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Topics for today
Events of the day/week The state system
What is a ‘state’? Theories of IR: World War I and World War II Collective security
Comparing the League of Nations and the United Nations
What is a “state?”
Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States (1933)
State: a legal entity in international law with a permanent population with a defined territory with a government capable of effective
domestic control and international representation/recognition
What is “sovereignty?”
Sovereignty: No superior authority. Control over domestic affairs Control over cross-border movements Exclusive representation in international
politics
Sovereignty is an idealized state of affairs. The actual
degree of sovereign control varies greatly among states.
Sovereignty as control
Effective domestic monopoly of violence. Government controls domestic affairs.
How do states loose control? Voluntarily: enter treaties with other states or
create inter- and supranational institutions (“pooling of sovereignty”).
Involuntarily: Military invasion, economic sanctions, diplomatic threats, smugglers, cross-border pollution.
New states
Bangladesh, 1974 (formerly part of Pakistan).
Eritrea, 1993 (formerly part of Ethiopia).
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, 1991/2 (formerly Soviet Union).
East Timor, 2002 (formerly part of Indonesia).
Montenegro, 2006 (formerly part of Serbia and Montenegro)
1700: 45 states 1945: 65 states; Today: almost 200 states.
World history and IR theories
Realism A cyclical struggle for power
Liberalism Progressive economic development of
societies Idealism/Constructivism
Unfolding of competing ideas, in the past: nationalism; today: human rights
What caused World War I?
Realism: German unification leading to power struggle among European states/decline of British empire
Institutionalism: Weakness of international institutions to prevent war
Identity/constructivism: Nationalism; feelings of superiority over other peoples.
Realism
Cause (anarchy): anarchy creating mistrust and insecurity in a multipolar system (p. 78); third image/international level
Process: Germany’s blitzkrieg aimed to avoid a two-front war, but
increased the threat level for everyone else. Germany attacked Russia to prevent its rise as a power. One country attacked another because of an imminent
attack.
Liberal institutionalism
Causes (institutions): Weak global institutions: No global inter-
governmental body; trade and law not strong enough (third image, international level)
Lack of democracy: weak representation of pacifistic voices (second image, domestic level)
Clumsy diplomacy: Kaiser Wilhelm II
Lack of sufficient interdependence.
Identity/Constructivism
Causes (ideologies): Racist nationalism: Jingoism combined with advanced
military technology Ideological nationalism: growing tensions between
liberalism (US, France, Britain) and other ideologies Socialist nationalism: Emergence of Marxism creates
incentives for conservative leaders to divert attention away from domestic struggles by going to war
Lack of common understanding and norms.
What caused World War II?
Realism Institutionalism Idealism/Identity
International
level
Balance of power is unstable; continuation of WWI; Versailles
Weakness of institutions; US refusal to support the League of Nations
Expanding nationalisms
Domestic level
Democracy vs. fascism; threat of economic collapse in Germany
Bolshevism/
Racism
Individual
level
Classical realism: Human nature
Humiliation of German nationalism
Failure of the League of Nations
Realism Institutionalism Idealism/Identity
Internationallevel
Because collective security simply can not work
Because states did not fully commit to the idea of collective security; faulty design of the League
Because the League did not address cultural differences
Domestic level Because the League brought together incompatible regime types; unanimity rule
Individual level
What is collective security?
Effort to neutralize military power Focus on threat, not power Reciprocity: trade in the right to attack for
collective protection by all Examples: League of Nations/United Nations
From the League to the UN
Context: League's Covenant was drafted after the end of hostilities and at the same
time as the negotiations about The fate of the loosing powers (Paris Conference). The U.N. Charter was negotiated during World War II and led to an independent legal document.
League: unanimity; U.N.: majority voting (with exceptions) More effective institutions:
Creation of an executive body (Security Council) with privileged status pertaining to security questions.
Stronger norms: U.N. Charter provides more comprehensive powers for peacekeeping and
peacemaking. U.N. does not allow the unilateral use of force, except in case of an
‘imminent attack;’ the League’s covenant allowed the use of force for dispute settlement (after arbitration).