POLS 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Gender Studies, Pessimism, Human Nature
1 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
World politics as struggles of power b/t states>balance of power. Anarchy-no overarching central authority above the individual states. Self help-a principle of action in an anarchical system. Pessimism: war/conflict as a natural state of affairs (observation as opposing to endorsement) Human nature is fixed, humans are selfish, states behave the same. States are not unitary actors >> national interest depends on perspective. Humans as sociable, perfectible; democracy as essential for perfectibility >> cooperation and interdependence (as opposing to self interest and war) National interest: not just military, also economic, environmental, technological. World order: interaction between laws, norms, international regimes, and institutional rules (as opposing just to balance of power) Understanding of world is not external to the people who live in it. Alexander wendt : anarchy is what states make of it . People make and remake their world (as opposing to fixed" and regular".
