UNIT 1: POWER, SOVEREIGNTY

& INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Power: The ability to induce change through influence and control. Relations among
people functioning within a social construct have increased due to globalization.

Hard Power:the use of military force or economic influence in order establish

control

Soft Power: the use of a country’s attractive aspects (such as language,

education or culture) in order to influence another nation- state’s population

Balance of Power avoids potential threats and conflicts and is achieved through:
Increasing the country’s military or economic capabilities or forming economic or
military alliances within the region

States consolidate/ increase power: through increase of military prowess and/or

latent power (wealth and population)

Revisionist states (willing to use force to alter the balance of power in the
region/world) vs Status Quo states (satisfied with the current position and the state
of affairs)

Hegemony: Control exerted by a single country upon other nations in the

international system.

Offence-defence balance indicates how easy or difficult it is to conquer a territory or

defeat a defender in battle

Interdependence: Mutual reliance among groups/states. What happens in one state

can have effects on another state

Complex interdependence: multiple channels that connect societies including

inter-state, trans-governmental and transnational relations' with an agenda
'consisting of multiple issues that are not arranged in a clear and consistent
hierarchy' and with economic interests on the same

Non-state actors in global politics : Substate actors are also

important:

UNIT 1: POWER, SOVEREIGNTY & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1

 Transnational corporations (Apple) Non- multinational
businesses that purchase
Non-governmental organisations
imported goods
(Amnesty International)
Provincial government trade
Intergovernmental organisations
missions
(United Nations)

States cooperate because it is in their interests to do so.

Types of power:

Structural Hard power: Multilateralism: Relational

power: Use of force multiple power: a state
means by and threats countries has a
which states of force to collaborating relationship
affect glopo, influence with each other with another
usually by working and uses it to
Soft power:
promoting a towards influence the
Non-military
model of resolving a other state to
means:
politics that global issue change its
negotiation,
they favor, behavior. May
promises of Unilateralism:
such as use
aid, culture, one country
democracy combination of
education working in
or powers to
solitude on a
capitalism. achieve its
particular issue
aims and goal

Poor yet unstable states (such as Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan) tend to spend a
larger portion of their GDP on defense. They primarily use this force however to
diffuse conflicts that occur internally

Distribution of power: unipolar, bipolar, multipolar

Sovereignty: control over its own government and allows other states control over
what happens within their borders.

Social Contract Theory: Sacrifice liberty to gain protection. People join groups and
establish governments naturally. Trade a portion of their freedom for law and order

UNIT 1: POWER, SOVEREIGNTY & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 2

 in order to ensure collective security and relative peace.

State: an organized Nation: group of Nation - State: a

political entity with a people who feel
permanent population, common identity
a well defined territory due to a shared
and a government language, culture
and history.
specific geographic
area containing a
sovereign polity,
whose population
identities with polity.

Thomas Hobbes: John Locke:

Humans are inherently hostile Humans are inherently good

Laws are here to protect us from Laws are here to protect our
each other inalienable rights

Worst state of humanity best state of humanity

Types of states:

Fragile: the presence of a less than Failed: a government that has

competent government, unable to disintegrated to a point where the
protect its people or citizens from a basic functions of a state authority
range of conflicts. Eg. Yemen are not being performed; as a result
losing its legitimacy. Eg. Syria

Global Governance: movement towards political integration of transnational actors

aimed at negotiating responses to problems that affect more than one state or
nation. Tends to involve institutionalization. Also used to describe designating
regulations at a global scale.

Collective Security: the idea that countries are more able to project hard power as a
part of an alliance than they would Individually.

Theory Points

UNIT 1: POWER, SOVEREIGNTY & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 3

 Offensive Pursue power (hard power) whenever possible in order to maintain
Structural Realism dominance and increase the state’s survivability.

Defensive It is unwise to pursue power due to economic reasons; and also due
Structural Realism to the ‘Balance of Power’ effect that would occur.
Liberalism Places emphasis on interdependence and complex interdependence.

Stresses on change and cooperation

Takes into consideration the influence of non-state actors as well.

Use attractive aspects of the state to increase the sphere of

Soft Power influence, eg. culture, globalisation, language, education institutes
etc.

The use of economic or military force to increase the state’s

Hard Power
influence.
Social Contract Natural need for laws and governance; best state of humanity.

(In opposition to Laws exist only to protect us from each other; the worst state of
Social Contract) humanity.
Cultural Describes how a state and capitalist class use cultural influence to
Hegemony remain in power.

Topic Case Study

German invasion of Czechoslovakia and Poland in 1939, facilitated by

Offensive Realism Hitler’s foreign policies****Done in an effort to expand German territory
and “Lebensraum” (Living Space).

**America in Latin America, Panama Canal 1989****George Bush called

for action against Noriega in light of a US Marine being shot to death on
Defensive Realism
patrol (Operation “Just Cause”**And action taken in reaction to the act of
aggression by Noriega
Representation of various NGOs (national and international) in the UN;
Liberalism
proof of their extensive impact in international relations.

**China and US increasing economic and cultural influence across the

Soft Power
globe (respectively)**As a result of ‘Globalisation’

US Intervention in Afghanistan, 2001****As a part of the ‘War on Terror’

Hard Power
campaign in order to neutralise the Taliban and Al Qaeda
**DPRK (North Korea)**Little to no contact to the outside world, trade
Authoritarian
primarily confined to China, Large stockpile of weapons (nuclear as well)

Democratic Most occidental states follow a democratic system****Eg. US, UK,

UNIT 1: POWER, SOVEREIGNTY & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 4

 Germany, Italy etc.
Palestine is not recognised as a legitimate state in the UN****Somaliland
Legitimacy has been battling for autonomy and independence from Somalia, although
internationally recognised as a part of Somalia

Operational NGO: Médecins Sans Frontières: Provides medical aid to

people in countries that lack supplies****Advocacy: Amnesty international:
NGOs/ NSAs
Operate within many states and report on ongoing sociopolitical issues to
raise awareness on the same

Al Qaeda: Internationally recognised terrorist organisation; responsible for

Terrorism and
9/11 attacks****ISIS: A militant/ terrorist group placed within the states of
Terrorist
Iraq and Syria, responsible for the Paris attack in November 2015, along
Organisations
with the executions of journalists.

UNIT 1: POWER, SOVEREIGNTY & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 5