1. Chapter 5 Power, Conflict, and Policy
The Role of Political Science in International Studies

2. Introduction What do political scientists study?
Wide range of subjects
How is politics defined?
Human interactions that involve both power and conflict
What is the role of international studies in politics?
International studies vs. International relations

3. Major Fields
Political science broken into two subfields that deal with international studies:
Comparative politics
International relations
Realism
Idealism
Other subfields of political science:
American politics
Political theory
Public administration

4. Comparative Politics
Study of domestic politics analyzed using the comparative method
Researchers are regional specialists
Democracy
Not necessarily the norm, rather the exception
Hard for Westerners to think of it that way
Military Coups
Military officials serve as leadership

5. Democracy Open vs. Closed Systems
Democracy is an example of an open system
Freedom of thought, choice of leadership, etc.
Communism is an example of a closed system
Little or no input from domestic constituency
Presidential vs. Parliamentary Systems
Two forms of government in an open system
Some countries, such as France, practice a hybrid of the two
Use of an election doesn’t necessarily mean democracy

6. Military Coups Also known as coups d’état Common from 1950’s to 1980’s
Is sometimes seen as the “lesser of two evils” or for “the good of the nation”
This isn’t always the case though
Turkish history has experienced three different military leaderships in the last half century

7. International Politics (Relations)
Study of political behavior outside of or across domestic political borders
Subfields include:
Peace and conflict
International security
Foreign policy analysis
International political economy
Global organization
International law
U.S. Foreign Policy is one very important subfield of international politics due to the influence of the U.S.

8. Theories of International Politics
Theories perform two crucial functions:
Provides concepts to understand phenomena
Explains global political outcomes
Third function of theories: policy advocacy
Does not apply to all theories
Parsimony
Elegance or brevity of a theory
How well it reduces global complexity
The two most important theories:
Realism
Idealism

9. Idealism/Liberalism
The idea that humans are moral beings, are not violent or selfish by nature, and that public institution moderates the individual behavior
Collective security
The organization and agreement by states to rules of international engagement
The larger group keeps the states in check
Culminated in the League of Nations

10. Applications of Idealism
North American Free Trade Agreement
Serves to bind countries into peaceful trading relationships
European Union (EU)
Another example of group that benefits from other members cooperation
Complex interdependence

11. Realism Also referred to as “realpolitik”
Human nature is self-interested and power hungry and states are an extension of this human nature
States operate in a world of anarchy, or the absence of a global government
States seek alliances with the powerful, offering what they can in terms of resources
These powerful countries are called “hegemons”
Unlike idealism, realism is not a prescriptive theory

12. Theoretical Diversity
Idealism and realism are the two most prominent theoretical traditions in international politics
Other types of theoretical perspectives that draw from realism and idealism are:
Feminism
Marxism
Globalization
Interdependence
Constructivism

13. The Political Spectrum
Several ways one can view the role of the government in human activities
Right:
limited government
promotes free markets
opposes taxes
Left:
expanded government
government important in human welfare
promotes taxation