POLI 243 : POLI243-IDs part I & II.docx

• School: McGill University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLI 243
• Professor: Mark Brawley

Document Summary

Classic idealism: human behavior can be perfected, harmony of interests, war is never good, laws and institutions can guide behavior. selfish, will to dominate, competition to dominate (cid:224) search for power. Structural realism, waltz: states are the most important, states are unitary and rational, the international system is, states seek to maximize their actors. actors. anarchic. power. Assuming rational actions: actors behave with a purpose, actors have perfect information, actors know their preferences and can rank them, actors know all possible options, including the consequences of each, actors calculate the cost and benefits associated with each option. Maintaining a balance of power: prefer negotiations to fighting, fight, rather than surrender to rivals, stop fighting before you eliminate a major power, oppose any state that tries to dominate the system. (strive to unipolarity, oppose any state or ideology that seeks to subordinate the nation state, accept any partner into your alliance .