INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THEORY

What is International Relations?

International Relations• The study of relationships between countries, including

the roles of…

• States • State vs. state?

• Inter-governmental organizations (IGOs)• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)• Multinational corporations (MNCs)

Rise of Nation-States• Peace of Westphalia, 1648

• “Westphalian System”

• Concept of a sovereign state• Religious tolerance

Realism (political theory)• Prioritizes national interest and security over ideology,

moral concerns and social reconstructions• World politics is driven by competitive self-interest• States are seen as a unitary actors• “Zero-Sum Game”

• Example of a “Realist” state?

Liberalism (political theory)• Interaction between states is not limited to politics, but

also economics• There are plenty of opportunities for cooperation and

broader notions of power• Allows for plurality in state actions, thus, preferences will

vary from state to state, depending on factors such as culture, economic system, or government type

• “Non-Zero-Sum Game”

Neo-Liberalism (economic theory)• Market-driven approach to economic and social policy• Stresses the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized

trade and relatively open markets• Seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in

determining the political and economic priorities of the state

Polarity• Any of the various ways in which power is distributed

within the international system• Unipolarity

• Ex: U.S. dominance since 1991• Bipolarity

• Ex: U.S. and Soviet Union during the Cold War• Multipolarity

• Ex: WWI & WWII (“wartime multipolarity”)

• Nonpolarity• Ex: pre-Westphalian system

• Where are we?

“Polarity is not a binary condition. The world will not stay unipolar for decades and then, one day, suddenly switch and become bipolar or multipolar. There will be a slow shift in the nature of international affairs.”

Zakaria, p. 218

Polarity Theory• The fewer the “poles”, the more stable the international

system

Nationalism v. Internationalism• Nationalism

• Political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms

• What is a nation?

• Internationalism• Political movement which advocates greater economic & political

cooperation among nations for the theoretical benefit of all

“[As the “rest rise”,] international life is only going to get messier.”

Zakaria, p. 243

Isolationism v. Interventionism• To isolate?

• To intervene?

Isolationism"The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is in extending our commercial relations to have as little political connection as possible... Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalships, interest, humor, or caprice?... It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world."

George Washington, 1796

Examples of IsolationismHistorically,• United States until 1898 (why 1898?)• China during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)• China from early 1900s-1970s

Contemporary,• Bhutan• North Korea• Switzerland

Examples of Interventionism• Unilateral

• The Bush Doctrine• CIA activities in Central America

• Multilateral• First Gulf War (NATO)• UN Security Council

Interventionism: Controversies• Human rights

• State terrorism

• Occupation

The World Since 19451945• End of WWII; devastation in Europe and the Pacific• Empires too weak to support themselves• Beginning of U.S. and USSR as superpowers

1945-1991• Cold War• Decolonization in the Third World

1960s-today• Rise of China

1991-2003• U.S. Hegemony• Globalization• Rise of Non-Statist Actors

2003-today• Post-American world?/Rise of the Rest