International Relations and International Security

1
International Relations and International Security

• Lecture 3
• Great Power Politics
• and International Security

2
Overview

• Realism A Historical Perspective
• The Dominance and Evolution of Realism
• Carr
• Morgenthau
• Waltz
• Mearsheimer
• Debates within Realism
• Realisms Challengers
• Liberalism
• Constructivism
• Conclusion Realism in an Age of Unipolarity

3
Realism A Historical Perspective

• Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War (431404 BC)
• the real reason for the war was the growth
  of Athenian power and the fear this caused in
  Sparta
• the strong do what they can and the weak do what
  they must
• Machiavelli, The Prince (1505)
• the gulf between how one should live and how one
  does live is so wide that a man who neglects what
  is actually done for what should be done learns
  the way to self-destruction rather than
  self-preservation
• The fact is that a man who wants to act
  virtuously in every way necessarily comes to
  grief among so many who are not virtuous.

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Realism A Historical Perspective

• Hobbes, Leviathan (1651)
• if there be no power erected, or not great
  enough for our security every man will and may
  lawfully rely on his own strength and art, for
  caution against all other men
• Clausewitz, On War (1832)
• The degree of force that must be used against
  the enemy depends on the scale of political
  demands on either side. . . too small an effort
  can result not just in failure, but in positive
  harm, and thus each side is driven to outdo the
  other, which sets up an interaction."
• The aim of war should be the defeat of the
  enemy.  But what constitutes defeat? The conquest
  of his whole territory is not always necessary,
  and total occupation of his territory may not be
  enough.

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Realism A Historical Perspective

• Realism as foreign policy practice
• Richelieus raison détat
• French participation in Thirty Years War
  (1618-1648) to prevent Habsburg dominance of
  Europe
• Bismarcks Realpolitik
• National interest rather than principle should
  dominate foreign policy
• Calculation of levels of power in the context of
  the national interest if one state gains power
  relative to its neighbours, power can be
  re-balanced through other states increasing their
  own power or forming alliances

6
The Dominance and Evolution of Realism

• Carr, The Twenty Years Crisis (1939/1946)
• Representing a reaction against wish-dreams,
  realism is liable to assume a critical and
  somewhat cynical aspect it places its emphasis
  on the acceptance of facts and on the analysis of
  their causes and consequences
• Morgenthau, Politics Among Nations (1946)
• International politics, like all politics, is a
  struggle for power.whenever states and nations
  strive to realise their goal by means of
  international politics, they do so by striving
  for power.

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The Dominance and Evolution of Realism

• Waltz, Theory of International Politics (1979)
• Among states, the state of nature is a state of
  war.
• the hope that in the absence of an agent to
  manage or to manipulate conflicting parties the
  use of force will always be avoided cannot be
  realistically entertained.
• Because some states may at any time use force,
  all states must be prepared to do soor live at
  the mercy of their militarily more vigorous
  neighbours.
• Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics
  (2001)
• Although the intensity of the competition waxes
  and wanes, great powers fear each other and
  always compete with each other for power.
• the structure of the international system forces
  states which only seek to be secure nonetheless
  to act aggressively toward each other

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Debates within Realism

• Classical vs. Neo-realism
• Source of great power competition
• CR human nature
• NR structure of the international system
• Equilibrium point
• CR multi-polar of power
• NR bipolar balance
• Offensive vs. Defensive Realism
• OR Security is a zero-sum game unless states
  aggressively compete for power (over others),
  their security will decrease
• DR Security is a win-win situation states can
  manage their security by responding only to
  specific threats
• Maximal vs. Minimal Realism
• MaR Hegemony is desirable and smaller powers
  will align with hegemon out of self-interest
• MiR Smaller powers will align against the
  hegemon to prevent their interests from being
  subsumed by those of the hegemon

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Realisms Challengers

• Liberalism
• Political liberalism democratic peace
• Economic liberalism free trade
• Liberal institutionalism global governance
• Constructivism
• Realism ignores role of ideas, social structures,
  and human volition
• Human agency allows people to construct a better
  political and more humane universe than the one
  realists take for granted

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Conclusion Realism in an Age of Unipolarity

• Three main strategies pursued by hegemonic
  superpower
• Strategic alliances/coalitions of the willing
• Iraq 2003
• U.S.-Taiwan-Japan alignment aimed at containing
  China
• Containment
• Cooperation with Ukraine, Georgia (? Russia)
• Cooperation with Pakistan (? India, al-Qaeda)
• Military superiority
• Increases in defence budget (35 increase since
  2001 to total of 401.7 billion in 2005)
• Strengthening of homeland security (budget
  doubled since 2001 to total of 33.8 billion in
  2005)

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Conclusion Realism in an Age of Unipolarity

• Two main trends among great powers
• Autonomy-seeking strategic partnerships
• Eight Russian-German cooperation agreements
  (April 2005)
• Sino-Indian Agreement for Peace and Prosperity
  (resolution of long-time border tensions and
  cooperation in economic and military affairs)
• Influence-seeking regional integration
• EU, AU, ASEAN
• ? Increase in energy and technology acquisition
  capabilities, creating conditions for a rapid
  accumulation of power by emerging great powers

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Conclusion Realism in an Age of Unipolarity

• Main assumptions of realism continue to hold true
• States remain key actors in international system,
  but face significant non-state challenge(r)s
• States pursue power as a means of achieving
  security, but do so in different ways according
  to their position in the international system
• Anarchy prevails as the primary characteristic of
  the international system, but structural
  constraints of the system force states to adapt
  their strategies

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International Relations and International Security

• Lecture 3
• Great Power Politics
• and International Security