Theories of World Politics Realism vs. Liberalism and Women’s Voice

Basics of “Science”  Paradigm: an overall concept of the area under study that structures what questions are asked and how research is done  Paradigm shift: –Popper—slow process of change as a result of research –Kuhn—sudden changes as a result of data that doesn’t fit the paradigm

Scientific Method  Literature—basic knowledge is gained from a review of literature  Hypothesis—suggested outcomes of research are put forth and then tested  Theory—if hypotheses are proven true, then a theory is formed and more testing occurs  Law—after a theory has been tested and proven time and again to be true, it becomes law  There are no laws in social science

Realism The Pessimists

Machiavelli  People are “wicked” (an innate nature)  Science and technology should be used to conquer and control people.  A leader must use the most moral and proper means of rule when possible as this will cause less dissatisfaction in the people, but harsh measure may be necessary to retain control.

Hobbs  The state of nature is war/anarchy as each seeks own self-interested goals.  People live in a state of fear and contract with a sovereign for guidance and protection.  The people give absolute authority to the sovereign and support his/her actions completely.  Only when the sovereign ceases to ensure the protection of the people can they end their support of the sovereign.

Realism  The state is the main actor in world politics. Conflict between states will occur as states seek power through an anarchic international system.  The number one goal of the state is the state’s survival (through obtaining power) and all resources of the states must be used to obtain this goal.

Realism Assumptions 1) People are selfish by nature 2) People desire power 3) This desire cannot be eradicated 4) International politics is a “struggle for power” 5) A state’s national interests are its primary concern—thus, power is needed to assure this goal

Realist Assumptions 6) Since IR is an anarchic system, a state must obtain enough power (military, economic, territory) to deter other states from taking its power and to be able to use power over others. 7) Military strength is the top priority of the state, and economic strength should only be used to support military strength.

Realist Assumptions 8) Allies increase defensive strength but are not reliable. 9) International law and institutions only usurp sovereignty and do not protect a state’s national interests— global institutions should be weak. 10) The universal desire for states to seek power will result in a balance of power that will change only when alliances form or end.

Neo-Realism  Waltz: What goes on within the state or within the individual does not matter.  The structure of the international system determines a state’s actions.  A state will seek its own national security above all else.  The religious, economic, moral, and social structures of the state and policy makers makes no difference in policy making.

Liberalism Idealism-Utopianism

Liberalism - Mill  Utilitarianism—greatest good for the greatest number  Positively reinforce “good” action and negatively associate with “bad.”  Happiness is the right of all people.  People must be active participants in the world around them.

Hume  People are kind and generous, especially to children, families, and neighbors.  People can live together in small groups without government, but property makes government necessary.

Utopians  Knowledge = peace  Peace can be achieved by “reforming” people from their selfish and greedy ways (desire for power) to people who are compassionate and concerned for others

Liberalism  A humanistic view that puts the individual and person first rather than the state. Peace can be achieved through dialogue and consensus based on equality, dignity, and liberty. There should be a limit on the restriction imposed by the state.

Liberalism’s Beliefs 1) People are compassionate, which will lead to a progressive world. 2) Violence, greed, depression are due to those institutions that support selfish actions. 3) People are good at their core. 4) Peace is possible if institutions support it.

Liberalism’s Beliefs 5) International and global solutions to war must be sought as individual state actions will ultimately fail. 6) Ethics, morals, and compassion must be the basis for state action in order to insure all the world’s people to feel and be secure.

Liberalism’s Beliefs 7) Institutions that lead or support war must be abolished; democracy and the recognition of civil liberties must be used to protect people and “harmonize” inter-state relationships.

Neo-Liberalism  Agree with realists that anarchy in the international world does exist.  States are main units in IR and are rational thinkers (agree with realists)  States must find a way to work with each other to create peace.  “I will if you will” changes to “I will do it for the good of all.”

Critiques Against Mainstream Theories  Realist theory and its variants fail to explain how states in the latter half of the 20 th century and into the 21 st century have been cooperating with each other on global issues (AIDS, global warming, trade, etc.).  Also failed to predict and explain the fall of the Soviet Union.

Critiques  Liberalism is too idealist and does not address the realities of the world.  Not all states will be willing to change, so there will always be fear of other states, leading to a security dilemma.  Under the guise of creating liberty through new global structures, the newly developing countries are being forced to accede to a Western-style political system.

Critiques  Weak institutions will lead to people taking advantage of them, seeking to satisfy their own personal needs before the needs of others.  There must be strong measures in place to keep people from going to war.  Increased actions of peace by some may increase acts of war in others— seen as an opportunity for gain.

Feminist Theory and IR  Humanistic based  The structures of the international system are male-defined  Seen as “universal” and “neutral”  Fails to include women-centered aspects of international interaction  War, weapons, and power take precedence  Child rearing, food resources, etc. ignored

Women and IR  Civilians now 90% of casualties in war; majority women and children  A global economy will further divide the rich and the poor  Women have been increasingly marginalized in growing economies, making up the majority of the poor.

Women and IR  Democracies tend to be based on patriarchy  Democratization may not liberate women but put in place male-dominated institutions  “liberalism” as an unbiased system of equality fails to address female-specific forms of oppression  Feminism brings in gender inequalities as well as class, race, age, religion, etc.

Rational Actor Theory Bounded Rationality and Satisficing

Rational Choice  Leaders make decisions for the well being of the state—represent state action 1. determine what the problem is through an objective analysis -obtain all necessary information 2. rank the various possible goals of the policy makers/what do the policy makers want to achieve

Rational Choice 3. consider all possible alternative solutions for achieving goal 4. make the best choice based on a cost/benefit analysis  Yet, in a crisis situation, abundant information is not always available, “objectivity” may be difficult, and there may be limits on how alternative policy recommendations emerge.

Bounded Rationality  The decisions of policy makers are constrained by human and organizational structures. –Not all information is available –Psychological constraints (stress, lack of sleep, etc.) –Individuals have opposing priorities (personal or organizational) –Time constraints

Satisficing  Instead of rationally choosing the best solution after a careful and extensive analysis, policy makers often choose the first option that appears that satisfies the desired requirements.

Games Theory  Prisoners’ Dilemma –Two prisoners in jail –If they keep quiet, both set free –If they talk first, they will get less punishment but the other will be treated harshly –If they both talk, neither will benefit –What would the prisoner rationally do?

Games Theory Applied to States  If all states work together, peace can be achieved, but all must work together or positive outcome unlikely  If a state acts on its own, some peace/benefit will be achieved  A state may be more inclined to choose sure benefit of partial peace than to risk no peace as it is likely that one of the other states will seek its own self interest and not work with the whole