POLI 205 Study Guide - Final Guide: Kenneth Waltz, Democratic Peace Theory, Bandwagoning
POLI 205 – FINAL EXAM PREPARATION
Realism
Classical Realism: Morgenthau
Act as though everything is about survival.
6 Principles:
- Human Nature
- Power in an End
- Interest not Fixed
- Protect National Interests
- More about balancing rather than band wagoning.
- Zero-Sum Game
Actors: States who act as unitary actors
Goal: Power
Focus: Conflict
Organizing Principle: Human Nature
Means: Maximizing power/military force
Dynamics of system: Balancing and acquiring power
Realism IR explained related to Power:
- Relations between states are characterized by power politics
- Realist claim that they look at the world in terms of how it really is, rather than how it ought to be.
- The realists are interested in the causes of war and how we can achieve peace
- For classical realist, the cause of war lies in human nature. People are viewed as selfish and self-
centered; people think of themselves first and take care of themselves first. This view of human nature
provides the foundation for realism.
Structural (also Neorealism): Kenneth Waltz
- All about anarchy, the goal is survival and we need power to achieve it.
- Neorealism states that anarchy leads to insecurity and conflict as there is no world gov’t and the
intentions of states may change over time.
- Rather than being driven by human nature, states respond rationally to changes in the distribution of
power in the international system.
- Refers to the structural components: forget about human nature and focus on the structure and the
distribution of power.
- Economy: States adopt different types of trade strategies in order to maximize their own wealth while
minimizing their dependence on other state
Offensive Realism: Mearsheimer
- You never know the intent of other states (allies and/or enemies)
- Balancing militarization and preventing regional hegemons (ex: US trying to prevent China from
becoming a regional hegemon by allying itself with Japan and Vietnam)
- Power above all. It is the ultimate goal.
- States gain most security when they become as powerful as possible.
Actors: States (rational and unitary actors since a state is an aggregation of human beings, realist also view a
state as being as self-interested as humans are and the state acts rationally; the state does what it determined to
be in its national interest)
Goal: Survival
Focus: Conflict
Organizing Principle: Anarchy and self-help
Means: Maximize power and military force
Dynamics of a System: Balancing, militarization, preventing regional hegemons, acquiring power.
Defensive Realism:
- Theory by Waltz:
o Sufficient power
o Balancing/Band wagoning and balance of power (global view/perspective about who has most
power and how it is acquired)
o Great powers can fear another
o They only go to war if they are sure to win
o Think that bipolar politics are stable
- Theory by Walt:
o “Balance of threats”: The balance of threats concept is about how much of a risk one state poses.
▪ Threat: aggregate power, proximity, offensive power, or aggressive intentions
o States bandwagon instead of balance because it is less dangerous and usually because they have
no choice
- Security Dilemma: It is basically about how all the states strive for survival and are maximizing their
defenses so it all becomes somewhat of an arms race, meaning everyone’s security is jeopardized. The
best way is to cooperate.
Actors: States who act as unitary actors
Goal: Survival
Focus: Conflict and alliances
Organizing Principle: Distribution of power
Means: Anarchy, self-help, and have enough military force
Dynamics of system: Balancing and bandwagoning
Liberalism (a “reply theory” to realism)
→ Spread the idea of technological developments that allow for more global communication and transportation,
which results in the “shrinking of the world”.
→ Liberals unit of analysis is the individual, not the state.
Classical liberals believe that human nature is essentially good or altruistic; therefore, people are capable of
mutual aid and collaboration and that with sufficient education and democratic institutions in place, human
nature can become the basis for peaceful and cooperative relationships.
Contrary to realist, liberals emphasize that multiple actors are important in IR, such as individual decision-
makers, NGOs and international institutions. Furthermore, economic and social issues may sometimes be as
important as military issues. Realist make assumptions on the other hand liberalism will never make
assumptions and say that the state interest is shaped by groups and people within the state.
What liberalists say about economy?
- Emphasizes free trade.
- Believes that government should not intervene in economics except to regulatemarkets.
Peace, Trade, and IOs:
- Pairs of states that trade with each other more are less likely to go to war with each other, because the trade
they would lose out on makes war too costly.
- States that have more common IO memberships are less likely to go to war with each other, because they have
non-violent means to resolve their conflicts.
- Realists argue that this is backwards. States don’t become dependent on trade with states they might fight
with.
- States only join IOs with states that they already trust.
Neoliberal “Institutionalism”:
- Try to go a rationally “win-win” situation
- Long term relations, reciprocity, and linking issues
o Ex: NAFTA, UN, EU, etc.
- It reduces cost with negotiations and rules
- More credibility, less uncertainty
- Prioritizes problem solving rather than conflict.
- Institutionalism says that anarchy leads to conflict, but it is possible to mitigate (reduce) conflict by
signing international treaties.
- Says that despite having a trade disagreement with the US, the Gov’t of Canada is not increasing its
tariffs because it is a member of the World Trade Organization.
Assumptions of neoliberalism:
- Anarchy in the international system influences states actions.
- The state is the primary actor of importance in the international system.
o States are both rational actors and unitary actors.
- These assumptions make neoliberalism very different from classical liberalism.
- But neoliberals also differ from neorealist, in that neoliberals are optimistic about theprospects for
international cooperation, whereas neorealist is very pessimistic.
- International institutions are independent actors that facilitate international cooperation.
Actors: NGOs, IOs, and Institutions
Goal: Security, Social and Economic
Focus: Cooperation
Organizing Principle: Anarchy over “globalization” and mitigated by institutions
Means: Bargaining/Solving problems with Int’l Organizations, interdependence, economic ties
Dynamics of system: Cooperation alternating with conflict
Democratic Peace Theory: Emmanuel Kant
- Idea is that most people will not go to war unless it is in self-defense.
- If all nations are republics = no war because no aggressors.
- 3 theories of DPT:
o Monatic – democracies = more peaceful and less likely to go to war with any type of state.
o Diatic – argues democracies = peaceful w/ one another but likely to fight w/ non-dems.
o Systematic – int’l system becomes peaceful w/ increase of democratic states.
- Normative agreement states that: democracies trust each other because they share social and cultural
norms.
- Says that despite disagreeing about the borders in the Arctic, Canada, the US, and Greenland don’t go to
war with one another because of the structure of their domestic laws, elections, and citizen’s rights.
Interest Group
- Seek to maximize benefits of domestic interest groups
o Ex: invasion in Iraq, for the investors in the USA
- They negotiate things such as reduced tariffs related to associations.
Liberal Imperialism: Machiavelli & Lenin Perspectives
Machivelli’s Argument:
• Liberty: disunion → division of power among the parliament, government and judiciary (separation of power).
Document Summary
More about balancing rather than band wagoning. Relations between states are characterized by power politics. Realist claim that they look at the world in terms of how it really is, rather than how it ought to be. The realists are interested in the causes of war and how we can achieve peace. For classical realist, the cause of war lies in human nature. People are viewed as selfish and self- centered; people think of themselves first and take care of themselves first. This view of human nature provides the foundation for realism. All about anarchy, the goal is survival and we need power to achieve it. Neorealism states that anarchy leads to insecurity and conflict as there is no world gov"t and the intentions of states may change over time. Rather than being driven by human nature, states respond rationally to changes in the distribution of power in the international system.
