POLI 244 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Security Dilemma, Great Power
Document Summary
If the cost of cooperating and having the other partner defect is low, a state can take additional risks and wait out their decision. Thus lowering costs on both sides encourages cooperation. Small nations who have much to lose are therefore more aggressive (north korea) Passive invulnerability of a power is best because it will not exploit others but it can afford to be defected, so this encourages coop. Loss of sovereignty is the most severe consequence. Value of security (how risky cd is) determines aggressiveness. Perception of threat is also key to subjective security. Abstract minus on the idea of state power distribution. Three main elements of political structures on the international scale. How each unit is related to one another. How are functions allocated amongst different political units. How many major players/powerbrokers are there in a system. States always seek to be safe, but perform actions that generate more and more insecurity.