POLI 244 Lecture 30: False Promise of International Institutions
12 Mar 2016
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Document Summary
Institutions in a realist world rules reflect state calculations of sel-interest based on distribution of power cause of war and peace function of bop, institutions mirror distribution of power. Bop is independent variable that explains war, institutions are an intervening variable. Nato was a manifestation of bipolar distribution of power in europe during cold war. Argue that economic and military issues are tied, human nature to compare ones progress with others: counterargument: solving cheating for relative gain problem is irrelevant, if states cannot cheat, they don"t need to fear. Liberal institutionalism repaired? no evidence that liberal institutionalists believe that institutions facilitate cooperation when states care deeply about relative gains. In a multipolar system where there are more smaller states, states will not worry much for relative gain. Ignoring relative gain concerns: uncommon, nothing new to say about states worries, even non-military logics like strategic trade theory might cause states to think in terms of relative gain.
