Mark A. Martinez International Relations
fall 2008 Political Science 304
Theory and International Relations
The essential point is that our theoriesof international relations are influenced by the presuppositions and perspectives of scholars and practitioners of international relations; both past and present. What we know is a function of history, our collective view of human nature, and the subsequent questions we ask about relations between people and nations. As such, different perspectives – or paradigms – are concerned with different central normative problems and focus on different units of analysis. Because each paradigm creates different views of the world, in spite of being part of “the same world” multiple realities and multiple interpretations of this world are possible.
PARADIGM / PROBLEM / UNIT(S) OF ANALYSIS / IMAGEREALISM
Neo-RealismStructural Realism / War & Conflict
Security; Alliances / States
Rational, Unitary Actors / Anarchy
Power Hierarchies;
Balance of Power
LIBERALISM
IdealismPluralism-Reformism
Complex Inter-dependence / Cooperation
International Law; Collective Security; Inefficacy of military option in achieving state goals / States / Non-State Actors
MNCs/IGOs/NGOs, Decision-Makers, Individuals (Gates, Bin Laden, etc.) / Islands of Order
Complex Interdependence; Global Networks & Institutions
GLOBALISM
Marxist,Dependency,
Modern World Systems / Inequality & Exploitation
Logic of Capitalist System ofProduction / World Capitalist System
Classes, Producers, MNCs, International Institutions Legal Framework / Core-Periphery
Hierarchies based on place in global production system
thoughts on Realism / Liberalism / Globalism:
What do we believe and Why?: When thinking about any theory, remember fundamental differences are based onassumptions about human patternsand how human nature plays itself out in the international arena. We should keep in mind, however, that these are merely ideal types(which is the case with all theories in the social sciences). Each theory, or approach, is an imaginery concept that does not exist in the real world. They are what Joseph Nye, Jr. calls “thought experiments” that organize our thoughts and allow us to understand the world by providing us with a set of references and analytical categories.
Realist Assumptions On …:
1. Human Nature: A reading of history teaches us that humans are inclined towards wickedness and deceitful acts. How do we eradicate love, hate, cowardice, greed, jealousy, and lust?
2. Others: Trust? Do unto others before they do unto you. Of all our evil ways, no vice is more prevalent than the lust for power and our desire to dominate others. Eradicating these basic human instincts is a utopian dream.
3. War: Not only inevitable, but a product of anarchic conditions, distrust, and the lust for power. The primary goal of every state in an anarchic environment is insuring national security.
4. Injustice: The world is 0-sum. Why fret over it? There’s mud when it rains, crime often pays, and quite frankly, love stinks and really doesn’t conquer much. Life provides us with many examples of evil triumphing over good. Hobbes was right; life is “nasty, brutish, and short.”
5. Eliminating War: The belief that you can eliminate war via international institutions, or by appealing to “universal” values, is exactly what leads to war; it lets everyone know you’re a utopian dreamer and weak.
6. Why think this way about the world? Machiavelli’s view of how the world is led him to write: “The rule of man is law, the rule of the beast is force; in order to ensure the former, you must have access to the latter.”
Liberal Assumptions On …:
1. Human Nature: Humans have the capacity to do good and be altruistic. Bad behavior is not necessarily the product of evil. Rather, it is a product of many factors like historical memory, injustice, and skewed or biased institutions (or the lack thereof). For example, dictatorships create the conditions for conflict, while democracies create open societies that hold leaders accountable, thus keeping nations from going to war. People are capable of mutual aid and cooperation if presented with the right environment.
2. Others: Genuine concern for others makes progress thinkable and possible.
3. War: It is not inevitable; its frequency can be reduced by eradicating the anarchical conditions that produce it. We can create islands of order in the sea of anarchy.
4. Injustice: Can be overcome with collective solutions. There are global problems that require collective approaches, rather than national solutions.
5. Eliminating War: It is possible because human progress - which began with the Renaissance and the Enlightenment - suggest human advancement and cooperation are not only possible, but empirically supported throughout history. For example, the creation of democracies, historical dialogue on human rights, global forums like the League of Nations and, later, the United Nations, etc. all suggest we can create institutions and ideas that reduce the proclivity toward war.
6. Why think this way about the world? Wilson’s view of how the worldshould and would be led him to write, “I would rather be defeated in a cause that will ultimately triumph, than to win in a cause that will ultimately be defeated.”
globalist Assumptions On …:
1. Human Nature: Individual capitalists are rational and pursue ends that will enhance their individual position. Problems begin here because, while people can do good, the structure of commerce and compensation in a capitalist system bends human nature in a wicked way. Bad behavior is not the product of evil. It is a product of a system of production, and the social structures that are created to enhance production, which favors the interests of the capitalist class over the worker.
2. Others: The interests of individuals and the group can be improvedupon by promoting cooperation. Think “Nash Equilibrium.”
3. War: Inevitable in a capitalist system. Capitalists looking out for their interests force the state to act as if the national security of the state is tied to the specific interests of those with wealth. The state will go to war to protect the intrerests of the dominant class.
4. Injustice: Heightened by the capitalist system. The goal of the capitalist is not development, but profit maximization. Inequalities are the product of the capitalists’ search for cheap resources, cheap labor, and profit. This creates an unjust system that caters to specific interests, not those of the working class.
5. Eliminating War: Major war is imperial by nature. Imperialist tendencies from the time of colonization (mercantilism) to the contemporary era (neo-mercanilism) force states outward in search of markets and investment opportunities. As market size increase, states need access to additional cheap raw materials and labor sources. Initially imperialism and neo-imperialism allows the capitalist breathing space, but eventually commercial battles over markets and declining profits lead to instability, trade conflict, and war. Imperialism is not a choice, but an inevitability (Lenin). Hence war.
6. Why think this way about the world? Many globalists are reform-minded, which make them progressive on many levels. However, Rosa Luxemborg (1870-1919) argued that capitalists would not be able to save themselves, and wrote of the necessity for revolution to remove the “obstacles that a privileged minority places in the path of social progress.”
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