POLI 244 Study Guide - Kyoto Protocol, Coase Theorem, Life Insurance
12 Dec 2012
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Document Summary
Realists often compare world politics to a state of war, a competition of units fighting under anarchy. States must therefore rely on the means they can generate and the arrangements they can make for themselves. Conflict and wars arise because each state has a different interpretation on the way in which they use force to secure their means. If we take this ultimate realist view, things like trade, financial relations, environmental protection etc could not really exist even though they do. On the other side of realism you have individuals arguing that economic cooperation is essential and is therefore what sets up these institutions. Sophisticated institutionalists don"t expect cooperation to always prevail but they believe that states are interdependent and therefore create interests in cooperation. Realists: the world will be more peaceful because the usa will have dominance. Institutionalists: states motivated by economic order (similar to liberal theory).
