CLASSICS 1M03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Collective Action, Washington Naval Treaty, Arms Control
Document Summary
Political science 1ab3 2017 lecture 7a international relations theory. The discipline of international relations is divided into different theoretical camps. Each theory offers a different explanation for why the international realm looks as it does: why war and peace, why cooperation and conflict. Idealists suggested no it may be widespread and recurrent, but it is not inevitable. Human nature is essentially cooperative, not antagonistic nor belligerent. We know this to be the case from the fact that humans always group together into social organizations. This being so, war must be caused by something that channels this natural cooperation into something more destructive. Poorly designed institutions can pervert the natural human tendency to cooperate. Because war is caused by institutional failure rather than human. Nature, war can be rendered obsolete: provided that defective international institutions are reformed. Peace requires the right international organizations and well-designed international law.