POLS 10202 Lecture 3: Origins of War
Document Summary
These theories share three basic assumptions: the international system is anarchic a. i. Aka there is no government above states a. i. 1. Basic goal is to not be physically destroyed or conquered: uncertainty about intentions c. i. Because you want to survive, the end of the day, you can only depend on yourself: power seeking c. i. Population: sets upper limit of power: security competition: the security dilemma (anything you do to increase your security, reduces the security of other states) d. i. Genius: security competition is not equal to war iii. Cause + origin of war (look @ above table: human traits a. i. Hypothesis: some leaders are more likely to cause wars. Basic story: war was an accident/tragedy of miscalculation/misperception a. ii. 5. a. i. Precise timetables that placed premium on haste a. ii. 5. a. i. 2. 2) dumb decisions by civilians a. ii. 5. a. ii. 1. failed to comprehend the instrument in hand a. ii. 5. a. ii. 2. crucial errors and dumb decisions a. ii. 5. a. ii. 2. a. Did not know the german war plan forced them to violate belgian neutrality: state traits a. i.
