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INR CHAPTER TWO.
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83
International Studies
Undergraduate 3
02/03/2012

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Term
Realism is an image based on 4 assumptions
Definition
1. states are the principle or most important actors in an anarchial world lacking central legitmate governance.
2. the state is viewed as a unitary actor
3. this emphasis on the unitary state as actor, realists usually make the further assumption for the purpose of theory building that the state is essentially a rational actor
4. realist assume that within the hierarchy of issues facing the state, national or international security usualy tops the list.
Term
#1
Definition
non states are international organizations such as UN.
states represent the key unit of analysis
for a realist STATES ARE THE DOMINATE FACTOR
Term
#2
Definition
we need not look much inside the black box. a country faces the outside world as an integrated unit.
the state is a unitary actor in that it is usually assumed by realists to have one policy at any given time on any particular issue.
Term
#3
Definition
there are difficulties in viewing a state as a rational actor. -for example the best solution is uncertainty as decisionmakers try to determine it.
Term
#3
Definition
CHOICE MAKING
choice made- if not always the best or value suboptimal choice-less than a value maximizing choice but still good enough in the terms of objectives sought. "game theroy? deterence?"
Term
#4
Definition
military security or strategic issues are sometimes referred to as high politices.
low politices are economic and social issues typically "less important"
Term
#4
Definition
a realist focuses on actual conlfiht between state actors and the use of force to attained or maintain terriotircal integrity
states objective goals or purposes in terms of security it seeks and uses power CONCEPT TO REALISTS AS IS THE BALANACE OF POWER among states.
Term
#4
Definition
structural realist and neorealist emphasize on UNIPOLAR
MULTIPOLAR AND BIPOLAR
Term
unipolar
bipolar
multipolar
Definition
one great power
two great powers
3 or more great powers
Term
these assumptions are not true or false BUT
Definition
THEY HELP or dont help theorist form hypthesises which they test against the world
Term
structural or neorealist
Definition
believes the basis for a theory of IR has to have at its core an understanding of the distribution or capabilities across states
Term
classical realist emphasizes
Definition
the impact of history, international law, and actions taken by political leaders
Term
neorealist
Definition
focuses primirily on material structure ( distribution of power or capabilites)
Term
THUCYDIDES (was a general for athens...then got kicked out and he became a historian)
Definition
FOUNDING FATHER OF THE IR DISCIPLINE
wrote about the peloponnesian war (athens vs sparta)
He talks about why war occurs and how it relates to fear.
his goal was to say something significant not only about the events of his own time but also about nature of war and why it continually recurs.
Term
" "
Definition
The study of the peloponnesian war is a study of the struggle for military and political power
He says the real cause of war is fear of the shift in the balance of power. [sparta was afraid of losing its role in so they built up army nd created allies]
Term
MACHIAVELLI
Definition
his primary focus is national security
for him survival of the state was paramount
REALPOLITIK refers to power and power politics among states
he wrote about the prince. how they should know how to gain, maintain and expand power
better feared than loved
he wrote how the world IS not how the world should ought to be.
Term
HOBBES
Definition
Leviathon" everyone against everyone"
anarchy definition and soveriegn.
ANARCHY- the state of nature there is no leviathon or super ordianate authority with power to impose order
SOVEREIGN- for survivial states are left to their own deviced in a weorld in which each state claims
Term
anarchy
Definition
there is NO leviathan or superordinate authority with power to impose in order
Term
sovereign
Definition
for survival states are left to their own devices
Term
HOBBES SAYS
Definition
WITHOUT leviathdon suspicion, distrust, conflict and war seems undodgable.
Term
Grotius
Definition
says values and norms are important in maintaining order among states
he focuses on rules and laws
and national security
Term
Clauswitz
Definition
focuses on military power
military element of a states power to be extremly important
says leadership is important
says one should not take the first step in war, if they do not know where their last step will be.
Term
clausqitz term "THE FOG WAR"
Definition
the uncertainy that attends decision making in battlefield conditions
Term
Carr
Definition
he attempts to explain the word fear, and how it relates to crisis.
has a utopian or idealist approach to IR
he believes politics is made up of two elements UTOPIA AND REALITY ( values and power)
Term
Morgenthau
Definition
6 priniciples to realism
1.politicis is governed by objective laws that have their roots in human nature
2. "interest"is defined in the terms of power
3. interest defined as power is not endowed with a meaning that is fixed once and for all
4. tension between moral command and requirements of successful politic actions
5. politicial realism refuses to idenity the moral apirations of a particular nation
6. interest defined as power is an understanding that gives international politics a seperate standing and thus emancipates it from other fields of study.
Term
There are two basic concepts that traditionally have been the foci of analysis at the state and international levels
Definition
POWER AND SYSTEMS
Term
POWER
Definition
the core concept for realist
itd an attempt to measure the states power
Term
realist understand power
Definition
to be the sum of military, economic, technology, diplomatic, and other capablities at the disposal state
Term
a states influence is not only determined by its capablities but also
Definition
1.its willingness to use these capabilities
2. its control of influence over other states
Term
the relative power of states
Definition
is revealed by the outcomes of their interactions
Term
observing the behavior of states as they interact
Definition
inferred power
"a mans control and actions of other men"
Term
Measurements (power)
Definition
one looks for someway to measure military, economic, and other elements.
power is not all about military, they could be powerful by having a economic power such as japan. JOSEPH NYE goes into depth about soft power and hard power.
Term
SYSTEM
Definition
the uses to which the concept is put vary considerably
Term
some theorists say
Definition
to use systems merely as taxonomies- frameworks for organizing knowledge about Ir.
-systems are mental images that may help to describe international phenomena.
-the use of systems is to explain and predict outcomes of Ir.
Term
reification
Definition
treating abstractions as if they were real and had life of their own
Term
Game theory and anarchy paragraph
Definition
game theory- an approach to determinging rational choice or optimum strategy in a competitive situation. each actor tries to max gains or mini losses under conditions of uncertainty and incomplete information
Term
n-person game
Definition
include more than 2 actors or sides
Term
game theory
Definition
has contributed to the development of models of deterrence and arms race spirals
Term
the word anarchy
Definition
brings images of violence, destruction, and chaos
FOR REALIST
anarchy refers to the absence of any legitimate authority above states. states are sovereign
Term
realists see a difference in authority and power
Definition
anarchy, they are referring to the absence of any hierarchy of legitimate authority in the International system. p 57
Term
realist say
Definition
the absence of a central and overiding authority helps to explain why states come to rely on power, seeking to maintain or increase their power positions relative to other states
Term
anarchy is accompained by
Definition
a lack of trust among states
which then each state faces a SELF HELP situation.
Term
self help
Definition
the security of ones own state
Term
security dilemma
Definition
the more one state protect itself from other states, the more threaten these states become and they more prone they are to resort to arming themseleves to protect their own national security interests.
Term
security dilemma
Definition
the dilemma i that even if a state is sincerely arming only for defensive purposes, it is rational in a self help system to assume the worst in an adversarys intentions and keep pace in any arms buildup
Term
becaus a state may not have sufficient resources to just completely detach themselves to other states
Definition
it could state building alliance in an attempt to deter aggression by any world be adversaries.
Term
an anarchical self help system
Definition
makes cooperation among states difficult to achieve
Term
states are rather concerned with
Definition
relative than just absolute gains. WHY?
if states are concerned with individual, absolute gains, it is different to the gains of others.
a state is concerned with relative gains it is not satisfied with simply increasing its power or wealth but is concerned with how much those capabilities have kept pace with increased or decreased relative to other states
Term
you need to maintain the balance of power
Definition
to avoid the triumph of a dominant power
Term
voluntarism
Definition
the balance of power is a foerign policy creation or construction by statesmen.; it doesnt juss occur automatically
Term
states are motivates to
Definition
competite because it is a competitives environment
Term
voluntarism
Definition
is not only about freedom of choice but also the ability of human beings to influence the course of events.
Term
Walt
Definition
drew a distinction between balancing and bandwagoning.
balancing behavior are comman. '
by contrast, though less common, typically occurs in a much more competitive context
Term
unipolarity
Definition
offers the hegemonic power several logical options in its foerign policy. unipolairyt will not last in time the world will become increaingly multipolar.
Term
globaliztion
Definition
it doesnt have a one definition to it...it doesnt exist. and because it doesnt exist it lacks in theoretical content. but there are close definitions to it, just not one definition per se.
Term
globaliztion assumes
Definition
the increase in transactions among societies has led to an erosion of sovereignty and the blurring of the boundaries between the state and the international system.
and an issue with interdependence
Term
interdependence
Definition
being between or among states
THE BALANCE OF POWER can be understood as an interdepence
Term
interdependence as vulnerability
Definition
is a source of power of one state over another
Term
to reduce vulnerability
Definition
it is better for the state to be independent or atleast to minisize its dependency
Term
if a state wants to be more powerful
Definition
it avoids or minisizes economic dependency just as it avoids political or military dependency on other states if thie were to amount to a reduction in its relative power position.
Term
hegemonic stability
Definition
the hegemon or dominant power assumes leadership, for the entire globe in dealing with a particular issue
Term
the absence of hegemony or leadership may result in c
Definition
chaos and instability
Term
the closest to hegemon was
Definition
britain. and usa? p 67 the war with russia?
Term
The Melian Dialogue by THUCYDIDES
Definition
athens and melians.
-what they wanted. (asked for their land)
-how they was gonna get it (by asking if not fighting and slaving their people)
-melians did what (still did not surrender and said that the sparta people were going to save them)
-in the end the melians surroundered unconditionally to the athenians who killed all their men and sold and enslaved all their kids and women.
Term
On princes and security of their states MACHIAVELLI
Definition
you cant have both be loved and be feared.be feared than loved is always better for the state. you think about the state not individually.
Term
Hobbes of the natural conditions of mankind
Definition
men by nature equal.
3 main causes of a quarrel(arguement)
1. competition
2. diffidence (lack of self confidence)
3. glory
a. invade gain
b. safety
c. reputation
Term
Jean Jacques Rousseau
the state of war: confederation as means to peace in europe
Definition
kind of the opposite of hobbe, doesnt think people are nasty but shy and peaceful
Term
Joseph NYE hard and soft power in american foreign policy
Definition
Ways power changed
1. been moving away from military force and conquest and went to who ever have the most nuclear weapons
2. the rise of nationalism, which has made it more difficult for empires to rule over awakened populations
3. and societal change inside great powers
Term
Nye "soft power"
Definition
getting others to want what you want
Term
hard power
Definition
military power and economic power
Term
one of the biggest mistakes is
Definition
lacking in one of these aspects soft power, hard power, and economic power. one is not more important than the other.
Term
Walt’s theory addresses more successfully than classic balance-of-power realism the case of Latin America bandwagoning with the United States. While he states that weak, isolated states have little option but to bandwagon, he also points to the fact that, in the main, American interventions in the Western hemisphere have been in support of traditional elites against revolutionary challengers. Castro’s Cuba and the Nicaraguan Sandinistas are the only cases of balancing against the United States, where leftist revolutions ousted the traditional elites that had bandwagoned with the United States. These revolutions by their very nature created the threat of American intervention, thus these regimes sought the support of the Soviet Union to balance against the American threat.
Definition
thats bandwagoning.
Term
Mearsheimer tragedy of great power politics
Definition
mulitipolar systems are more war prone than bipolar systems, potential hegemons are the most dangerous systems of all.
Term
great powers are dteremined laregely on the basis of their
Definition
relative militsry capability.
Term
to qualify as a great power
Definition
a state must have sufficient military.
Term
defensive realism
Definition
sercurity
Term
offensive realism
Definition
wants and gains
Term
5 bedrock assumption
Definition
1) The international system is anarchic, which means that there is no central authority above the states that make up the system.

2) Great powers possess the means to physically harm and possibly destroy other powers.

3) A state can never be certain about the intentions of other states in the system and can therefore never be certain that other states will not attack.

4) Survival is the primary goal of great powers. Mearsheimer defines survival in terms of the maintenance of territorial integrity and the "autonomy of [the] domestic political order."

5) Great powers are rational actors, which means that they "are aware of their external environment" and "think strategically about how to survive in it."
Term
great britain was not consider a hegemon..but than again was consider a hegemon because
Definition
it was not out to get the other great powers....but it was the greatest great power.
Term
usa
Definition
regional hegemony. no other countries in the western hemisphere could touch the usa.
Term
absolute gains
Definition
each side is concerned with maximizing its own profits and cares little about how the other side gains or loses in the deal
Term
relative gains
Definition
each side considers not only its own individual gain but also how well it fares compared to the otherside.
Term
each state tries to maximize its absolute gains
Definition
it is more important for a state to make sure that it does no worse and perphaps better than the other state in any agreement.
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