POLI 205 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Bandwagoning, Samora Machel, Security Dilemma
27 Sep 2017
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Document Summary
Alliance formation & the balance of world power (chapter 2) First section: competing propositions --> either balance against strong or threatening states or bandwagon with them. Second section: develops contrasting hypotheses that ideological or cultural similarities can either bind states together or drive them apart. Third section: examines the ability of states to create allies or proxies by military + economic aid, propaganda, or political penetration. Fourth section: how hypotheses can explain the current structure of world power + what they imply for. When entering an alliance, states may either: Balance: ally in opposition to the main source of danger. Bandwagon: ally with the states that poses the major threat. If balancing is more common than bandwagoning, those states are more secure because aggressors will face combined/more opposition. If bandwagoning is the most common then security is scarce because aggression is rewarded. Leading to more belligerent foreign policies and a heavier emphasis on military establishment.
