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Samenvatting van 94 pagina's voor het vak International Relations Theory aan de VUB (samenvatting IRT)
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Lecture 1: What is theory of international politicsWhat is a theory?
Theory = “a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based
on general principles independent of the thing to be explained”
o A theory needs to be falsifiable: the theory should be rigid and parsimonious enough to test
it to imperial evidence
o The theory should also be independent and autonomous enough from empirics => the
theory should be abstract and universal enough so its standing above the empirical layer of
political science, of social science
Theory ≠ ideology
o So we should be able to test it and it has to come with a level of abstraction that makes it
transcend from day to day facts
Theoretical assumptions explicitly or implicitly shape our views of how the world functions => we
can look at the climate debate from different viewpoints
o Realism: as each country experiences the challenge differently individual responses are key
and climate rules may not go at the expense of growth => the challenge is global (common)
but even universal challenge are perceived true lance of local or national interest
o Marxism: it’s the poorest that suffer the most, so let’s tax multinationals to finance
migration measures in the South
o Institutional liberalism: climate change is a common challenge and requires closer
international cooperation with binding rules
o Constructivism: climate change shows that we live in a global community with world
citizens. Global citizens movements now shapes the agenda in global problems => states
are less important, we live in a global community
The main theories:
o Idealism
National interests can be overcome by common interests, ideals and international
institutions
International competition can become peaceful
Wars can be prevented
Positive socialisation: if expose states long enough to the positive experience of
cooperation, of exchanging diplomatic true diplomatic institutions, then their
mindset changes, they move from conflict formation into cooperation
States learn to cooperate if only they get the opportunity to do it long enough
Important writers
Woodrow Wilson
Desiderius Erasmus
Pecificism
o Realism
Concerned about the world as it is, not how it should be => it’s not possible to build
a better world, the best realism believe that you can drive towards a balance of
power in which countries an equally strong so that they can’t really fight
Cooperation and peace between polities is not sustainable (difficult to sustain) bc:
Self-interest prevails => state go for their self-interest
Self-preservation of states => their own security
The balance of power changes regularly => if one county benefits more from the
trade than the other, this means that the county will have more money for build
it military => gone use their wealth against the weaker countries
, Polities are driven by distrust, uncertainty about the future, fear and greed
International anarchy rather than supranational governance => anarchy is not
chaos inside but it can be more compared with a kind of billiard game: you have all
these balls, they always stembles back
Self-interest prevails
International affairs shaped by the distribution of power
Military capabilities remain a crucial part of power
o Classical realism
The behaviour of policies is determined by human nature (desire for material wealth)
=> the international domain is the reflection of what you have in society
Human nature is dominated by egoism, fear, greed and ignorance
Stats are the best way to provide stability (Hobbs and Machiavelli: their needs to be
a strong government
Intentions matter: there is a difference between revisionist and status quo powers
Norms and rules matter, but they are filtered through national interests
Writers:
Hans Morgenthau
Edward Hallet Carr
Niccolo Machiavelli
o Neorealism
The third image: states’ behaviour is determined by the international structure >
negative socialization => interaction between states is not always pleasant (if we
get weak, than the strong try to humiliate the weak)
The structure is usually anarchic (many competing states), but can also uni-, bi- or
multipolar
Anarchy makes that states have to be continuously on their guard and cannot play
it nice (in the cooperation I need to get the most of it)
Relative gains more important: even if cooperation implies benefits for all (absolute
gains), states fear the other party making relative gains
Balance of power => if this changes there will be more distrust
Security dilemma: power = security: one country’s gain of power mains a loss of
security to the other
If states loose power, they will balance –
Internally; becoming strong themselves
externally (alliances)
Stability is achieved if there is a balance of power. Multipolarity means disorder
The effect of the balance of power is complicated by the balance of threat,
proximity, threat perceptions based on history
It’s often difficult to distinguish offensive and defensive intentions.
Defensive neorealism: states mainly want to defend their security, not to expand
Offensive neorealism: states want to maximize their power: economic power >
military power > aggression
Writers:
Kenneth Waltz
Stephan Walt
John Mearsheimer
Randall Schweller
Robert Jervis
Robert Gilpin
o Neoclassical realism
States that the tendency to balance is heavily determined by domestic factors
Overbalancing, hyping up the; under balancing, underestimating the threat; non-
balancing passing the buck, bandwagoning
,o Liberalism
Common interests and norms prevail => we all want a happy life
If absolute gains are big enough (than they do matter and will work easier
together), states will forget about relative gains (but in crisis the relative gains we
be more important again)
States can be disciplined by international agreements, rules and organizations
Peace is possible
Different kinds:
Liberal pacifism
Capitalism can absorb peoples’ passions
Schumpeter
Liberal internationalism
Primacy of morality and law
Immanuel Kant
Interdependence liberalism
Economic interests make states prioritize peace and cooperation =>
it makes states work together
The greater the trade interests between states, the more they have
to lose in war
Open markets promote economic competition and competition
boosts productivity and wealth
Competition leads to a division of labour and thus more mutual
benefits
A division of labour leads to mutual vulnerability: states depend on
each other for certain goods or knowhow => more specialization
and they will more relay on another
Globalization has made the world more interdependent
States are pressured towards peace by economic elites,
multinationals, etc.
States have to work together to regulate trade, to provide in
infrastructure and security
New technology allows greater connectivity
As a result, states become less powerful
Writers: Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye
Functional liberalism
The European integration demonstrates that starting with
economic cooperation can lead to political cooperation
Spill over of international cooperation from low-politics to high
politics
Increased institutionalization: the more complicated cooperation
gets, the more institutions are needed
Institutional liberalism
International institutions can constrain states in pursuing their
interests
IGOs facilitate negotiations and thus reduce the chance of a conflict
IGOs fade the difference between weak and strong >
democratization of IR
IGOs create a feeling of community between diplomats, ministers,
as they meet frequently
IGOs lower transaction costs and thus benefit the prosperity of
states
IGOs help the strong powers gain legitimacy: a peaceful way to
exert influence (even the strong think this is useful)
IGOs can lead to regimes: a set of rules and procedures that
remains influential even if states dispute it
Non-governmental organizations can name and shame states, and
thus affect their status and legitimacy
, Non-governmental organizations can set important narratives that
influence the thinking of states (Greenpeace)
Democratic liberalism
Wars in the past were mostly caused aggressive monarchs
Republics and individual liberty makes states more peaceful,
because citizens in general do not want to make sacrifices in war
Democracies do not fight with each other
Middle classes in a democracy are strong pacifying force
Regional integration liberalism
Regional security complex theory: states in a certain region
(security complex) can cooperate if they recognize security =>
different layers of cooperation: first conflict, etc.
Interdependence: common threats
Regional integration: European integration: once power becomes
supranational, it has influence on states
Regionalism: provinces and cities can drive regional integration and
hence affect states behaviour
o Constructivism
What matters is not material power, but the ideas behind it => states can be
positively socialized (<-> realists)
If the ideas change, so will the importance of certain capabilities
States are an ideational and social construction
If it identity changes, so will its values, norms, interests, and behaviour
o Social constructivism
A state is a socially constructed community
Anarchy is socially constructed, is what states make of it => if you expose states to
cooperation long enough, their DNA changes
The international structure, as described by neorealists, is important but must not
be violent
If states’ conception of anarchy changes, it can become cooperative
International organisations can change the construction of interests of states
Normative power
Writers
Alexander Wendt
Martha Finnemore
Peter Katzenstein
Ian Manners
o Radical constructivism
Relativize material reality of states and claims that also concepts are the result of
subjective ideas (Hollywood) => importance of emancipation
Focus on the way people shape their discourses and concepts
The social construction of knowledge
If we emancipate people and make the question international politics, states will be
forced to change
Writer:
Stefani Guzinni
o Marxism
International politics is shaped by the struggle between classes, rich and poor
Capitalism needs war to survive
Destruction means profit
Capitalism uses powerless states to break open foreign markets
Material, economic interests prevail
National security is what the rich want it to be
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