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UNIT 1: Power, sovereignty and international relations
Power is the ability to influence other groups in global politics and achieve outcomes.
This concept is quite fluid as nations are able to lose and gain power whereas others have it
diffused by the rise of militant non-state actors.
According to Joseph Nye, a harvard professor, there are different forms of power including hard,
soft and smart power:
Hard power occurs when a state or group tries to achieve its aims through coercion and force
which may be in forms of sanctions or military force.
Eg. Military action taken against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq by the US and others in
2014 as the Islamic State was not ready to negotiate.
Eg. Military force against Saddam Hussein in 2003 by US coalition. Whereas critics suggest that
UN weapons inspectors should have given more time and that a smart power approach was
possible.
Challenge: In global politics, hard power may be seen as the least effective or safest way to
handle disagreements or achieve aims.
Soft power involves a state or group trying to achieve its aims through persuasion or influence.
This could be in forms of propaganda, cultural ties or political values.
Eg. China has pledged up to $1.4 trillion in infrastructure investment in Africa. In return, China
has favourable access to natural resources from African states.
Challenge: Soft power is fragile and can be easily destroyed - and it is also embedded in society
and not within a government's control.
Smart power is a balance of hard and soft power in which both force, influence and persuasion
are used to achieve a desired outcome. Could be viewed as payments, diplomacy and
trade/aid.
Eg. President Obama’s speech in Cairo in 2009 pledged to reset relations with the Muslim world
in the Middle East. However, this public message was combined with a continuation of military
force in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US administration attempted to achieve a decisive outcome
before withdrawing US troops in 2011 and 2014.
Military power is a form of hard power in which military resources (land, air or sea) are used to
force another group or state to comply or change their behaviour. Most powerful states are
viewed as ones with larger armies and more advanced weapons (nuclear weapons).
Wealthier countries are those that spend money on defence systems as they are responsible for
maintaining global security. This includes the four UN security council members (US, China,
Russia and the UK) with the largest defence budgets in the world.
,Eg. Russia and Crimea 2014 and NOW
Is military power declining in significance?
Military power is less useful and significant Military power is more useful and significant
Military power has been unsuccessful in Military action is still important to check the
many conflicts since 2001 (Afghanistan and advance of non-state actors who threaten
Iraq- War of Terror) against the Islamic State. state sovereignty.
It does not work against contemporary non-
state actors or armed opposition groups as it
created a rise in terrorism.
Inter-state wars (between two or more states) Intra-state war is increasing. The world faces
are decreasing and military conflict is almost complex threats from civil wars and
non-existent. insurgencies
Eg. Ukraine and Russia (2014) - Crimea
annexation until today using weapons to gain
territory.
Increasing public and political reluctance for Military force used to protect civilians from
western troops to be deployed making it violence or even natural disasters.
difficult to find support or legitimacy for Eg. UN troops were sent to Haiti in 2009 to
military action. help deal with the earthquake, and to south
Eg. Use of international organisations for asia in 2005 to help with the tsunami.
negotiating
LESS USED AGAINST OTHER STATES USED MORE AGAINST NON-STATE
ACTORS AND INTRA-STATE THREATS.
Economic power can be measured in different ways and it can be used as a method of hard
power - in forms of sanctions - and is needed if states wish to be strong military powers.
Structural power is the means by which states affect global politics, usually by promoting a
model of politics that they favour such as democracy or capitalism.
Relational power involves one state having a relationship and using its influence to change the
behaviour of another state, using hard, soft and smart power.
Nye identifies three types of relational power:
- Threats and rewards
- Controlling the agenda - limiting the choices of the other state.
- Establishing preferences - getting the other state to want the same goals.
Social and cultural power involves connecting diverse populations around the world which can
be done through globalisation and the media.
Eg. Firms that are recognised globally such as Facebook, Apple and the BBC.
Cyber power demonstrates how the internet can be used to influence the behaviour of
individuals through cyber attacks such as leaked information.
, Eg. WikiLeaks is a non-profit organisation which leaked large volumes of secret US government
diplomatic information in 2010 including military reports and videos on wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan which potentially damaged US diplomatic relations with other countries.
Sovereignty is defined as a state's ability to rule itself in which they have full control over what
occurs inside their borders. Sovereign states are required to have an effective government
with a defined territory and borders with a permanent population and capacity and
legitimacy to enter relations with other states.
Internal sovereignty is about states governing themselves independently where they have full
independence over enforcing their own laws, collecting taxes and control over spending
incentives.
External sovereignty revolves around states interacting externally with other states or
international organisations whilst respecting each other's borders and internal affairs.
Challenging concepts of sovereignty
FEATURE INDICATOR PROBLEM
Permanent population Identifying whether people live in Refugees. Iraq and Syria suffer
a permanent population or one from insurgency which makes the
which is less fixed. population less permanent but it
is still sovereign.
Defined territory Identifying borders using maps Border disputes like in Palestinian
and settling disputes with the Territories and Israel
decisions of the International
Court of Justice and
international law which
determine state borders.
Effective government Identifying whether a The EU is often criticised for
government exists and whether behaving like a state with the
it has full control and authority power to create laws and force
members to comply even though
it's not a sovereign state
Fragile states such as DCR
Capacity to enter Tracking diplomatic relations Regions trying to gain
relations with other between states through interdependence such as Kosovo
states. international summits, and Palestinian territories but are
memberships in IGOs and only given observer status.
bi/multilateral agreements.
Disputes over sovereignty:
Crimea/Ukraine - In 2014, the Russian Federation annexed Crimea after a referendum was held
but the UN declared it as illegitimate due to the presence of Russian troops. UN security council
tried to pass a resolution declaring the resolution as illegitimate but russia vetoed this
South China Sea - China wants to expand its territorial waters and claims to not recognise the
authority of ICJ and will not comply with its decisions. In response the US Navy has sent
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