1. Is international anarchy the permissive cause of war?
Chapter 2: Realism
Is international anarchy the permissive cause of war?
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

2. Learning aims: Understand the international anarchy myth
Tell the difference between realism and neorealism
Understand developments in Waltz’s thinking and why these matter
Critically reflect on the work that “fear” does for the international anarchy myth
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

3. Last week: Introduction
Culture: “an ensemble of stories we tell about ourselves” (Geertz, 1975)
Ideology: Conscious (e.g. liberalism) and unconscious (e.g. “boys will be boys”)
The myth function in IR: cultural interpretation  Myth function “Natural Fact”
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

4. (Neo) Realism Flashcard
Concepts: Sovereign States
Human Nature
International Anarchy
Fear
Myth: “international anarchy is the permissive cause of war”
Key thinkers: Hans Morgenthau & Kenneth Waltz
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

5. Realism vs. Neorealism (table 2.1)
Interest of States
Survival
How to achieve survival
Increase power because world government is unachievable
Human nature
Man is flawed and therefore prone to conflict. This explains why cooperation is never guaranteed and world government is unachievable
Man may or may not be flawed. Human nature is not essential to an explanation of conflict
Anarchy
The environment in which sovereign nation-states act
Describes the social relations among sovereign nation-states that causally explain why wars occur
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

6. Causes of war for Waltz (table 2.2)
Location
Description
Type of cause
First image
Nature of man
Immediate
Second image
International organization of states and societies
Third image
International anarchy
Permissive
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

7. Waltzian neorealism (table 2.3)
Structure
Ordering principle
Formal differentiation
Distribution of power
Domestic
Hierarchy
Centered
Heterogeneous
Dissimilar
Monopoly
Global
Anarchy
Decentered
Oligopoly
Consequences
Political processes
Relationships
Goals
Domestic
Specialization
High interdependence
Maximize welfare
Global
Intimidation
Balancing
Low interdependence
Maximize security
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

8. Theory activity: “International anarchy is the permissive cause of war”
Aim: Be able to understand the workings of Waltz’s myth (“international anarchy is the permissive cause of war”) through a real world example
Scenario: Iran has acquired nuclear weapons
Divide into five groups: Iran, USA, US ally (Britain), Neutral state (Sweden) and World government (quasi world government/ UN)
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

9. Theory activity cont.
USA UK
Iran
Sweden
World government
Quasi-world government
No world or quasi-world government
What would your country do in the different scenarios? Use the table to chart out the different possibilities
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

10. How does Lord of the Flies represent hierarchy and anarchy?
How does Lord of the Flies represent hierarchy and anarchy? (table 2.4)
Hierarchy
Anarchy
Characterized by rules, reason, law and order, all of which are guaranteed by the presence of adults
Characterized by the absence of guarantees to order or reason because of the absence of adults
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

11. What is typical and what is deviant in the two worlds of the Lord of the Flies? (table 2.5)
Anarchy
Island world:
Hierarchy
Familiar world:
Typical
Deviant
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

12. Lord of the Flies (box 2.2)
Where does fear figure in Waltz’s myth as enacted in Lord of the Flies?
1. Loss of hierarchy (lack of adults)
2. Reestablishment of hierarchy with rules and elections (conch shell)
This is what goes without saying in Waltz’s myth
Fear becomes widespread (belief in beast)
3. Hierarchy fails (Jack leaves and starts rival group)
4. Conflict occurs (Jack and Ralph’s groups fight/Piggy is killed)
5. Anarchy ends (boys rescued and reintroduction of adults)
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

13. Lord of the Flies (table 2.6)
The locations of fear in Lord of the Flies
Location
Description
Illustration
First image
Human nature
Jack and his followers increasing savagery
Second image
International organization of states and societies
Jack’s bad tribe against Ralph’s good tribe
Third image
International anarchy
Competitive, self-help system in which boys create security dilemma on island
None of Waltz’s images
Irrationally generated by the boys themselves and externalized
The beast
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

14. Film activity: Lord of the Flies and fear
Aim
Use film Lord of the Flies to investigate how Waltz’s myth “international anarchy is the permissive cause of war” functions and to show that FEAR is a necessary supplement to this myth
Discuss
Discuss content of film: plot, characters and cinematic effects
Answer
How does the film make sense of the world?
What does the film say is typical and deviant in that world?
Where is FEAR located in the film?
© 2014 Cynthia Weber

15. Next week: Idealism Is there an international society?
Film: Independence Day
“Domestic analogy”
© 2014 Cynthia Weber