1. Prof. Murat Arik School of Legal Studies Kaplan University PO420 Global Politics Unit 2 Approaches to World Politics and Analyzing World Politics

2. Figure 2.1: The Difficulty of Prediction

3. What are the approaches to world politics? As discussed in the previous unit –World politics is the struggle for power –States are sovereign –No supranational authority to regulate international relations These were the primary characteristics of the international system until the 21 st century

4. What are the approaches to world politics? What happened in the 21 st century that changed those dynamics? Again, in the previous unit, we talked about several forces –High-technology revolution –The globalization of social, economic, and political issues

5. What are the approaches to world politics? What happened in the 21 st century that changed those dynamics? (continued) –Inability of one state to solve even domestic problems –The rise of ethnic nationalism and religious extremism –The new citizen activism

6. What are the approaches to world politics? Now, the critical question we face is how to make sense of what’s going on around us? We need a way to synthesize the massive information in a meaningful way to understand, analyze, and develop policy recommendations –We use several paradigms to do that Paradigms are intellectual framework that includes a sets of assumptions about the nature of human beings

7. What are the approaches to world politics? How about theories of international relations? –We use paradigms to derive theories about the natural and social world –Three major paradigms that influence our view on the natural and social world Realism Liberalism Ecological Paradigm

8. What Are the Tools of Analysis in World Politics? RealismIdealism Ecological Paradigm

9. What Are the Tools of Analysis in World Politics? Realism Human beings imperfect Anarchic struggle War is inevitable Idealism Utopian Human beings are good and perfectable Caring and compassion are innate Human dignity for all Cooperation is possible Ecological Paradigm Human world is a subset of the global ecosystem Resources on the earth are finite Ecosystem’s carrying capacity is important Sustainable development is key

10. Realism Human beings imperfect Anarchic struggle War is inevitable Idealism Utopian Human beings are good and perfectable Caring and compassion are innate Human dignity for all Cooperation is possible Ecological Paradigm Human world is a subset of the global ecosystem Resources on the earth are finite Ecosystem’s carrying capacity is important Sustainable development is key Realist Theories Political realism Balance of Power Hegemonic Stability Neorealism Offensive Realism Marxism Imperialism Dependency theories Critical Theory Constructivism Feminist Theories Liberalism Democratic Peace Collective Security Regime Theory Neoliberalism Ecological Sustainable Development Theory Deep Ecology Ecofeminism Ecojustice

11. The Ecological Paradigm Sustainable Development

12. Figure 2.2: Pirages’s Five Capitals and Three Pillars of Sustainabilty

13. Political Realism Balance-of-Power Theory –Power attributes Military and economic Leadership Extent of international involvement Hegemonic Stability –A hegemon is necessary to make the world peaceful

14. Political Realism Neorealism –Goal of state is not power but survival –Capabilities of states shape the world order –Unequal distribution of capabilities shape the structure of the system Offensive Realism –States seek dominance rather than just compete in international relations to maintain their relative positions

15. Marxism Essence of the Marxism is class struggle between haves and have-nots –Imperialism Movement of domestic capital abroad –Dependency Theories Center-Periphery

16. Liberalism Democratic Peace Theory –Democracies do not fight with each other Collective Security –An attack against one is an attack against all Regime Theory Neoliberalism

17. Ecological Paradigm Sustainable Development Theory –Economic –Environmental –Social (rich-poor) Deep Ecology Ecofeminism Ecojustice

18. What Are the Subjective Approaches to World Politics? What is a “subjective approach to world politics”?

19. What Are the Subjective Approaches to World Politics? (cont’d) Critical Theory –Individuals losing their autonomy Constructivism –Identities culturally constructed Feminist Theories in International Relations

20. Levels of Analysis

21. The State: The Basic Unit of Analysis in the International System Identify the primary characteristics of a state. –Legitimacy –Sovereignty –Formal obligations

22. The State and Its Primary Characteristics Definition of a State –Geographic territory with internationally recognized boundaries –Population –Authority structure The Nation-State and the Multinational State The Vulnerability of the Modern State The Interdependence of States

23. What Are the Levels of Analysis? Understand what is meant by levels of analysis and who are the primary actors that operate at each level.

24. The International System as a Whole Grouping the State Actors Lead State Actors of the International System Non-state Actors Relations between Actors in the International System

25. Figure 2.4: A Multipolar System

26. Figure 2.5: Unipolar World (System Level)

27. The Regional Level of Analysis Analyzing Regional NGOs

28. The State Level of Analysis Power Wealth Power and Prestige Population

29. The Substate Level of Analysis The Actors and Their Issues Increased Prominence of the Substate Level Decentralizing Elements at the Substate Level Conflict at the Substate Level

30. The Individual Level of Analysis The Actors The Impact of Individuals on World Politics Political Psychology The Power of Individual Actors Ordinary People as Global Actors

31. Applying the Levels of Analysis to Understand International Relations Understand how the levels of analysis are used to understand international relations; apply the levels to the case of Afghanistan. Applying the Levels of Analysis: The Example of Afghanistan Afghanistan from the Systems Level of Analysis