POLS 2940 Chapter Notes -Offensive Realism, World Politics, Zero-Sum Game
28 Nov 2013
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Document Summary
There are 5 assumptions about the international system that should be factored in: 1. international system is anarchic. Anarchy not associated with chaos and disorder. Underlying concept of state sovereignty: 2. They all have the military force and intellectual power to harm other states: 3. A state can never be certain of another state"s intentions. No other state can ever truly be trusted. Not all states" intentions are hostile, but they can be hostile even if they appear benign: 4. It is not the drive for power but the drive to survive that makes states dangerous. The structure of ir makes it hard for states to interact: the status quo states do not have power the great powers keep getting greater. Types of gains: zero sum gains. Us and canada trade treaty may benefit us more than canada. Us has more relative gain than canada. Both parties not concerned with anything because both parties stand to gain.
