Unit 3: World Order

Question 1

Define Great Power:

Answer 1

A state amongst the most powerful on the international stage

Question 2

Four conditions of a Great Power status:

Answer 2

Be in the first rank of military power

Have a strong economy

Have global influence

Have not adopted an ‘Isolationist’ foreign policy

Question 3

Define superpower:

Answer 3

A superpower will have the same criteria as a great power, as well as three other criteria

Question 4

Conditions of a superpower:

Answer 4

Global reach

Chief economic or strategic role in their own ideological bloc

Dominant military power

Above and beyond other great powers particularly in the case of nuclear weapons

Question 5

Define hard power:

Answer 5

‘Command Power’, the ability to change what others do through the use of incentives or threats

Includes both military power and economic power

Question 6

Define soft power:

Answer 6

Operates largely through culture, political ideas and foreign policies. It is the ability to shape the preferences of others by attraction rather than force.

Question 7

Define smart power:

Answer 7

The idea of soft power backed up by the possible use of hard power

Question 8

Characteristics of hard power:

Answer 8

Threats

Military

Economic

Question 9

Characteristics of soft power:

Answer 9

Co-operation

Winning hearts and minds

Non-coercive

Question 10

Characteristics of smart power:

Answer 10

Diplomacy

Persuasion

Social legitimacy

Question 11

Define balance of power:

Answer 11

When two superpowers are relatively equally matched leading to them never going to war with each other directly, due to a balance of power.

Question 12

Advantages of balance of power:

Answer 12

Two superpowers with power never engage in a heated war

The two superpowers are practically obliged to be peaceful due to their balance of power

Both superpowers are powerful and war would only create further implications for each therefore it is better for both to not go to war directly

Question 13

Disadvantages of balance of power:

Answer 13

May lead to proxy wars, causing conflicts in other countries

Creates more tension and further divides as each wants to be stronger than the other

Due to friction of neither being more powerful makes it harder for international cooperation as each wants to seek their own needs than work together

Question 14

Define Cold War:

Answer 14

A state of political hostility between countries characterised by threats, propaganda and other measures short of open warfare. For example the state of hostility that existed between the Soviet bloc countries and the Western powers from 1945-1990

Question 15

When did the Cold War come closest to being a ‘hot war’?

Answer 15

Cold War was notable for the fact it never turned ‘hot’ between the two powers of the USA and USSR however it came close when they would fight in proxy wars

Question 16

How Liberals would view the Cold War?

Answer 16

Argue that as the Cold War created proxy wars which lead to conflict it was a war that just meant it was harder for international cooperation

Evidence suggests that the proxy wars, throughout the Cold War, in both Vietnam and Afghanistan lead to conflict as they dragged on for a long time, costing both in money and lives

Cold War just prolonged conflicts and created more tension and further divides

Question 17

How realists would view the Cold War?

Answer 17

Argue that the Cold War lead to peace as it was a means of settling disputes quicker

Through the proxy wars throughout the Cold War, it ensured that direct conflict between the big superpowers of the USA and USSR was avoided

Cold War was successful in gaining peace as it enabled the superpowers to maintain the balance of power

Question 18

What has happened to the balance of power today?

Answer 18

The breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 made the concept of a European balance of power temporarily irrelevant, since the government of newly sovereign Russia initially embraced the political and economic forms favoured by the US and Western Europe.

Both Russia and the US retained their nuclear arsenals, however, the balance of nuclear threat between them remained potentially in force.

Question 19

What role China may or may not have in this as a rising superpower?

Answer 19

China has been elevated to the status of great power in the UN, achieved near-universal diplomatic recognition, and even acquired client status in the fashion of other major powers

China now visibly possesses one of the worlds significant military forces, with rapidly expanding nuclear as well as convention capacities

Evidence that China is an advancing and rising superpower and has an effect on the balance of power today is clear as it now fulfills all the criteria of a superpower. It has a strong economy, large dominate military and large global reach.

Question 20

Three types of power:

Answer 20

Hard Power

Soft Power

Smart Power

Question 21

Examples of hard power:

Answer 21

Countries such as America have a lot of hard power due to their involvement in NATO, their huge military force and there strong economy.

Question 22

Examples of Soft Power:

Answer 22

The EU has lots of soft power as it has a shared European culture and political alliance

Question 23

Examples of smart power:

Answer 23

Become increasingly popular recently, particularly in the USA under Obama

Question 24

What is the US position in the IMF:

Answer 24

Have 16% of voting rights at the IMF

Deposited the largest amount with the IMF

Question 25

What is the IMF?

Answer 25

International Manestaly Fund

Question 26

Why is the US considered the worlds biggest economy?

Answer 26

USAs GDP estimated $17.914 trillion as of 2016

Joint biggest economically with China’s 22% of a national global GDP

Question 27

What is the US role in the following bodies?

Answer 27

Aims to reduce trade barriers for America

Leading force in establishing WTO

Give most amount of money

Question 28

What is a unipolar system?

Answer 28

One where a single power or ‘hegemon’ dominates the international system and lays down the rules under which it operates

Question 29

What is a bipolar system?

Answer 29

Where the international system revolves around two powers. These two powers must be roughly equal, particularly in military capacity.

Realists like bipolarity, they think it leads to stability

Question 30

What is a multipolar system?

Answer 30

Where at least 3 ‘poles’ or actors are predominant, with similar military power, economic strength and political influence

Liberalists like multipolarity, as they think it encourages cooperation

Question 31

What is an arms race?

Answer 31

Concerted military build up that occurs as two or more states quite weapons or increase their military capability in response to each other

Question 32

Points that arms race leads to peace:

Answer 32

Realists emphasise that in the new anarchical system, conflict is inevitable and it is necessary for states to arm themselves in order to protect the national interest of the state

Question 33

Points that arms race leads to conflict:

Answer 33

Liberals see cooperation as a much more effective tool in international relations, rather than military “hard force”

Question 34

What are “proxy wars”?

Answer 34

Either wars between two countries receiving support from other countries such as the USA and USSR on either side, throughout Cold War

Or wars fought between one of the superpowers and another country, which was receiving support itself from the other superpower

Question 35

What is emerging power?

Answer 35

States that are beginning to acquire great power status.

They will already have a level of regional influence and will meet some of the criteria for a great power, but not all

Question 36

Realists beliefs:

Answer 36

All states are out for themselves

Conflict is inevitable

Any peace is only ever a temporary and a chance for states to “entrench” and build up their forces for the next time they go to war

People, and therefore states, are essentially selfish - they will always put their own interests first

Genuine cooperation between states is rare and only ever happens when they are trying to further their own interests

Question 37

Liberals beliefs:

Answer 37

Cooperation between states

Conflict is never irreconcilable (unable to be fixed)

States are no longer the biggest players on the world stage - other forces can play a big impact and cause a knock on effect on states

Also believe strongly in the idea of peace being an achievable aim

Question 38

Implications of bipolarity for peace and international order:

Answer 38

Politics revolves around two poles, two competing superpowers

Can lead to an enhancement of stability, through a balance of power

Does, however, lead to a decrease in collaboration between states and an increase in peripheral or proxy wars

Question 39

Reasons why a multipolar system leads to stability:

Answer 39

No one power will dominate

Leading powers become interconnected and reliant on each other

Evidence that emerging powers may ‘bandwagon’ rather than ‘balance’, joining in with the US led system, rather than opposing it

Question 40

Reasons why multipolarity doesn’t enhance stability:

Answer 40

As the liberal world created by the USA dismantles, could lead to increased instability

A chaotic period of realignment could take place

Could lead to the formation of a new set of allies - set opposite the current powers

Question 41

Aftermath of the Cold War in the former Soviet Bloc:

Answer 41

Political + Economic instability:

• High unemployment as insufficient state-run factories closed, decimating economic activity in Moldova
• High inflation, impoverishing millions on low incomes
• Collapse of Party Rule left a vacuum in which allowed the growth of local mafias

Struggle for influence between West + Russia:

• Former Soviet Republics have been drawn into struggle between US, EU + Russia for influence
• Russia has sought to consolidate its power in the region + has been highly sensitive to former Soviet republics drawing closer to the USA + NATO
• President Putin, who laments the fall of the USSR, seeks to consolidate Russian influence + increase its power through a new economic grouping of former Soviet states, the so-called ‘Eurasian Union’

Question 42

Outcome of the ‘New World Order’:

Answer 42

After the success of the Gulf War it seemed that the ‘New World Order’ was indeed coming about - UN began to intervene on an unprecedented scale in an attempt to bring an end to some longstanding civil wars, as well as the new ethnic conflicts which broke out in Yugoslavia

Question 43

Outcome of the ‘New World Order’ - Successes of the UN:

Answer 43

Number of operations + levels of UN troops rose steeply - 5,000 peacekeepers in 1990, 80,000 in 1994

Relatively successful UN interventions to supervise ceasefires + monitor elections in Mozambique in 1992 + Cambodia in 1993

Question 44

Outcome of the ‘New World Order’ - Failures of the UN:

Answer 44

Over-ambitious UN intervention in Somalia in 1992-3, ended up with the UN trying to impose a peace settlement on a powerful clan militia, led to the death of 18 US soldiers + US pulled out leading to the virtual collapse of the operation

Scarred by the experience of Somalia, neither the US nor any of the other leading powers were prepared to step in to stop the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, in which 800,000 were slaughtered

UN force was sent to assist civilians during the fighting which broke out in the former Yugoslavia from 1991-95, but it lacked the resources + the mandate to do its job effectively + was humiliated by the warring parties

Question 45

End of the ‘New World Order’:

Answer 45

By the mid 1990s clear that the ‘New World Order’ was in tatters - international community was able to collaborate to resolve conflicts on occasion but the leading powers willingness to do so was limited when their own interests were unaffected

Question 46

What is a ‘hegemony’?

Answer 46

A sole superpower e.g the USA at the end of the Cold War

Question 47

Hegemony:

Answer 47

A sole superpower - linked to the idea of a unipolar world

A hegemon is based on the possession of structural power, particularly the control of economic + military resources, enabling the hegemon to shape the preferences + actions of other states, typically by promoting willing consent rather than through the use of force

Question 48

USA’s hegemonic power:

Answer 48

Economic power: $17 trillion GDP, 24% of entire world economy

Military power: 1.4 million active military personnel, largest % of GDP spent on military

Structural power: Membership of international organisations

Population: 350 million population, 3rd largest

Question 49

‘Hegemonic Stability’:

Answer 49

Theory claims that a dominant military + economic power is needed to ensure that the stability of a liberal global economy isn’t put at risk by nationalism + protectionism

Argued that the US has fulfilled this role since 1992, shaping the global trading system + many of its economic + security institutions

Question 50

Bush Foreign Policy:

Answer 50

Unilateral - acting in one state interest. For example in Iraq + Afghan wars operated in America’s interest

Can be seen as being part of a unipolar world - example of when US was very hegemonic

Very Neo-Conservative approach - about enforcing democracy through military intervention + hard power

Question 51

Obama’s Foreign Policy:

Answer 51

Multilateral - acts for lots of interests. For example, tried to build relations again with the Arab World + keen to work with the UN - Soft Power

Mainly used smart power however used more hard power in his second term such as air strikes in Syria

His approach supports the idea the world has become multipolar

Question 52

Bush + Neo-conservatives:

Answer 52

Much of the intellectual basis for the Bush Administration’s foreign policy was provided by a group of academics known as the ‘neo-conservatives’

Question 53

Neo-conservatives:

Answer 53

Views that the US must use its historic position as the only superpower to reshape the world according to its interests + values

Must shake off the ‘Vietnam syndrome’ + act boldly to defeat the forces of chaos in the world - especially pre-empt threats from nations trying to gain WMD or sponsor terrorism

Question 54

Greater unilateralism under Bush:

Answer 54

Bush abandoned Clinton’s backing for the Kyoto Protocol to cut greenhouse gasses + for the ICC, which has been set up as a permanent international tribunal to try those accused of war crimes

Committed the US to pressing ahead with National Missile Defence, which breached the ABM Treaty

Decisions reflected the view that as a global superpower, the US was in a different category to other states + had no obligation to work through multilateral institutions where they didn’t suit US interests

Question 55

Impact of 9/11 + War On Terror:

Answer 55

US reaction to the bombing of the World Trade Centre + the Pentagon on 11 Sept 2001 seemed to show how dominant the global superpower was in the international system

US air power + Special Forces tipped the balance within Afghanistan and allowed its allies in the Northern Alliance to defeat the Taliban regime which had protected the al-Qaeda terrorist networks responsible for the attacks on 9/11

Question 56

Iraq War 2003:

Answer 56

War was a further demonstration of the USA’s enormous military power. Saddam’s regime collapsed in the face of the US-led attack, with its overwhelming superiority in weaponry.

Bush Administration’s motives for the war have to be seen in the context of 9/11

Question 57

Aftermath of the Wars in Afghanistan + Iraq:

Answer 57

Conjunction with the victory in Afghanistan, Iraq War seemed to confirm the dominance of the US as a global hegemon

Imposition of democracy by force failed to solve at a stroke the tensions within highly complex societies riven with ethnic + sectarian divisions

Iraq war added to the alienation of Muslims + worsened some of the problems that the WOT was intended to deal with

Question 58

US Foreign Policy Under Obama:

Answer 58

Obama Presidency from 2009 has confirmed the return to a more multilateralist foreign policy

Used Smart Power - combination of ‘soft’/’hard’ power

Reached out to the Muslim world and his overtures towards Iran - indicated his preference for engagement with adversaries

Obama signs the order closing Guantanamo Bay

Question 59

Arguments the US is still a hegemon:

Answer 59

US remains the only power able to intervene anywhere in the world - USAs military lead over the rest of the world is huge - by 2007, they accounted for 46% of the worlds military spending

Has a resilient, an adaptive economy, a growing population + vast reserves of energy - USA accounts for about 40% of world spending on research and development, giving it technological leads over other countries

US retains the greatest amount of structural power + considerable ‘soft power’ - USA exercises disproportional influence over the institutions of global economic governance + over NATO

Rivals don’t match its mix of capabilities - China, for instance, has very limited ability to project power

Question 60

Arguments the US isn’t a hegemon:

Answer 60

Outcome of the ‘War On Terror’ has shown the limits of US power

US has been weakened by the 2007-9 global financial crisis - although US remains worlds largest economy, its competitors, notably China + India, have been growing much more quickly in recent decades with the Chinese economy predicted to outstrip US economy, by 2020

Much of the global community failed to follow the US lead over the Iraq War + criticised US actions in Guantanamo - serious damage done to the US moral authority by WOT and Iraq War

Many of these countries are starting to develop in the areas they are lacking - China getting increasingly involved in structural institutions: US has to rely on Chinese diplomacy to exert influence on North Korea

Question 61

Rise of a Multipolar World:

Answer 61

Could be argued that the USA is under threat as a hegemony as there are many powerful emerging powers such as China. Suggests world now more multipolar as many powers have a say

Question 62

Arguments multipolarity leads to stability:

Answer 62

No one power will dominate

Leading powers become interconnected + reliant on each other

Evidence that emerging powers may ‘bandwagon’ rather than ‘balance’, joining in with the US led system, rather than opposing it

Question 63

Arguments multipolarity doesn’t lead to stability:

Answer 63

As the liberal world created by the USA dismantles, could lead to increased instability

Chaotic period of realignment could take place

Could lead to the formation of a new set of allies - set opposite the current powers

Question 64

Arguments China is an emerging Superpower:

Answer 64

China has growing influence - overtaken Britain, Germany + Japan in GDP in last few years

Chinese CP leadership’s long term goals - continue China’s growth to ensure domestic stability

China seeks to become the leader in its region + raise its status as a great power + ensure the security of its key resources through trade agreements with suppliers in Africa, Iran + Latin America

China has most impact within its own region

Chinese influence is expanding globally - China joined the WTO + its impact in world economy makes it an economic superpower

Already crucial to the global warming debate

G8 has been replaced by the G20 as the most significant global economic gathering, above all because it is pointless to ignore China in making important decisions

As China’s interests become more global, it is taking a closer interest in regions important to it, especially where its imports of oil or other raw materials come from

China’s ‘Beijing Consensus Model’ of modern but authoritarian political leadership + state guided capitalism, combined with its respect for national sovereignty, is more attractive in some parts of the world than the Western principles of liberalism

China wants to be seen as a responsible UNSC member

China is developing a navy capable of operating further afield

Prepared to cultivate a working relationship with the US despite political differences

Question 65

Decline of Russia after the Cold War:

Answer 65

Russia is a shadow of the superpower that the USSR was - considerably smaller in territory and population (287 down to 149 million in 1991, now 143 million), with millions of ethnic Russians now living outside its borders

Economy is smaller than that of Spain

Control over E. Europe has gone and has been replaced by NATO + the EU

In the wider world, the network of client states like Cuba + Angola that were aligned with the USSR has withered away

Question 66

Revival of Russia under Putin:

Answer 66

Vladimir Putin very popular in Russia

Putin’s aim was to rebuild the strength of the Russian state + restore Russia as a great power, using the wealth/leverage that surging oil + gas prices have brought

Clear that Putin feels that only a strong, authoritarian state will be able to hold Russia together e.g. government controls TV/Press

In Foreign Affairs Putin has revived Russia’s independence + some of its power - Initial Western relations with Putin’s Russia seemed an improvement on the 1990s

Question 67

To what extent is India a emerging superpower?

Answer 67

India has grown fast in recent years (currently around 8%) + is likely to overtake the UK’s GDP in the next decade - its GDP is 11th in the world

However, per capita income remains very low + a large proportion of the population are still desperately poor (35% live on less than $1 a day)

India’s transnational security concern is its regional rivalry with Pakistan + also fearful of the power of China

Remains the worlds largest democracy