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CHANGE AND IR:Continuity in IR, Causality and counterfactuals, IR in a nutshell

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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
LESSON 45
CHANGE AND IR
Military - end of cold war but lingering violence within Sri Lanka, Sudan) and between states (US coalition
attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq)
Political - combining of certain countries (EC, NAFTA, South American Free Trade Area, China/HK) and
disintegration of others (Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia)
Economic - most people know more about consumer products than about their neighboring countries.
Environmental ­ a range of issues coming onto international agenda ranging from ozone depletion and
deforestation, to that of desertification.
Human rights ­ Rights of prisoners of war, of political opponents (Aung San Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela),
economic rights
Continuity in IR
a)
Its unlikely that we will achieve world government and disintegration of the nation state anytime in
the near future
b)
Most powerful economic countries still exploiting poorest and rampantly depleting natural
resources
c)
Poverty and degradation of human life remains a far too common sight around the world
Causality and counterfactuals
Ongoing tension between structure and agency, between constraints imposed by large, impersonal forces
and the ability of:
i
Human choices to make a difference by producing different outcomes within existing structural
constraints
Human choices to make a difference by altering the structure itself like at the end of the Cold War.
The growth of a global economy is also an aggregate result of many human choices, some
conscious and some less than conscious. But human choices are constrained by large structural
forces that make any single human choice unlikely to be determining of the outcomes, even if they
can be influential. Because there are choices, and those choices have consequences, however
probabilistically, that means that morality also matters.
iii
Theory provides basis for thinking about range of issues. Think about causality. What causes
conflict for example? What causes violent conflict? Was WWII caused by Hitler, poor international
management, or German nationalism?
IR in a nutshell
1.
Types of interaction: conflict, harmony, and cooperation
2.
Actors - states, IGOs, NGOs, MNCs, individuals
3.
Goals and issues: military, economic, social, environmental
4.
Means - war and force, economic power, treaties and diplomacy, environmental and development
concerns, people power
5.
Levels of analysis: Individual, governmental, or international system level
6.
Theories of interaction: realism, liberalism, communism dependency theory, etc.
Relevant Vocabulary
Depletion ­ ending, finishing
Desertification ­ turning of fertile lands into deserted or barren land
Analysis ­ investigation, examination or scrutiny
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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
Suggested Readings
Students are advised to read the following to develop a better understanding of the various principals
highlighted in this hand-out:
The International Relations Website
http://www.international-relations.com/
Table of Contents:
  1. WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND WHAT IS ITS RELEVANCE?
  2. APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: THEORIES IN IR
  3. APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:Traditional Approach
  4. THE NATION-STATE SYSTEM:Further Evolution of Nation-State
  5. THE NATION STATE SYSTEM: BASIC FEATURES OF A NATION-STATE
  6. NATIONAL INTEREST:Criteria for Defining National Interest
  7. NATIONAL INTEREST:Variations in National Interest, Relevant Vocabulary
  8. BALANCE OF POWER (BOP):BoP from a historical perspective
  9. BALANCE OF POWER (CONTINUED):Degree of Polarization, Functions of BoP
  10. DIPLOMACY:How Diplomacy Functions, Traditional Versus Modern Diplomacy
  11. DIPLOMACY (CONTINUED):Diplomatic Procedures & Practices, Functions of Diplomacy
  12. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Judging Colonization
  13. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Types of Neo-Colonialism
  14. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Objectives of Imperialism
  15. NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER:Criticism of IEO, NIEO Activities
  16. NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER:Prerequisites for the NIEO
  17. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT:Origin of NAM, NAM’s Institutional Structure
  18. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT (CONTINUED):Cairo Summit, Egypt - 1964
  19. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT:Criticism of NAM, NAM and Pakistan
  20. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS - INTRODUCING THE COLD WAR PHENOMENON
  21. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS (CONTINUED):Truman Doctrine, Marshal Plan
  22. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS (CONTINUED):End of the Cold War
  23. DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL:History of Disarmament
  24. DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL (CONTINUED):Other Disarmament Efforts
  25. THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
  26. THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (CONTINUED)
  27. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:Need for IGOs, Categorizing IGOs
  28. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (CONTINUED):United Nations, Criticism of the UN
  29. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (CONTINUED):European Union, World Bank
  30. THE ROLE OF DECISION MAKING IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
  31. DECISION MAKING (CONTINUED):Rational Actor Model, Group Politics Model
  32. SYSTEMS APPROACH TO IR:Underlying Assumptions, Elements of the System
  33. SYSTEMS BASED APPROACH (CONTINUED) – DISTINCT SYSTEMS IN IR
  34. LIBERALISM AND SOCIAL DEMOCRACY:Neoliberalism
  35. LIBERALISM AND SOCIAL DEMOCRACY (CONTINUED):Liberalism vs. Social Democracy
  36. INTEGRATION IN IR:Preconditions for Integration, Assessing Integration
  37. GLOBALIZATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS:Advocates of Globalization
  38. THE GLOBAL DIVIDE:World Social Forum, Can the Global Divide Be Bridged?
  39. FOCUS ON FOREIGN INVESTMENTS:Pro-poor Foreign Investments
  40. CONFLICT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION:Components of a Conflict
  41. CONFLICT RESOLUTION:Creative response, Appropriate assertiveness
  42. THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT:Global Concern for the Environment
  43. THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT:Environmental Concerns and IR, Some Other Issues
  44. HOW IR DIFFER FROM DOMESTIC POLITICS?:Strategies for altering state behavior
  45. CHANGE AND IR:Continuity in IR, Causality and counterfactuals, IR in a nutshell