LECTURE 1 ACTORS IN
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Which came first? - ANSWER--Europe's states were "made" by war, trade, and mutual
recognition (post-colonial states "made" by war, trade, and mutual recognition)
-yet international relations is the study of how States make war, and how States make
trade, and how States establish diplomatic ties with each other
Conclusions about Actors - ANSWER--many different sorts of actors make up
international politics
-increasingly, non-state actors seem to influence international politics
-states are still the main actors on the world stage, most IR theorizing is about them
The rise & fall of state concluded - ANSWER--states are the main actors in international
relations. Their actions usually are what we study as international relations
-but, not infrequently, international relations makes states too
-This creates an interesting chicken/egg problem which complicates analysis of
international relations
States - ANSWER-territorial entities within which a central authority provides public
goods
Governments - ANSWER-bureaucratic-legal apparatus constituting that central authority
Nations - ANSWER-sets of people sharing identity of a cultural, ethnic, or historic sort
Nation-states - ANSWER-combination of states, governments, and nations
Countries - ANSWER-informal alternative for the above
Correlates of war (COW) definition - ANSWER--100,000+ population
-externally sovereign
-diplomatic recognition (1816-1819 by France and Britain/1920-now by League of
Nations or UN Membership)
-There are around 190 "states" identified in the commonly used datasets
International governmental organizations (igos) - ANSWER-composed of states as
members, and are either global or regional, and are either single or multi-purpose (ex.
International Postal Union)
Collective security igos - ANSWER-North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Economic igos - ANSWER-organization of petroleum exporting countries
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Which came first? - ANSWER--Europe's states were "made" by war, trade, and mutual
recognition (post-colonial states "made" by war, trade, and mutual recognition)
-yet international relations is the study of how States make war, and how States make
trade, and how States establish diplomatic ties with each other
Conclusions about Actors - ANSWER--many different sorts of actors make up
international politics
-increasingly, non-state actors seem to influence international politics
-states are still the main actors on the world stage, most IR theorizing is about them
The rise & fall of state concluded - ANSWER--states are the main actors in international
relations. Their actions usually are what we study as international relations
-but, not infrequently, international relations makes states too
-This creates an interesting chicken/egg problem which complicates analysis of
international relations
States - ANSWER-territorial entities within which a central authority provides public
goods
Governments - ANSWER-bureaucratic-legal apparatus constituting that central authority
Nations - ANSWER-sets of people sharing identity of a cultural, ethnic, or historic sort
Nation-states - ANSWER-combination of states, governments, and nations
Countries - ANSWER-informal alternative for the above
Correlates of war (COW) definition - ANSWER--100,000+ population
-externally sovereign
-diplomatic recognition (1816-1819 by France and Britain/1920-now by League of
Nations or UN Membership)
-There are around 190 "states" identified in the commonly used datasets
International governmental organizations (igos) - ANSWER-composed of states as
members, and are either global or regional, and are either single or multi-purpose (ex.
International Postal Union)
Collective security igos - ANSWER-North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Economic igos - ANSWER-organization of petroleum exporting countries
