POLI 244 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Strategic Dominance, Bargaining Power, Dialectic
11 Dec 2012
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Document Summary
Anarchy and the struggle for power mearsheimer. Why great power strive for hegemony is derived form five assumptions about the international system. International system is anarchic, which does not mean that it is chaotic. Great owners inherently posses some offensive military capabilities, which gives them wherewithal to hurt and destroy each other. States can never be certain about other states" intentions. Survival is the primary goal of great powers (maintain territorial integrity and autonomy) Great powers are rational actors (aware of external environment and think strategically how to survive) Three general patterns of behavior result: fear, self-help and power maximization. States must be suspicious of other states and reluctant to trust them in order to survive. Consequence of falling victim to aggression motivates fear. Each state tends to see itself as vulnerable and alone, alliances are only temporary. States operating in a self-help world almost always act according to their own self-interest.
