Our countries – United States, China, Germany, Russia, France, UK, India, Japan, Germany

Study of International Relations
Levels of analysis
Global/International level
The level in which countries interact with each other
State/Country Level
Can impact global level:
Civil War
Recession
Natural disasters
Regional Level
State laws effecting federal laws
Collective/Individual Level
British activist, in Palestine, is run over by bulldozer
Causes Israeli/Palestinian controversy
Introduction Concepts
Actors
Nation-States
States consist of: (reasons to go to war) – Have to build this
Borders/territory – Land/Resources
Population
Government
Sovereignty (country level) – Sovereign is the ruler (held by one or many)
1648 – Treaty of Westphalia
The Catholic church no longer holds sovereignty
Individual states now hold sovereignty – True sovereign
Recognition by international body:
United States
Nations consist of: (reasons to go to war) – Born with this
Religion
Patriotism
Culture
History
Language
Food
Ethnicity
Genetic heritage
Sense of belonging
Identity
Inter-governmental organization (IGO) ((MEMORIZE))
States are members
Coordinate the behavior of states
Because of the power, they challenge both anarchy and sovereignty
Examples:
UN
NATO
Now also does peace-keeping
EU
WTO
APEC
AEU
Non-States
Non-governmental organization (NGO)
Do things states can’t/won’t do themselves
Private or non-profit
Examples:
Red Cross
Doctors without Borders
Operation Smile
Amnesty International
Trans-national corporation
Examples:
General Electric (GE)
Other
Examples:
Terrorist
Dynamics
Security Dilemma (SD) ((MEMORIZE))
In trying to protect themselves, states make themselves less secure
Examples:
Cold War
War on Terror
The more we go fight, the more they hate us and want to go to war
Immigration
Mexico
Anarchy (Global Level)
The absence of government authority
Reason for competition between countries
Inherently unstable
Anarchy is eroding and shifting to:
Global Trade Origination, United Nations, European Union
Theories
Realism – International theory of FEAR
Belief in (Strong) Anarchy
Chaos, Disorder, Conflict
Insecure feeling
Power
Military
Land
Alliances
Population
Authority
Security
Zero-sum Game
Only winners and losers
Prisoners Dilemma
Evolution of Cooperation
Exemplifies:
Short-term gains and losses
Liberalism – Response to realism
Favors COOPERATION
Mutual Gain
Equality among countries
IGO’s (UN)
Changes sovereignty – Countries no longer in power
Major power shifts
England – War of 1812
England in power
WWII
England in power
Radicalism/Dependency
Economics is the focus
Socialism
Explorative relationships
Rich countries make developing countries dependent upon them
Through trade
Through debt
Constructivism
How we frame and define, in order to create meaning/power
Privilege some meanings over others
Examples
Pro-life vs. Pro-choice
Pulling out vs. Withdrawal
Collateral damage

State system: evolution & structure
Polarity
Theories of war
Power Stability
When major power changes, war is likely to occur
Unipolar
A single country (hegemon) has most of the power, can do anything they want – unchecked power
Worlds policeman
Bipolar
Two countries with equal power - Hegemon and a challenger
Based on perceived power
Stable
Power will probably not shift – Both countries want power
Predictable
We can anticipate what each country is going to do – We know the cost of war
Clear
We clearly know who is in power and who is aligned with who – Cold War
Multipolar
Hegemon
Dominance
Challenger
War
Spain, Italy, Portugal
1494 - 1585
Dutch
War of Dutch Ind.
Dutch
1585 – 1713
England
War of Louis XIV
England
1713 - 1815
France
Napoleonic Wars
England
1815 – 1945
Germany, Russia, Italy, Japan
WWII
USA
1945 – 1989
USSR
Cold War
USA
1989 – (2016-2023)
?
?

Power Transition Theory
Stability
Balance
Change in the balance
Clarity
Information in the polarity of the system
We know the countries in power
And how much power these countries have
Predictability
We know how the