GVPT 200 Midterm 1 Latest 2023 Graded A

GVPT 200 Midterm 1 Latest 2023 Graded A State A territory that has some sort of central government. States are sovereign, meaning the central government can do/ make laws as they please in the boundaries of those states. Ex: United States, India, Pakistan. Nation A group of people that share some sort of common history, ethnicity; Ex. United States, India, Germany; lots of people from different backgrounds. Nation-State The idea that a group of people who have a common identity, or share a sense of nationhood or nationality, should have their own state. Ex: Thailand, China, Canada. Nations without states= Kurds, Palestinians, Basques, Roma, etc. Treaty of Westphalia 1648. End of 30 years war. Religious wars between big European actors (Protestants & Catholics: Catholic Church). After this date the idea of a state as a territorial entity came into place. States: predominant actors. IGOs Intergovernmental organizations. About 400, grown dramatically since WW2 to keep world from another devastating war, countinuously growing. Provide information, coordinate joint action, pool resources, monitor behavior, enforce state obligations. Can be General or Specific, Global or Regional. Ex: World Bank, IMF, European Union, United Nations (only general and global IGO) NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations Ex: Greenpeace, Catholic Church, Terrorist groups MNCs Multinational Corporations Ex: Apple, Google, Nike, Toyota Levels of Analysis Different ways to analyze why a situation has occurred at multiple levels. Global LoA (System) Polarity, power distribution. War EX: Wars are argued in the context of cyclical "waves" that are bound to rise and fall. Economic theories such as the Kondratieff cycle debate that durations (usually a few decades) can explain outbreaks of war. Inter-state LoA (dyadic) Alliances, trade, history of conflict. War EX: Wars begin due to disruptions / challenges in the global power structure. Rising powers increase tension & disrupt peace through upsetting the international equilibrium trying to "get their fair share" of the political pie. Domestic LoA (State) Legislatures or parliaments; whether or not the place is a democracy, public opinion. War EX: Wars begin due to characteristics of society that make them more prone to violence. (I.e., Poor economic conditions, rampant anti-Semitism, hyper-nationalism were some of the main reasons Germany started WW2) Individual LoA Political, social leaders War EX: Two states believe they have more to gain by going to war. Realism Hard power is the most important. Humans are inherently bad. Countries and states should look out for national interest. Idealism (Liberalism) People are good. Based on morality. Need to figure out new institutions that are good. Soft power is valued. Neo-Realism Anarchy is a constant in the international system. Morality has no place in IR. States should try to self-help. Build army, etc to be self sufficient. Concerned about the distribution of power among countries. Concerned with security dilemma. Neo-Liberalism Believe international regimes are the most important means to maintain global stability and cooperation. International system is anarchic. Through institutions and regularized behaviors → we can get cooperation.Ex: Live and Let System: get cooperation even in the midst of a major war. Tit-for-Tat Dominant strategy used in Prisoner's dilemma. You do to one actor what they do to you. Prisoner's Dilemma A situation where simultaneous decisions create dependent outcomes between two players (can either cooperate or defect). The "dilemma" stems from the fact that these players can produce the least negative outcome, yet fail to do so for entirely "reasonable" self-interest. All prisoner dilemmas feature 2 players given 2 different choices producing a grand total of 4 possible outcomes. EX: India vs. Pakistan and nuclear weapons. UN Created in 1944. Closest thing to a world government we have. 3 pillars purpose: security, economic development, and human rights. UN Security Council 5 permanent members (US, France, Britain, China, Russia) and 10 rotating ones. Taiwan once held China's seat but that changed in 1971. Goals of maintaining international peace and security. Has the power to issue sanctions, punishments, and deploy UN Peacekeepers/makers. It's decisions are binding on all UN member states. UN Secretariat Executive branch of the UN. Headed by a Secretary-general that is nominated by security council. UN General Assembly (Legislature) 193 members. Equal voting representation for all states. The "heart" of the UN the assembly oversees the organization's representative, deliberative, and policy making duties. Votes on the UN's budget and non-permanent members of the security council. UN Programs UNICEF, UNHCR, UNEP Autonomous Agencies WHO (world health), WFP (world food), IAEA (prevents nukes), ITU, UPU EU History 1952- European Coal and Steel Community (6 members: France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy) 1957- European Economic Community 1960/70s- Evolving economic cooperation (adds UK, Ireland, Denmark) 1980s- Signing of the Single European Act (free trade between all 10 members... implemented in 1992/ Greece joins, then Spain and Portugal) 1990s- Single market complete (Austria, Sweden and Finland join) 2000s- Euro replaces national currencies in 11/15 member-states (19/28 currently use it) (10 member states added in 2004, 28 total by 2013) European Commison (Executive) A European Body whose members, while appointed by states, are supposed to represent EU interests. The commission's role is to identify problems and propose solutions/legislation to the Council of Ministers. Jean Claude Junker is current commissioner. 28 commissioners (cabinet) Three EU Lawmaking Bodies European Council, Council of Ministers, European Parliament. European Council (Legislative) When the meeting of the Council of Ministers takes place among the state leaders. Elected leaders of 28 countries that meet periodically to discuss broad issues. Council of Ministers (Legislative) An EU institution in which the relevant ministers of each member state meet to enact legislation and reconcile national interests. National government ministers (I.e., minister of foreign affairs, transport...). Decide whether to pass something that will apply to the whole EU. Qualified majority voting (bigger countries have more say). European Parliament A quasi-legislative body of the EU that operates as a watchdog over the European Commission and has limited legislative power, but it is expanding. Now makes most day to day decisions. (Bicameral decision making structure with ministers and parliament) EU Court of Justice (Judiciary) A judicial arm of the EU, based in Luxembourg. The court has actively established its jurisdiction and its right to overrule national law when it conflicts with EU law. EX: Cassis de Dijon case, 1979 Challenges of the EU 1. The Euro 2. Enlargement (immigration becomes an issue) 3. Common foreign and security policy (war in Iraq=division) 4. Democratic deficit (people feel like they have no control over the EU) 5. Withdrawals (Greece and Euro, UK and EU) Domestic Politics Public Opinion (public doesn't know much), diversionary war/conflict (leaders use foreign policy for support), referenda (Brexit), different departments (different goals/agendas), legislatures/parliaments (power to declare wat and ratify treaties), and interest groups (tobacco lobby, pharmaceutical lobby). Rally Around the Flag Effect 9/11. More willing to give up personal rights for the country. Deals with public opinion. Ex: George Bush ratings go up after 9/11. Power The ability to influence others. It is measured by GDP, military strength, population, etc. Hegemony Concentrated power to one great state. Deterrence The idea that the threat of a military retaliation can prevent an attack in the first place. Anarchy There is no global/universal leader to keep states in check. States are free to do what they want. Security Dilemma The idea that actions taken by one state to heighten its security lead to others doing the same, producing tension and insecurity. Balance of Power One or more state's power being used to keep another's in check. Alliances Coalition of states that work together towards a common goal. "System-level" Theory of International Politics Deals with forces at the international level, not the national. It explains why different states behave similarly, and despite their variations, produce outcomes in an expected range. "Unit Level" Theory It explains why different states behave differently despite their similar placements in a system. Interstate Wars Conflicts between different countries. Traditional definition is wars between 2 or more states, with 1000 death battles. Approx. 75 interstate wars since 1816. Intrastate Wars We are seeing big civil conflicts where there is ethnic animosities over some groups → moved away from interstate wars. Great powers may be trying to intervene. Ex: Syria, Lebanon, Congo Terrorism Used to have more narrow political goals that targeted civilians for primarily psychological purposes that are now more large-scale. They are often now motivated by religious beliefs, with cat and mouse dynamic with counter-terrorism. Nuclear Weapons (Warheads) Most prominent WMD, have destructive power and evolving technology making them more dangerous. Raise a lot of ethical questions. 9 countries that have them: Russia, the United States, France, China, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea (in order with who has the most). Cruise Missiles More precise. "Politically safe". Used frequently by the US. Typically carry conventional warheads, some nuclear. Has a preset target and navigates there. 19 countries produce them, while 54 have them. Ballistic Missiles Come in different varieties. ICBMs: long range. Cheaper. Differences in range. Can carry different types of warheads (conventional,but also nuclear and chemical). 30 countries have them. Mutual Assured Destruction The possession of second-strike nuclear capabilities, which ensures that neither of 2 adversaries could prevent the other from destroying it in an all-out war (deterrence). Cognitive Bias Most cognitive biases lead to violent outcomes. Peacekeeping The UN is doing much more peacekeeping now. 16 operations about 100,000 people in Congo, Sudan, Darfur. UN Security Council: figures out if we can go in, funds come from the General Assembly (relatively inexpensive). Troops: a lot of troops coming from other countries. Missions are neutral and meant to respect the sovereignty of the state. Soldiers go in to after the conflict has started to minimize the damage. Only defend themselves and civilians. Peacebuilding Bolder, often non-security efforts to ensure long-term peace and stability. Help ensure there are elections. Help fighters get jobs. Increase capacity of local institutions. Neo-Realism vs. Realism Similarities: Nation-states that function in their own self-interest stay preserved. Both believe that military building makes war unavoidable. Differences: Disagree on what causes state behavior. Traditional believe it is human's selfish nature. Neo-Realists believe it is because of the anarchic structure of the world. Polarity The number of Great Powers in an international system. Bipolarity The desired polarity in a world because economics are less interdependent, and there is a clear division of power. Reciprocity An essential neo-liberalist theory for cooperation between state actors. The UN uses a system of rewards/benefits to persuade rational state actors into partnership. Neo-liberalism vs. Neorealism States are unitary actors rationally pursuing their self-interests in a system of anarchy. International Regime A set of rules, norms, and procedures around which the expectations of actors converge in a certain issue area. EX: International trade, Antarctic exploration Zero-Sum Game Any player's individual gain or loss will always counterbalance exactly towards the others partners change in utility. Total change in utility will always equal 0. EX: Prisoner's Dilemma Neo-Realists and Prisoner's Dilemma Actors only behave in their own narrow self-interest. Nash equilibrium of mutual defection. Neo-Liberals and Prisoner's Dilemma Actors would pick more desirable outcomes if they weren't isolated. Two ways to move towards cooperation: 1) Institutions- Monitor states behavior, reduce transaction costs, provide information (UN, WTO, World Bank, IMF) 2) Shadow of the future- If you know you are going to be playing a lot, makes more sense to cooperate. Missile Proliferation We don't want North Korea to obtain them, only rational actors should have them. Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968) Created a framework for controlling the spread of nuclear materials and expertise, including the Int'l Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a UN agency based in Vienna that is charged with inspecting the nuclear power industry in NPT member states to prevent secret military diversions of nuclear materials. Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) Signed by Obama and Medvedev in April 2010. Reduces warheads to 1600 (from 2200 in SORT) and launchers to 800 (from 1600). Passed Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Sept. 2010 by 14-4 vote. Ratified by full US Senate in Dec. 2010 by a 71-26 vote (all Dems + 13 Reps). General sense: US and Soviet Union signed some treaties which reduced the amount of nukes they had. EU Treaty of Rome (1958) International agreement between 6 founding members that created the European Economic Community. This alliance formed the institutional framework for the European Union. France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands. EU Single European Act (1986) Major revision to the Rome treaty with 12 member states agreeing to establish a single market by December 31st 1992. This is effectively a "promise" to create an even stronger union that shares a common currency. EU Maastricht Treaty (1992) 12 member states agree to formation of a European Union that uses Euros as its currency. Weapons of Mass Destruction Nuclear, chemical, and biological. Enormous potential lethality, small size, modest cost, and relative lack of discrimination in who they kill. Anti-ballistic missile treaty (ABM) (1972) Prohibited either the US or the Soviet Union from using a ballistic missile defense as a shield, which would have undermined mutually assured destruction (MAD) and the basis of deterrence. Comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) (1996) Bans all nuclear weapons testing, thereby broadening the ban on atmospheric testing negotiated in 1963. Hegemonic Wars Wars fought between great powers. Balance of power theory. Collective Security Formation of broad alliances between major actors. Members must keep alliance agreements/ agree on what is aggression. Simple and certain for UN, but failed with League of Nations.