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Lecture 1.1 – Introduction
Focus of AIR: Conflict and cooperation between states
• What factors at national and international levels shape the likelihood and the form of
conflict and cooperation between states?
• Helps us to understand:
o Why do conflicts sometimes seem so hard to avoid?
o Why are some big problems addressed, and not others?
o Which solutions are chosen, and why?
Focus on Explanation
• Explanation
= Why and under what conditions?
• Description
= What, when and how?
o Inevitably, we will talk about this, but focus is on description
• Prescription
= What is right or desirable?
o Normative side
o Not really discussed can draw your own conclusions
Questions we will be looking at
• What factors shape international cooperation and problem-solving?
• Do international rules and organizations make a difference?
• If war is so horrible … why is it so common?
• Why is it so hard to protect the global environment?
• Can international law prevent human rights abuses?
• Does economic interdependence promote growth or vulnerability, or both?
• Is the corona virus transforming world politics, or is it just another problem?
Lecture 1.2 - Mechanics
• For each reading: find the core idea, think about its value & its limitations, compare it
to other relevant readings in your studies
• Don’t need to memorize the facts provided in readings will not be tested on little
facts
• Format exam:
o 50 % MC
o 50% Open Answer
• Content exam: Lectures and readings
o Be able to use both in answering the questions
Lecture 1.3 – Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC)
• It came on the heels of the war between the Persian empire and an alliance of the
Greek city states.
o In that war, the allied Greek city states were able to push back the expansion of
the Persian empire
• War in a world of city-states
o Alliance between city states had collapsed after war with Persians
• Sparta & allies vs.
Athens & allies
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• Sparta
= Autocracy & major land power
o Military government, dictatorship
• Athens
= Democracy & growing power with overseas empire
o It had slaves
o Democracy bc all men who owned property were able to have a voice in the
decision making
o Power was based on trade links
o Rising power
• Sparta won, reasserted its dominance over the Greek world
• Peloponnese is a peninsula in Greece refers to piece of land
Thucydides (c. 460-c.400 BC)
• Athenian general in the Peloponnesian War
• Blamed for an Athenian defeat, exiled from Athens
o One city was under attack from the Spartans and he was blamed for not
bringing his forces fast enough to defend that city.
o He was punished for his actions in the world.
o Then he was able to travel throughout the Greek world for the remainder of the
world to observe and record what was happening.
• Wrote a historical interpretation of the war
o He also explained what was going on
o He offered his own interpretation for why it was happening
• Did not attribute events to gods!
o Reason why he is often considered one of the first modern historians
o A lot of previous texts said that the gods intervened
o Human focused history of human events
Thucydides’ explanation of the war
• “What made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear this caused
in Sparta.”
o Both quotes say the same thing
• ‘The Athenians made their Empire more and more strong… [until] finally the point
was reached when Athenian strength attained a peak plain for all to see and the
Athenians began to encroach upon Sparta’s allies. It was at this point that Sparta felt
the position to be no longer tolerable and decided by starting the present war to
employ all her energies in attacking and if possible, destroying the power of Athens.”
• According to Thucydides, Sparta was a dominant power and Athens was a rising
power.
o At some point, Sparta looked at the rise of Athens and said: this is not
acceptable to us and then attacked Athens to prevent its rise.
• Parallel: China and US
Inspiration for a contemporary idea
• “Thucydides Trap”
= The claim that war is likely between rising and declining powers
• Source: Graham Allison, Destined for War: America, China and Thucydides’ Trap
(2017)
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• In last 500 years, 16 cases when a rising power rivalled a dominant power. Of these,
12 resulted in war. (3/4 of the times)
• Avoiding war requires great political and psychological flexibility.
o It is not inevitable, but the dynamics that Thucydides observed in Greece have
been repeated over time.
• There can be similar dynamics in other parts of the world in other times.
What do Thucydides’ study of war in ancient Greece and Allison’s book on US-China
relations have in common?
• States as key actors in international politics.
o There are other (non-state) actors, but states are very important.
o We can understand a lot, just by focusing on states.
• Differences in the growth rates of states re-distribution of power among states
international conflict.
o Some states are rising, and others are falling, relative to each other (re-
distribution of power).
o This re-distribution (rising and falling) produces conflict.
But Thucydides is not best known for this!
• Assigned piece of book
The Siege of Melos (416 BC)
• Episode in Peloponnesian war
• Melos was helping Sparta but claimed neutrality
o Island
o Originally a colony of Sparta, but now independent.
o It still was on friendly terms with Sparta, but when the war happened, Melos
was behind the scenes cooperating with Sparta, but officially claiming to be
neutral
• Athens insisted that Melos support them
o Send their navy: we demand that you join our side
• Melos refused
• Athens destroyed Melos, killed the men of military age & enslaved the women and
children
• Thucydides recreated a dialogue between representatives of Athens and Melos before
the fighting: the “Melian Dialogue”
o This is what he is famous for in his book
o We can assume that the dialogue did not exactly happen this way
o But he knew what the two sides were, and he recreated their positions in the
form of a dialogue
Lecture 1.4 – The Melian Dialogue
• Athenians wanted to calmly discuss their calmly interests encourage to criticize
them
• Melos: you will still try to destroy us
• Athens: if you don’t want to save your city and look at the facts, we should stop this
discussion
• Athens: don’t deny you are a threat for us, get what you want to get
• Melos: we do think it useful that there should be just dealings between all states,
otherwise you might find your own fall by the most terrible vengeance
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• Athens: we will worry about that, let’s talk about you you should surrender, enable
us to profit from your resources
• Melos: you would not agree to our being neutral?
• Athens: no, our subjects and other neutral states would regard it as a sign of our
weakness
• Melos: but if the neutral states see this, they will think that you will also attack them
too
• Athens: we’re not afraid of the mainland states, we are more concerned with islands
outside our empires who threaten our sea routes
• Melos: we would be foolish not to fight but just to submit to slavery
• Athens: we’re far too strong for you
• Melos: not always based on strength, battle against Sparta gives us hope
• Melos: we are standing for what is right against what is wrong (that is our strength
what you lack)
• Athens: asking what is in your interest is more useful than thinking generally that one
is acting nobly
• Melos: what we lack in power, will be made up for by our friends in Sparta. That
friendship is as much in their interest as in ours. Past history also suggests that the
outcome of war is full of surprises. Since we are in the right, the gods are more likely
to favour us rather than you.
• Athens: we believe we have as much right to the favour of gods as you have. It is our
necessary nature to rule whenever we can (knowledge of gods and men’s nature). The
Spartan’s foreign policy is not entirely dependable. Melos is an island, and we are in
control of the sea.
• Melos: we put our trust in the gods and in the Spartans. We will not surrender and give
up the liberty we have enjoyed for 700 years.
Lecture 1.5 – Reflections on the Melian Dialogue
Discussion 1: Melian and Athenian views on…
• Neutrality
= How do superpowers treat small states that seek neutrality?
o Melians argue that they have been independent for 100s of years and that they
want to stay independent, don’t want to pick sides in the dispute between
Sparta and Athens.
o Athenians (as a superpower) said we can't afford to let you stay neutral.
They’re concerned about the message it will send to other small states if
Athens allows Melos to be neutral, then other states may want the same thing.
But Athens wants small states to line up with them. They wouldn’t be
behaving as a great power. We cannot tolerate your independence.
• Alliances
= Will a superpower help a small state?
o US promises after WW2, would they honour those commitments?
o Melians trust their friends the Spartans to come to our aid (historically there
was a connection between them).
o Athenians trust the Spartans to do what is in their self-interest. They are
sceptical that the Spartans will honour any historical tie and will come to the
defence of Melos (Sparta first policy).
• Justice
= What is its place in international relations?
