Intensive Readings in International Relations Fall 2006 Peking University Instructor: Ji Mi ( 吉宓）

Theories of International Relations  Realism  Liberalism  Radical approaches/critical theory

Realism  Main strands  classical realism  neorealism (structural realism)  modified realism  hegemonic stability theory

Realism: Origins  Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War  Hobbes Leviathan  Machiavelli The Prince  Richelieu  Carl von Clausewitz

Classical Realism  International Relations “is governed by objective laws that have their roots in human nature”  The key consideration is the concept of interest defined in terms of power  The moral aspirations of a particular nation are not moral laws that govern the universe.

Classical Realism (questions related to text) E. H. Carr Hans Morgenthau  Why do states fight wars? -- States, like human beings, have an innate desire to dominate others.  Which type of international system is more stable, a multipolar one or a bipolar one according to classical realism? -- a classical, multipolar balance of power system

Neorealism  International politics as a system with a precisely defined structure  State as unitary actor(no assumptions about human nature, morality)  The primary characteristic of the system is anarchy  Security is the primary concern, power is the means to ensure security

Neorealism (questions related to text)  According to Waltz, what is the primary nature of the international system? Anarchy  Which type of international system is more stable, bipolar or multipolar, according to Waltz? a bipolar one  According to the offense-defense argument, what is the major concern of states in the international system? Their own Security: states merely seek to survive

Realism Modified Realism  Balance of Threat (Stephen Walt) Realist Theory in International Political Economy  Hegemonic Stability Theory

Liberalism  Main strands  economic liberalism  political liberalism  pluralist liberalism  liberal institutionalism (neoliberal theory)

Liberalism: Origins  Kant  Rousseau  Francisco de Victoria, Hugo Grotius, John Locke  Woodrow Wilson

Liberalism  The liberal tradition: Almost all strands are optimistic about the prospect of peace and cooperation among states, but the reasons vary markedly.  Political institutions, Ideology  Economic exchanges, market forces  Intergovernmental institutions

Neoliberalism (liberal institutionalism)  Accept realist assumptions about  Anarchy  Concern for security  International politics as systemic analysis  Yet prospect for cooperation is optimistic  International institutions

Fundamental divide between realism and liberalism  Why do realism and liberalism have differing estimates about the prospect of war and peace in the international system? Relative gain vs. absolute gain

Constructivism  A Social theory applied to IR  Constructivism in IR is not a postmodern theory, but a positivist project  Ideational/normative variables vs. material variables  Identity (source of interests): relational, intersubjective, subject to redefinition  Anarchy is what states make of it (Hobbesian anarchy vs. Lockean anarchy)  Constructivism as an analytical method and language (constructivism vs. rationalism)

English translations of key foreign policy terms  Five principles of peaceful coexistence  Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity  Mutual non-aggression  Non-interference in each other’s internal affairs  Equality and mutual benefit  Peaceful coexistence  Independent foreign policy of peace ( 独立自 主的和平外交政策）

Politics Among Nations (Hans Morgenthau) Questions for review ： 1.According to Morgenthau, what are the main steps in studying international politics from a realist perspective? 2.Morgenthau’s approach is sometimes described as an “inside-out” one. Could you cite an example (examples ） from the text that points to such a methodological inclination?