Power and development

    Cards (67)

    • Types of state
      • Democratic
      • Semi-democratic
      • Non-democratic
      • Authoritarian
    • Democratic
      • Free, regular, fair elections and governments are accountable
      • Value liberal rights and freedoms
    • Semi-democratic
      • Superficial democracy as it has underlying authoritarian features
      • Government does not willingly relinquish power
    • Non-democratic
      • Authoritarian and autocratic in some respects
      • Power is concentrated to one or very few people
      • Dislike dissent
    • Authoritarian
      • Power concentrated to a single unelected person or party and power is often hereditary
    • Does Democracy promote peace?
      • Yes: Enhances political development and empowers population
      • People are less likely to rebel
      • Complements capitalism so enhances development
      • Bring peace to the international system
    • Does Democracy promote peace?

      • No: Not one size fits all – dictators can be beneficial if strong in leadership
      • Developing countries benefit from strong state control to avoid conflict
      • Democratic elections have resulted in electoral violence
      • Western liberals assume democracy is best – imperial POV
      • If implemented early, democracy can be unsustainable (requires strong economy)
    • Changing of power over time
      • Colonial powers – UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium
      • Prior to WW1 there were the great powers (with significant hard powers), UK, France, Austro-Hungary
      • Inter war period – Germany, fascist italy, nazi germany
      • WW2 – victors (P5)
      • Balance tipped during the Cold War also where there were two clear superpowers US and Russia, (western capitalism vs eastern communism)
      • Emerging powers -China
    • Great powers

      • State with significant military and economic power
      • Lead IGOs
      • Influential in foreign policy
    • Regional power
      State that possesses characteristics of great power but can influence anywhere in the world through technology and nuclear power
    • Emerging power
      • State that has started to acquire great power status yet has not met all the criteria
      • Usually a state that is growing rapidly and industrialised
    • Great Powers
      • UK
      • China
      • France
    • Emerging Powers
      • Brazil
      • Russia
      • India
    • Polarity
      The way in which power is distributed through an international system into one of the three types: Unipolarity, Bipolarity, Multipolarity
    • Unipolarity
      One hegemonic state possesses all capability and power
    • Bipolarity
      Two competing poles of power that are evenly matched
    • Multipolarity
      Multiple states compete with one another and wield equal influence
    • The Cold War lasted from March 1947 to December 1991
    • The Cold War
      • Two key powers evenly matched (USSR and USA)
      • UN became pretty redundant due to P5 veto
      • Each power had military alliances (US and NATO, USSR and Warsaw Pact)
      • 1962Cuban Missile Crisis was the most unstable point
      • 1986 Reykjavik Summit reduced tensions
      • US sanctioned cuba leading to huge poverty
    • Realist view on bipolar worlds
      • Promotes peace as two evenly matched powers ensure nobody dominates
      • Both had limits on what they could and could not achieve
      • If one could have achieved more this would risk a World War and so a bipolar system maintained a safe balance
    • Liberal view on bipolar worlds
      • Dangerous because both powers were advancing their own interests and military capabilities
      • The war did not create stability and peace as there was constant suspense and antagonism
      • There was very real risk of nuclear war
    • The Cold War ended in 1991 when the USSR was dissolved and 15 new states were created
    • Factors contributing to the end of the Cold War
      • Economic pressure of US capitalism was harsh competition
      • When communists sought to overthrow the govt, Yeltsin lead a nationalist opposition and defeated the coup, declared russian independence and the USSR was dissolved in 1991
    • Hegemony of the USA
      • YES: Latest economy in the world ($20.8 trillion)
      • USD is main currency
      • Has structural power in IGOs
      • Population of 439m in 2050
      • Lots of soft power through shows and corporate brands
      • Globalisation known as Americanisation
      • World's largest military budget ($778bn) and largest defence spender (38% of global military spending)
      • US navy is bigger than the next 13 navies combined
      • 11 aircraft carriers , UK has 2 and China has 2, Russia has 1
    • Hegemony of the USA
      • NO: China to overtake US in GDP and FDI by 2030
      • US debt to china is $1tn
      • Competition with Bretton Woods institutes such as Asian Infrastructure Bank may reduce US influence
      • Bollywood competes with Hollywood
      • Cultural dominance is less than thought – MAN U and Real Madrid
      • Controversy has damaged soft power influence – Guantanamo Bay, Waterboarding, CIA rendition, Trump, climate issues, Israel
      • China and Russia are P5 too
      • BRICS provide competition
      • China and Russia provide a challenge to US military capabilities
      • China has lots of submarines and dominate the South China Sea
      • Russia has the world's most lethal Nuclear Weapon (RS-28 Sarmat) — travel 10k km
    • Realist view on US unipolarity
      • Rise of US hegemony creates a new form of stability (international anarchy creates instability), so to have a clear leader to dominate creates a stable world (hegemonic stability)
      • Some realists like Kenneth Waltz argue unipolar can be unstable as it can create resentment (WW1 as a response to the German attempt to challenge hegemonic British empire)
      • Chomsky argues it leads to a lack of constraints on behaviour and may go rogue
    • Liberal view on US unipolarity
      • Rise of US hegemony as the spread of western ideas like democracy
      • Liberals very much believe that there would be more stability if there was a diffusion of power (Multipolar!)
    • Multipolarity
      • No one power can be a hegemony
      • Evenly distributed power through regionalism or IGOs
      • Global brands challenge US brands through free market liberalism
      • Militarily China and Russia are developing
      • Afghanistan and Iraq showed limits of US military
      • BRICS are increasingly powerful
      • Globalisation is not just American and global civil society is increasingly cosmopolitan
    • Realist view on multipolarity
      • Mearsheimer argues that multipolarity demonstrates instability as power is fluid and constantly shifting and the number of evenly matched states are increasing
      • Creates fear for those involved and generates more conflict, and the possibility of increased regional conflict too
    • Liberal view on multipolarity
      • Believe that multipolarity is the best option for peace and security as it can promote cooperation in multilateral systems of governance
      • Liberals also assert through globalisation the world has become more multipolar and this is the time in which we have had the most peace
    • Regional bipolarity - Pakistan and India

      • Partitioned in 1947
      • Refugee crisis
      • Speak a common language and have large Hindu and Muslim populations
      • Conflict over Kashmirregional issues
    • Regional bipolarity - Iran and Saudi Arabia
      • Hold power in the Middle East and compete in a regional bipolarity
      • Never declared war on each other but fought through proxy in Iran, Syria, and Iraq
      • Iran supported Syria regime on religious grounds but Saudi supported the rebel groups
      • Large oil reserves and wealth
      • Saudi has Sunni Muslim population whereas Iran has Shia Muslim population
    • BRICS
      Emerging economies of the countries created by Goldman Sachs
    • BRICS
      1. Met annually since 2009
      2. Initially the grouping was controversial (no african countries originally)
      3. Believes they will be dominant economies by 2050
    • BRICS
      • 25% of land
      • 40% of world population
      • GDP of 20$ trillion
      • Received FDI and have lots of debt
    • South Africa
      Introduced later – biggest and most powerful state within the African Union and needed to add african countries
    • MINT
      Also created by Jim O'Neill
    • MINT
      • Mexico
      • Indonesia
      • Nigeria
      • Turkey
    • MINT
      • Dramatic growth
    • Mexico
      • Car manufacturing
      • 14th biggest labor force in the world