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INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
3ème année

Classical Realism

Histoire des idées politiques

Definition

Six principles of Realism
1) Politics is governed by objective laws; IR theory is a rational theory that reflects these laws 2) Politics is an autonomous sphere, independent of economics and personal morality 3) International politics is about national interests though these interests reflect the political and cultural context within which foreign policy is formulated 4) Political ethics is different from the universal moral principles 5) Particular nations cannot impose their national aspirations on other nations 6) Pessimistic knowledge of human nature is in the center of international politics

- A big failure in the history of diplomacy: the first example of pea cement (show peace to get peace)

- After this failure, Morgenthau’s philosophy appears

Morgenthau: “politics among nations”


The realist paradigm – background


- E.H Carr wrote “The twenty years’ crisis, 1919-1939”

o Realism but reject utopian idealism

- Morgenthau said that we can try to have a lot of peace

- Starting point:

o We can separate the roots of peace and the “power politics” of war.

o It’s a state that goes to war and makes peace

o Important to not miss the reality, you have to realize that everybody has interests

? Probably impossible to align – try to live with that as peaceful as we can

o Peace is merely the absence of war.


The International system


- Self-help system

o The ultimate dependence of the state on its own resources to promote its interests and protect itself

- Anarchy

- Zero-sum competition

- Balance of power

o What degree of power a country can pull?

? If a country becomes too powerful, you will have to response


State defined through power:


- States are about pursuit and maximization of power:

o Acquiring/increasing/projecting it


National interest:


- Acquisition of power

- Objective national interest in terms of optimization of the political influence of a country in the international political environment.


Need to make all these sources of power politics. If you do that, you will not have to go to war and use military power. You need to convince yourself that you’re a serious player, capable of military war.

The optimal exercise of political power obviates the need for the use of military force. The only way a state can wield political power over others is to convince them that it is willing and able to defeat them militarily (Minds).


Power as a means for Peace


- No state can escape the “realities” of the world

- If you eradicate power, you have to be sure is abolished everywhere.

- Peace requires the skillful exercise of political power

o War begins as a disagreement: failure of political power

- Political power is essential to maintain peace


Power and State Action


- State action is geared toward three power goals which entail different foreign policy strategies.

o Power maintenance (pursue a policy of the status quo), power acquisition (pursue imperialist policy), power demonstration (pursue a policy of “prestige” enhancement.

- Example of France: credibility because of military power and history so France can show diplomacy and power demonstration.


The security dilemma:


- Challenge: the security dilemma

o Assumption: a particular state seeks only to survive by pursuing a status quo policy

o States possession of power result in fear/suspicion among other states

? The main reason: The same tools that are used for status quo and prestige policies are used for imperialist policies (by the Revisionist States …)

o Anarchy precludes the enforcement of guarantee against expansion

? The international system is accordingly fraught with arms races and the constant threat of both imperial and preventative war

- Wars occur even when political “reasons” for warlike e.g. revenge or territorial disputes – are absent

- Example: war between Athens (Sea-faring, commerce-based, democratic) and Sparta (Land-based, self-sufficient, oligarchic).

o Wars caused by Athens’ rise to power, and the fear this caused for Sparta – no more, no less


A retenir :

The important point is the one about: particular nations cannot impose their national aspirations on other nations? For Morgenthau, power is the control over the minds and actions of others. A state can win political power: geography, natural resources, industrial capacity, population, military preparedness, “national character”/morale (difference between military and unmilitary states). No state can escape the “realities” of the world. Power maintenance (pursue a policy of the status quo), power acquisition (pursue imperialist policy), power demonstration (pursue a policy of “prestige” enhancement. A particular state seeks only to survive by pursuing a status quo policy
INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
3ème année

Classical Realism

Histoire des idées politiques

Definition

Six principles of Realism
1) Politics is governed by objective laws; IR theory is a rational theory that reflects these laws 2) Politics is an autonomous sphere, independent of economics and personal morality 3) International politics is about national interests though these interests reflect the political and cultural context within which foreign policy is formulated 4) Political ethics is different from the universal moral principles 5) Particular nations cannot impose their national aspirations on other nations 6) Pessimistic knowledge of human nature is in the center of international politics

- A big failure in the history of diplomacy: the first example of pea cement (show peace to get peace)

- After this failure, Morgenthau’s philosophy appears

Morgenthau: “politics among nations”


The realist paradigm – background


- E.H Carr wrote “The twenty years’ crisis, 1919-1939”

o Realism but reject utopian idealism

- Morgenthau said that we can try to have a lot of peace

- Starting point:

o We can separate the roots of peace and the “power politics” of war.

o It’s a state that goes to war and makes peace

o Important to not miss the reality, you have to realize that everybody has interests

? Probably impossible to align – try to live with that as peaceful as we can

o Peace is merely the absence of war.


The International system


- Self-help system

o The ultimate dependence of the state on its own resources to promote its interests and protect itself

- Anarchy

- Zero-sum competition

- Balance of power

o What degree of power a country can pull?

? If a country becomes too powerful, you will have to response


State defined through power:


- States are about pursuit and maximization of power:

o Acquiring/increasing/projecting it


National interest:


- Acquisition of power

- Objective national interest in terms of optimization of the political influence of a country in the international political environment.


Need to make all these sources of power politics. If you do that, you will not have to go to war and use military power. You need to convince yourself that you’re a serious player, capable of military war.

The optimal exercise of political power obviates the need for the use of military force. The only way a state can wield political power over others is to convince them that it is willing and able to defeat them militarily (Minds).


Power as a means for Peace


- No state can escape the “realities” of the world

- If you eradicate power, you have to be sure is abolished everywhere.

- Peace requires the skillful exercise of political power

o War begins as a disagreement: failure of political power

- Political power is essential to maintain peace


Power and State Action


- State action is geared toward three power goals which entail different foreign policy strategies.

o Power maintenance (pursue a policy of the status quo), power acquisition (pursue imperialist policy), power demonstration (pursue a policy of “prestige” enhancement.

- Example of France: credibility because of military power and history so France can show diplomacy and power demonstration.


The security dilemma:


- Challenge: the security dilemma

o Assumption: a particular state seeks only to survive by pursuing a status quo policy

o States possession of power result in fear/suspicion among other states

? The main reason: The same tools that are used for status quo and prestige policies are used for imperialist policies (by the Revisionist States …)

o Anarchy precludes the enforcement of guarantee against expansion

? The international system is accordingly fraught with arms races and the constant threat of both imperial and preventative war

- Wars occur even when political “reasons” for warlike e.g. revenge or territorial disputes – are absent

- Example: war between Athens (Sea-faring, commerce-based, democratic) and Sparta (Land-based, self-sufficient, oligarchic).

o Wars caused by Athens’ rise to power, and the fear this caused for Sparta – no more, no less


A retenir :

The important point is the one about: particular nations cannot impose their national aspirations on other nations? For Morgenthau, power is the control over the minds and actions of others. A state can win political power: geography, natural resources, industrial capacity, population, military preparedness, “national character”/morale (difference between military and unmilitary states). No state can escape the “realities” of the world. Power maintenance (pursue a policy of the status quo), power acquisition (pursue imperialist policy), power demonstration (pursue a policy of “prestige” enhancement. A particular state seeks only to survive by pursuing a status quo policy