INS3003 Exam 1 Study Guide

INS3003 Exam 1 Study Guide. Theory - answerSet of assumptions State - answerCountry or nation-state. Largest actor in the international system. Independent and legitimate entity defined by its territorial border with sovereign power to conduct its own affairs Sovereignty - answersituation where the state possesses "legal autonomy" and can determine policy within its borders by its own authority and does not fall under the authority of any other power Hegemon - answerdominant power in the international system Realism - answerIdea that states seek to acquire or exert more power over another state; states ultimately seek security and survival. Power is an end goal. Realpolitik - answerpower of politics Thucydides - answerGreek general and realist Niccolo Machiavelli - answerItalian politician, philosopher, and realist Thomas Hobbes - answerBritish philosopher and realist Carl von Clausewitz - answerPrussian general and realist Hans Morgenthau - answerIntroduced earliest version of realism. Said states are power hungry, and major powers have competition as they seek power over each other Idealism - answerPrecursor to the theory of Liberalism President Woodrow Wilson - answerArchitect of American Idealism. Introduced 14 points solution to bring peace back to the states and League of Nations to increase communication while respecting sovereignty Classical realism - answerStates don't always have incentive to cooperate; competition, distrust and desire for power throw humankind into a state of war that is the natural condition of human life. Way to avoid war is to be prepared for war Détente - answer"Cooling period" where cooperation and communication began to slowly increase in frequency Neo-Realism/Structural Realism - answerPower is a means to an end, but the end goal is to survive. Role of a leader should be minimized in a state. Threat of war comes from having a powerful neighbor Kenneth Waltz - answerCoined the term "self-help" Self-help - answerstates are responsible for their own protection because they don't know who they can trust or who is reliable. There is no guarantee that an ally will follow through on anything, states need to be ready to protect themselves Security dilemma - answeras the state becomes more insecure, they are more likely to miscalculate and make a mistake Assumptions of structural realism - answer- States are primary actor - States are rational, unitary actors - States seek security Anarchy - answerNo authority over the states. Breeds insecurity Insecurity - answerStates can never be sure that allies will remain allies Alliances - answerPartnership between states that can be helpful and maintain equilibrium, but should be short term and have a clear objective to be worked on Bandwagoning - answerwhen smaller powers join the strong power, revealing their vulnerabilities to the strong power which realists believe will be used against the smaller powers eventually Northern Song Dynasty - answerExample of how allying with stronger powers can backfire Unipolarity - answeraka Hegemonic Stability Theory (Robert Gilpin). One hegemon. Bipolarity - answerTwo hegemons. Structural realists believe this form of polarity is the strongest Multipolarity - answerMultiple major powers in a system, not necessarily hegemons. Classical realists like this polarity because it allows for more flexibility and take the focus off of hegemons. Relative (zero-sum) gains - answerMore realist viewpoint. State tries to increase its power in relation to another state, and would prefer the other state's sums to be "zero" Absolute (non-zero-sum) gains - answerMore liberal viewpoint. Even if one state gains a little more than the other does, in the end of the da