POLS1201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: World Trade Organization, Neoliberalism, Classical Liberalism
Document Summary
If we know what units are, what they want and what the nature of the international s(cid:455)ste(cid:373) is, the(cid:374) (cid:449)e (cid:272)a(cid:374) predi(cid:272)t a state"s (cid:271)eha(cid:448)iour. International system is comprised of states and other organisations, referred to as units. Realism studies interaction between like units: do(cid:373)esti(cid:272) poli(cid:272)(cid:455) of states does(cid:374)"t (cid:373)atter (cid:271)e(cid:272)ause the(cid:455) (cid:271)eha(cid:448)e the sa(cid:373)e (cid:449)a(cid:455). This (cid:373)ea(cid:374)s that (cid:449)hether a (cid:272)ou(cid:374)tr(cid:455) is de(cid:373)o(cid:272)rati(cid:272) or (cid:272)o(cid:373)(cid:373)u(cid:374)ist, this ulti(cid:373)atel(cid:455) does(cid:374)"t matter: as an exception, size/power does matter. E. g domestic policy of military might can influence the system: the (cid:449)orld"s (cid:271)iggest (cid:373)ilitaries [general scale of biggest to smallest]: South korea: the system can therefore be predicted by looking at the distribution of power and the knowledge of what states want, we already know what states want and why, the international system is anarchy. States want power and security, as this is the only way to guarantee safety: as previously mentioned power and security can be gained through military force.
