1 liberalism and the study of foreign policy implications: the need for international cooperation ...

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liberalism and the study of foreign policy

implications: the need for international cooperation

liberals understand that rationality dictates, not just an individual struggle for power and survival, but a collective struggle as well

liberals, in other words, recognize that states understand the need to work together--not just

intermittently, but continually--to achieve their goals: how is this manifested?

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introduction to liberalismchapter 3: liberalism and foreign policy

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collective action, institutions, organizations and regimes

unlike realism, liberalism argues that international organizations, institutions, and

regimes are essential building blocks of international society

the united nations, world trade organization, the non-proliferation treaty, the international

convention against torture, the framework convention on climate change, etc. are concrete manifestations of the need for and rationality

of international cooperation




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liberal institutionalism and the need for international cooperation

why are there so many international institutions?




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in an increasingly interdependent and globalized world, there are some things

individual states cannot resolve on their own,or can better resolve through cooperation

and concerted action …




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similarly, there are many issues individualstates would like to address, but are unwilling

to do in isolation

e.g., global warming, financial crises, international communications, transportation,

trade, non-proliferation, human rights(the list is very long)




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reprise: the importance of ideas and ideals

one of the key points dividing liberals and realists is their respective understanding of

ideas

where realist dismiss non-objective, non-material factors as important, liberals are strongly committed to the belief that ideas

matter; even more, they believe that ideas have power

consider a few questions …




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reprise: the importance of ideas and ideals

are liberals naïve?

how might ideas “matter”?

what is the power of or in ideas?




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two scenes from v for vendetta: on the power of ideas








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v for vendetta: on the power of ideas

the scenes from v for vendetta give a sense of the importance and power of ideas, albeit at a

domestic level

the scenes also underscore the fact that a belief in ideas is not necessarily a belief in non-violence or peace: “idealism” can lead to

great violence and suffering--idealists are not all pacifists

ideas, in fact, are one of the great forces of the modern area and have shaped states and

relations among states in profound ways




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constructivism and foreign policy

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constructivism and the study of foreign policy

constructivists, as the name implies, seethe world around us as socially constructed

what does this mean? how can theworld be “socially” constructed?

introduction to constructivism

chapter 4: constructivism and foreign policy

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“socially” means that constructivists give greater weight to the social or subjective

forces, rather than “objective” or material forces

constructivists recognize that material forces matter, but they also believe that it is our

subjective understanding of objective conditions that matter more

consider the example of nuclear weapons …



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for constructivists, it is significant that north korea is considereda grave threat, while pakistan isn’t …

even the potential for iraq under saddam or for iran today to have nuclear weapons is considered far more dangerous than the objective possession of nuclear weapons by the united states,great britain, china or russia

why is this significant?

consider the phrase …

“danger is a effect of interpretation” (d. campbell)

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“constructed” means that constructivists understand the world as coming into being--

i.e., constructed--through a process of interaction between agents (individuals,

states, non-state actors) and the structures of their broader environment

more formally, there is a process of mutual constitution between agents and structures

consider these questions …



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where does anarchy come from? how did it emerge?

how is it reproduced?

is global climate change a threat to humanity? is it a threat to the national security of

countries?

how is rationality defined? what is rationality?

why is it defined in terms of the “national interest”?



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constructivism is not just the domain of pointy-headed intellectuals. consider this

statement by an unnamed official in the Bush administration …



"We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that

reality--judiciously, as you will--we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can

study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors...and you, all of you, will

be left to just study what we do."

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the author makes a distinction between two variants of constructivism, the ______________________ variant and the________________ variant, the latter of which is often labeled post-positivist or interpretive



north americaneuropean

what is the difference between these two variants?

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north american variant

focuses on the role of social norms in shaping, both directly and indirectly, foreign policy behavior

closely aligned with liberal-idealist framework

european variant

explores the role of language or discourse in mediating and constructing social reality; asks how-possible questions



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how-possible questions: an example

consider the issue of slavery: how was slavery possible in the united states? how did it last

so long?

(contrast this with conventional question: whydid the u.s. adopt the practices and

institutionsof slavery and why did it last so long?



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three ways in which constructivism contributes to

foreign policy analysis

understanding bureaucracies and interests

understanding decision-making: bargaining and arguing

understanding the interaction between the international and the domestic (levels of

analysis)



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understanding bureaucracies and interests

interests are not just given (or “defended”), but are defined

constructivists seek to understand how interests are constructed through a process of

social interaction

material facts are important, but it is the social context that gives meaning to them



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constructivists tell us that the decision-making process itself is far more contingent

than it appears: actors do not simply represent particular views and interests, but also

“discover” their interests through a social process (arguing and persuasion)

arguments themselves, however, are enabled and legitimated by the broader social discourse in

which they are embedded



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example

“arguments” about climate change are deeply influenced today by a broad shift in the social discourse that have legitimated concerns about

the potentially destructive impact of global climate change



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international society and states

the increasingly tight global-local nexus demands a more interactive, multi-level

framework of analysis

consider the example of human rights: states’ evolving policy on human rights can only be

understood as complex process involving a range of actors, institutions and organizations

operating a multiple levels; social norms and a new social discourse that shape understanding of

the concept of human rights are also critical



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marxism and the study of foreign policy

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what is marxism? some questions

what is marxism? what does the term suggest to you?

is marxism dead? did it die with the failureof communism in the former soviet union?

is marxism relevant to the study ofu.s. foreign policy? after all, american policy

makers aren’t marxists

introduction to marxismmarxism foreign policy

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what is marxism? key points

first and foremost, marxism is a theory of history:it’s a theory of how history unfolds and of the primaryforces that shape history

second, marxism is a theory of capitalism: it’a a theory about the dynamics and logic of capitalism

third, marxism is a preeminently structuraltheory


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what is marxism?

marxism as a theory of history is premised on the concept of historical materialism

the fundamental proposition of historical materialism

is embedded in the following quote by marx …


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what is marxism?


It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that

determines their consciousness.

It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that

determines their consciousness.

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what is marxism?

historical materialism is premised on a fundamental “fact”: in order for human beings to

survive from generation to generation, it is necessary for them to produce and reproduce the

material requirements of life

this basic insight has profound implications: for one, it tells us that societies are governed

by the forces of production

more simply, those who control the forces of production,

control society


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what is marxism?

control of society by those who dominate or own the forces of production is pervasive, although

not always obvious

the key is to recognize that the economy is the foundation of any society, and that social

institutions serve to maintain the foundation: this is encapsulated in marx’s concept of base

and superstructure


Base

Superstructure

1 liberalism and the study of foreign policy implications: the need for international cooperation ...

Documents

liberalism chapter

foreign policy slide

study of foreign policy

power of ideas introduction

international institutions

importance of ideas

international organizations

international convention