1. introduction to liberalism chapter 3: liberalism and foreign policy
liberalism and the study of foreign policy
implications: the need for international cooperation
liberals understand that rationality dictates, not just an individual struggle for power and survival, but a collective struggle as well
liberals, in other words, recognize that states understand the need to work together--not just intermittently, but continually-- to achieve their goals: how is this manifested?

2. introduction to liberalism chapter 3: liberalism and foreign policy
liberalism and the study of foreign policy
collective action, institutions, organizations and regimes
unlike realism, liberalism argues that international organizations, institutions, and regimes are essential building blocks of international society
the united nations, world trade organization, the non-proliferation treaty, the international convention against torture, the framework convention on climate change, etc. are concrete manifestations of the need for and rationality of international cooperation

3. introduction to liberalism chapter 3: liberalism and foreign policy
liberalism and the study of foreign policy
liberal institutionalism and the need for international cooperation
why are there so many international institutions?

4. introduction to liberalism chapter 3: liberalism and foreign policy
liberalism and the study of foreign policy
liberal institutionalism and the need for international cooperation
in an increasingly interdependent and globalized world, there are some things individual states cannot resolve on their own, or can better resolve through cooperation and concerted action …

5. introduction to liberalism chapter 3: liberalism and foreign policy
liberalism and the study of foreign policy
liberal institutionalism and the need for international cooperation
similarly, there are many issues individual states would like to address, but are unwilling to do in isolation
e.g., global warming, financial crises, international communications, transportation, trade, non-proliferation, human rights (the list is very long)

6. introduction to liberalism chapter 3: liberalism and foreign policy
liberalism and the study of foreign policy
reprise: the importance of ideas and ideals
one of the key points dividing liberals and realists is their respective understanding of ideas
where realist dismiss non-objective, non-material factors as important, liberals are strongly committed to the belief that ideas matter; even more, they believe that ideas have power
consider a few questions …

7. introduction to liberalism chapter 3: liberalism and foreign policy
liberalism and the study of foreign policy
reprise: the importance of ideas and ideals
are liberals naïve?
how might ideas “matter”?
what is the power of or in ideas?

8. introduction to liberalism chapter 3: liberalism and foreign policy
liberalism and the study of foreign policy
two scenes from v for vendetta: on the power of ideas

9. introduction to liberalism chapter 3: liberalism and foreign policy
liberalism and the study of foreign policy
v for vendetta: on the power of ideas
the scenes from v for vendetta give a sense of the importance and power of ideas, albeit at a domestic level
the scenes also underscore the fact that a belief in ideas is not necessarily a belief in non-violence or peace: “idealism” can lead to great violence and suffering--idealists are not all pacifists
ideas, in fact, are one of the great forces of the modern area and have shaped states and relations among states in profound ways

10. constructivism and foreign policy

11. introduction to constructivism chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy
constructivism and the study of foreign policy
constructivists, as the name implies, see the world around us as socially constructed
what does this mean? how can the world be “socially” constructed?

12. introduction to constructivism chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy
constructivism and the study of foreign policy
“socially” means that constructivists give greater weight to the social or subjective forces, rather than “objective” or material forces
constructivists recognize that material forces matter, but they also believe that it is our subjective understanding of objective conditions that matter more
consider the example of nuclear weapons …

14. for constructivists, it is significant that north korea is considered a grave threat, while pakistan isn’t …
even the potential for iraq under saddam or for iran today to have nuclear weapons is considered far more dangerous than the objective possession of nuclear weapons by the united states, great britain, china or russia
why is this significant?
consider the phrase …
“danger is a effect of interpretation” (d. campbell)

15. introduction to constructivism chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy
constructivism and the study of foreign policy
“constructed” means that constructivists understand the world as coming into being--i.e., constructed--through a process of interaction between agents (individuals, states, non-state actors) and the structures of their broader environment
more formally, there is a process of mutual constitution between agents and structures
consider these questions …

16. introduction to constructivism chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy
constructivism and the study of foreign policy
where does anarchy come from? how did it emerge? how is it reproduced?
is global climate change a threat to humanity? is it a threat to the national security of countries?
how is rationality defined? what is rationality? why is it defined in terms of the “national interest”?

17. introduction to constructivism chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy
constructivism and the study of foreign policy
constructivism is not just the domain of pointy-headed intellectuals. consider this statement by an unnamed official in the Bush administration …
"We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality--judiciously, as you will--we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors...and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."

18. what is the difference between these two variants?
introduction to constructivism chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy
constructivism and the study of foreign policy
the author makes a distinction between two variants of constructivism, the ______________________ variant and the ________________ variant, the latter of which is often labeled post-positivist or interpretive
north american
european
what is the difference between these two variants?

19. introduction to constructivism chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy
constructivism and the study of foreign policy
 north american variant
focuses on the role of social norms in shaping, both directly and indirectly, foreign policy behavior
closely aligned with liberal-idealist framework
european variant
explores the role of language or discourse in mediating and constructing social reality; asks how-possible questions

20. introduction to constructivism chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy
constructivism and the study of foreign policy
how-possible questions: an example
consider the issue of slavery: how was slavery possible in the united states? how did it last so long?
(contrast this with conventional question: why did the u.s. adopt the practices and institutions of slavery and why did it last so long?

21. introduction to constructivism chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy
constructivism and the study of foreign policy
three ways in which constructivism contributes to foreign policy analysis
understanding bureaucracies and interests
understanding decision-making: bargaining and arguing
understanding the interaction between the international and the domestic (levels of analysis)

22. introduction to constructivism chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy
constructivism and the study of foreign policy
understanding bureaucracies and interests
interests are not just given (or “defended”), but are defined
constructivists seek to understand how interests are constructed through a process of social interaction
material facts are important, but it is the social context that gives meaning to them

23. introduction to constructivism chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy
constructivism and the study of foreign policy
understanding decision-making: bargaining and arguing
constructivists tell us that the decision-making process itself is far more contingent than it appears: actors do not simply represent particular views and interests, but also “discover” their interests through a social process (arguing and persuasion)
arguments themselves, however, are enabled and legitimated by the broader social discourse in which they are embedded

24. introduction to constructivism chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy
understanding decision-making: bargaining and arguing
example
“arguments” about climate change are deeply influenced today by a broad shift in the social discourse that have legitimated concerns about the potentially destructive impact of global climate change

25. introduction to constructivism chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy
constructivism and the study of foreign policy
international society and states
the increasingly tight global-local nexus demands a more interactive, multi-level framework of analysis
consider the example of human rights: states’ evolving policy on human rights can only be understood as complex process involving a range of actors, institutions and organizations operating a multiple levels; social norms and a new social discourse that shape understanding of the concept of human rights are also critical

26. marxism and the study of foreign policy

27. introduction to marxism marxism foreign policy
what is marxism? some questions
what is marxism? what does the term suggest to you?
is marxism dead? did it die with the failure of communism in the former soviet union?
is marxism relevant to the study of u.s. foreign policy? after all, american policy makers aren’t marxists

28. introduction to marxism marxism foreign policy
what is marxism? key points
first and foremost, marxism is a theory of history: it’s a theory of how history unfolds and of the primary forces that shape history
second, marxism is a theory of capitalism: it’a a theory about the dynamics and logic of capitalism
third, marxism is a preeminently structural theory

29. introduction to marxism marxism foreign policy
what is marxism?
marxism as a theory of history is premised on the concept of historical materialism
the fundamental proposition of historical materialism is embedded in the following quote by marx …

30. introduction to marxism marxism foreign policy
what is marxism?
It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness.

31. introduction to marxism marxism foreign policy
what is marxism?
historical materialism is premised on a fundamental “fact”: in order for human beings to survive from generation to generation, it is necessary for them to produce and reproduce the material requirements of life
this basic insight has profound implications: for one, it tells us that societies are governed by the forces of production
more simply, those who control the forces of production, control society

32. introduction to marxism marxism foreign policy
what is marxism?
control of society by those who dominate or own the forces of production is pervasive, although not always obvious
the key is to recognize that the economy is the foundation of any society, and that social institutions serve to maintain the foundation: this is encapsulated in marx’s concept of base and superstructure
Superstructure
Base