PSU PLSC 14 Exam 1 - Piazza (Questions + Answers) Solved

International Relations - Main subfield of political science that analyzes the international and domestic qualities of the international system. States - Sovereign countries that comprise the international system Sovereign - All governments reign supreme within each state's respective border. International System - Anarchic in the sense that there is no overarching government, though that does not imply that it is disorderly. No state in it is fully independent, and no state can provide for all of their needs. The behavior of one state impacts others. State of nature - Theorized to be produced by anarchy, life is "Short, nasty, and brutish." Order - Is imposed by: -International organizations like the UN and the EU -International treaties -International law (though these are hard to enforce, states tend to follow them anyways) -Regimes and alliances (NATO, for example) -Superpowers (Powerful countries like the US, China) -Markets (though China and the US are adversarial, they are also trade partners) -Norms and values Non-state actors (NGOs) - Becoming increasingly more important. These include lobbying groups, organizations, multinational corporations (MNCs), individuals (celebrities and other famous people) Levels of Analysis - How international relations specialists study the international system 3rd Level of Analysis - Systemic; focuses on the international system in its entirety. Ex. How the end of the Cold War affected security alliances like NATO2nd Level of Analysis - Focuses on specific national governments. Ex. How election of Donald Trump affected US relations with Germany 1st Level of Analysis - Individual; focuses on the psychological aspects and human nature of a specific leader or figurehead. Ex. How President Kennedy's deep fear of repeating same mistakes of appeasement affected his policy during the Cuban Missile Crisis Grand Theories/Approaches/Paradigms - Aim to explain how the international system works. Examples of these include Realism, Liberalism (these are the two main schools of thought), Constructivism, Foreign Policy Analysis, Marxism, Feminism Power - Ability to get someone to do something they ordinarily would not do and is unevenly distributed Types of Power - Coercion, Structural/Institutional, Hard, Soft Coercive Power - Power based on force or threat of force with adverse consequences Structural/Institutional Power - Power based on institutional rules or norms Hard Power - Power based on military force Soft Power - Encompasses force dealing with economics, diplomacy, politics, culture, etc., Fungible - Interchangeable; some types of power are more easily ____________ than others Security - Pursuit of freedom from threat Three Arenas of Security - National and international, economic, and human