International
Relations-PSC 201
VU
LESSON
44
HOW
IR DIFFER FROM DOMESTIC
POLITICS?
Anarchy
- no government
Self-help
system: World politics as "struggle
for power." Nations in "constant
state of war:" not
always
at
war, but threat of war constantly looms.
Use of force is considered a legitimate
means for settling
disputes
among nations
Laws
are not enforceable in
international system. Few
rules and no enforcement
Governments
have monopoly on legitimate use of force
in domestic society but no equivalent
in
international
society
Weaker
sense of community and shared
values, norms, standards of
justice, views of authority,
goals
and
aspirations
Strategies
for altering state
behavior
A.
"Sticks:" Punishment and deterrence.
Sanctions for violation of
pollution rules
B.
"Carrots:" Rewards and
incentives. Ozone case and
North Korea nuclear
situation
C.
"Locks:" Prevention and
coercion. Oil pollution equipment
requirements
D.
"Labels:" Information. Acid
rain for example
E.
"Sermons:" Normative education.
Human rights and democracy
arguments
Observations
concerning visible changes in
IR
1.
Capacity of governments to implement: financial,
administrative, infrastructure requirements
2.
Asymmetries in power determine whose
behavior is changed: strong disobey, but
weak obey
3.
Interdependence - more is better: fear of
disturbing spider's web of
relationships, more
options
for
reciprocity/retaliation
Relevant
Vocabulary
Intellectual
concerning the intellect
Underpins
providing basis for
Reciprocity
same sort of reaction
Asymmetry
irregularity or unevenness
Suggested
Readings
Students
are advised to read the
following to develop a better understanding of the
various principals
highlighted
in this hand-out:
State
of IR Today
www.sussex.ac.uk/Users/hafa3/stateofIR.htm
International
Relations Centre
www.irc-online.org/content/ggn/0505ggn.exec.php