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Basics of IR

Basics of IR. One World, Many Theories Stephen Walt. Intro. Why should/would policymakers care about theories? Helps organize info, construct robust policies China Culture, identity, perceptions NATO, Iran, N. Korea, etc. Realism. Says Int’l affairs is a… Struggle for power

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Basics of IR

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  1. Basics of IR One World, Many Theories Stephen Walt

  2. Intro • Why should/would policymakers care about theories? • Helps organize info, construct robust policies • China • Culture, identity, perceptions • NATO, Iran, N. Korea, etc

  3. Realism • Says Int’l affairs is a… • Struggle for power • State-centric • Pessimism and danger • Innate desire to dominate • Multipolar is best • “Neo-Realism” • Systemic focus; anarchic • Balance, not bandwagon • States seek to survive

  4. Liberalism • Neo-Libs - Economic interdependence • Cooperation leads to prosperity • Wilson and the spread of democracy as a force for peace • Promote virtues of IGOs and NGOs to “overcome selfish state behavior”

  5. Radical • Marxists = Capitalism is to be blamed for int’l conflict • Dependency Th’y = focus on relationship of exploitation of LDCs by MDCs • Empirical setbacks: • Participation is good • LDCs can bargain successfully w/MDCs

  6. Old Paradigms, New Directions • Realism • Greico, Krasner: new focus on both the absolute and relative gains; a twist on “zero-sum” thinking • New issues explored: ethnic conflict, NATO w/o enemy • Defensive and Offensive Realism • Liberalism • Democratic Peace Theory: democracies rarely fight each other; became basis of US policy • Liberal Institutionalism: institutions foster cooperation when it’s in each state’s interest to do so. (IL) • Constructivism • Focus on impact of ideas; interests and identities of states are malleable; how ideas and identities are created and evolve • Able to predict the end of the Cold War; but not a unified theory • “Anarchy is what states make of it.” (Wendt) • Effect of norms and IL on sovereignty

  7. To the Future… • We see a convergence of Theories?! • Yet realism seems to be the “most compelling general framework for understanding IR.” • Ex.: Impact of US dominance and policy-setting (incl. NATO) • Liberalism fill gaps, explains “liberal peace,” multilateralism, etc. • Constructivism does better to explain how ideas and identities change over time, thus affecting state policy choices

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