and national identity as key explanatory factors in foreign policy decision making Continuous interplay between domestic factors and international environment Culture and identity as malleable social constructs that can change over time Culture and identity can supplement or serve as alternatives to material explanations Example: US support for the state of Israel

Answer 34

Barnett argues that US support for Israel cannot be explained by systemic or domestic factors alone The "special relationship" is underpinned by a sense of shared identity Perceptions of Israel as a liberal democracy is critical but subject to change

Answer 35

"a common threat can reinforce or shape a common identity; it is through the recognition of a shared threat that actors acknowledge that they share not only interests but also values and beliefs" Barnett Example: Russia, Ukraine, And National Identity Shows how national identity changes and how that effects relationships Identity can change over time Precursor to everything now A story of military protection AND identity

Answer 36

Constructist idea: Emanuel Adler and Michael Barnett - Security Communities Peaceful norms that prevail, not because it is in your interest but that it is the norm "States within a pluralistic security community possess a compatibility of core values derived from common institutions, and mutual responsiveness - a matter of mutual identity and loyalty, a sense of "we-ness' and are integrated to the point that they entertain 'dependable expectations of peaceful change" Still separate states Dependable expectations of peaceful change; war is unthinkable, disputes resolved peacefully Sense of 'we-ness' and shared identity Trust and mutual consideration Example: US and Canada Example: NATO

Answer 37

1. Affects what a country considers most important, how it understands its own interests (e.g. acquisition/control of new territory) 2. Affects how a state goes about pursuing its interests (e.g. unilateral vs. multilateral approaches) 3. Culture and identity shaped by foreign policy decisions, international environment (e.g. identity tends to be rational)

Answer 38

Stairs argues that Canadian foreign policy reflects national commitments to: A pluralistic conception of politics; respect for diversity Pragmatism and moderation Compromise and the 'limits of the possible' Concern with the process and orderly brokering of interests Example: Canada as a Middle Power Liberal internationalism "They learned it through conventional processes of politician socialization from the practice of politics in their domestic environment. Its ultimate origin, therefore, lies in the application of the basic principals of liberalism to the governance of a polity compose of too few people, of too heterogeneous a composition, living in a space too large, with a topography too varied" Stairs