Chapter 15 Comparative International Relations

This (that is the LAST!) Week

A Grand Experiment (on the Edge of Failure?) What is the EU? ▫Post-war cooperation ▫A regional bloc ▫Working together for the whole, or for one’s own benefit? The continuing economic crisis ▫Future of Greece and other struggling economies ▫The Euro

Key Concepts International Relations: The study of relations between countries and between actors in the international system Foreign Policy: The Set of policies toward foreign nations made by a national government International security: The study of issues of war and peace between nations and global security and conflict more broadly International Political Economy: How economic relations between countries affect politics and how political relationships impact the economy

Globalization Increasing interactions between people, results in greater exchanges economically and socially Permeability of borders ▫Human and economic capital ▫So, not just goods, but service too ▫Global nature of labour and manufacturing Outsourcing and offshoring ▫In Western nations considered a significant problem ▫In developing states a sign of economic development

Globalization 2 Globalizing nature of the economy means more interdependence among states ▫Potential lack of economic/food security? Globalization is dependent upon the concept of comparative advantage ▫Specialization and efficiency

Globalization 3 Threats to the state: ▫Less control over the economy ▫Loss of industries ▫Loss of jobs (and the rise of the service sector) ▫Environmental damage (regulation and int’l trade) Protectionism ▫Taxes or tariff barriers

International Institutions (and an unintended consequence of multilateralism) The rise of multilateralism Sites of multilateral cooperation: ▫The United Nations  The WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR ▫The International Monetary Fund, World Bank  The Washington Consensus ▫NAFTA ▫The EU (and the Schengen Area)  So, is the EU ultimately working? Emergent national identities

Immigration in a Global World Movement of people tends to be away from places with limited economic opportunity to places with more economic opportunity Can be contentious – Mexico and the US; France and Northern Africa; Germany and Turkey How much assimilation should states seek to achieve? ▫Only the most basic liberal values or complete integration? ▫Multiculturalism

Immigration in a Global World 2 Tendencies towards stereotyping ▫London’s Muslim population ▫The US post-9/11 ▫Radicalization The contradictory rise of nativism ▫The Temporary Worker Program The rise of Brain Drain ▫Migrant workers ▫Remittances

Environmental Sustainability and Security Local sustainability (and pollution) and global sustainability (and climate change) ▫GHG emissions ▫The Ozone hole and global action Externalities and paying for unintended consequences

New Security Opportunities and Threats The Rise of Transnational networks ▫Anti-globalization ▫Environmentalism The Rise of Non-State actors ▫Al Qaeda ▫Anonymous ▫Global drug cartels The bipolar world and MAD Terrorism and relative interpretations of justice

The Realist Approach of International Relations Does not consider domestic issues, rather states are single rational actors Actors in a global anarchy ▫Defensive realism  Peace is possible ▫Offensive realism  Maximization of power Prefer a bipolar world with a balance of power Game theory

Prisoner’s Dilemma

Stag Hunt

Chicken

Liberalism Interested in domestic politics in international relations ▫Foreign policy can be influenced by political advantage, as well as international relationships What happens when states work together? ▫Positive sum games Incentives to work together when states have similar interests Democratic peace

Constructivism International and local norms and values matter ▫States aren’t necessarily aggressive all the time ▫In certain contexts state relationships could range from competitive to cooperative History matters, relationships matter Still believe an anarchy, but do so with a mind that it needn’t only be a world dominated by power

Marxism Global class system Examines who gains and who loses in global systems ▫Economic power ▫Military power ▫Cultural power Violence is a consequence of capitalism, as the capitalists try to keep advantage and accumulate more