Lecture 5-State and Power in
International Relations.
• State
• Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of
States 1933.
• 1.Permanent Population
• 2.Defined Territory
• a) Israel exist but the boundaries are not defined,
so does Ethiopia/Eritrea the Boundary disputes
have not yet been settled.
Lecture 14.1
• 3. Capacity to enter into relations with other
states
• 4. Capable maintaining effective control
over territory.
• a) implies acceptance into the international
community.
•
Lecture 14.2
• b) Although there is a general requirement
that a state has some form of government or
means of exercising control a state does not
cease to exist when this control is in dispute
or when it is temporarily deprived of
effective control as in wartime, civil wars or
revolution.
Lecture 14.3
• B. The qualifications are not absolute and
variations exist.
• C. Tracing the concept of the origin of state• 1. The Treaty of Westphalia is the beginning
• 2. It gave every entity the right to do its
activities.
Lecture 14.4
• D. Stateless society do exist or existed
especially where demarcation is not/were no
proper – for example the boundary of
Munhumutapa empire/state, Ndebele State
under Mzilikazi/Lobengula.
Lecture 14.5
• The boundaries were porous hence problems for
Africa-Ethiopia, Eritrea, Morocco Saharahwi,
Zimbabwe/Mozambique, Great Lakes Region
where populations, ethnic groups have been
arbitrary.
• State in itself, is an association a form of
organisation in which a society(one among may)
Lecture 14.6
• G. Others refer to it as a country, others a
government(makes policies and decisions.
• H. There is a government in every organisation.
• I. Members of the association are – Human beings,
citizens- some might be resident with rights and
obligations, not citizens, not residents-work
permits but they pay taxes or visitor, contract, but
• Tey they still have obligations to obey the laws of
the state.
Lecture 14.7
• It Imposes rights and obligations to members, uses
force and other instruments, is regarded as the
only association which has the monopoly of power
– instrument of force.
• K. Purpose of State
• 1. Survival Instrument
• Provide law and Order(system of rewards and
punishment)
Lecture 14.8
• 3.Law and Order means state will survive if
no it will not.
• 4. Absence of law and order and its
enforcement state collapse e.g. Yugoslavia,
Somalia
• 5. Moral Purpose
• a) To do good in relation to liberal
democracy
Lecture 14.8
• b) The state is regarded as a neutral
Umpire/referee of competing interest of
individuals and associations
• c) It is there to prevent clash of interests
(moral and material) drug trafficking.
• d) Which might be legitimate or illegitimate
Lecture 14.9
• L. Marx – The above is not true. The state is
executive committee of class that is in
charge of capitalist exploiting bourgeoisie.
• M. Harrold Lasswell – association that is
supreme and sovereign.
• 1. But the state should not be sovereign
because it will oppress.
Lecture 14.10
•
•
2.It must compete with other religious
organisations.
3. It is the people who are sovereign not the
state.
Nation
1. A Vague notion
B. Which refers to a social collectivity, the members
which share some or all of the following.
Lecture 14.11
2. A sense of common identity
3. A history
4. A language
5. Ethnic or racial origins, religion
6. An economic life
7. A geographical location
8. A political base.
Lecture 14.12
• C. However these criteria and characteristics are
often present in different degrees and
combinations.
• Nations can exist without a distinct political
identity e.g. a Welsh nation, they exist without a
defined territorial base, Jewish nation before 1948
and they can exist without common linguistic,
cultural, religious or ethnic components e.g.
Indian nation.
Lecture 14.13
• The difficulties faced in definition are
compounded by the political usage that
tends to blur the distinction between the
social and legal components of the
membership.
Lecture 14.14
• Thus membership of the United Nations
refers to political entities defined by spatial
territorial boundaries and those
groupings/peoples who fall outside this
rubric e.g. the Kurds appear therefore not to
posses the relevant criteria.
• In this, connection the term nation-state
may be more precise.
Lecture 14.15
• NATION STATE
• A. It is the dominant political entity of modern
world hence they are the primary unit of
international relations
• B. It developed in Europe between the 16th and
19th Century after the collapse of the holly Roman
Empire and the emergence of the centralised state
claiming exclusive and monopolistic authority
within a defined territory.
Lecture 14.16
• C. Historically, the fusion of nation and
state post dated the process of political
centralization and it was the 19th century
that witnessed the dovetailing of political
organisation wit a particular social grouping
which constituted a nation.
Lecture 14.17
• D.The 20th Century has witnessed what
appears to be the growing trend towards
supranational forms of political
organisation, especially on regional basis,
yet the national state is still an important
force in world politics.
Lecture 14.18
• E. However, its detractors have argued that
although it may have been the most
effective political formation in terms of
providing economic well-being, physical
security and national identity there is no
guarantee that this will continue.
Lecture 14.19
•
F. After all, the nation state is an artificial,
not a natural, construct and it may well be
that despite its unavailability.
• POWER
1. Power is one of the essentially contested
concept in the study of international
relations.
Lecture 14.20
2. It has been described by one author as a
Portmanteau concept
3. And accordingly it is difficult, if not,
impossible to define with any imprecision.
4. Understood in two:
a) Power meaning capability/Possession
b) Meaning a relationship.
Lecture 14.21
• A. Two meanings of Power
1. Control over resource-resources provide
potential to wield influence on others.
a) Military capability –quantity and quality
b) Economic Strength
c) Other tangible
resources:population,territory,geographica
l position,natural resources.
Lecture 14.22
d) Government efficiency, political systems
and leadership
e) Intangible resources:Political ideology,
national morale and national leadership.
f) Information
2. Influence over outcomes: ability of one
nation to make another do things that they
would not otherwise do.
Lecture 14.23
a) Power is always relational – power over
whom?Cannot determine whether a state has
power xcept by comparison to another state.
b) Power is always situational-Power to do
what?E.g. Brazil control over a rainforest. Brazil
has the power to get the US to forgive debt
because the US population values the rainforest.
Lecture 14.24
•
They did not have the power before even though
the rainforest existed before.
• B. Processes by which states convert power as
resources into power as influence.
1. Persuasion and Diplomacy: Try to change what
actors thinks is in its best interests
2. Positive rewards-Carrots
3. Punishments-Sticks.
Lecture 14.25
• Unrealized Power
1. In most cases states are powerful in first
instance are also powerful in the second
sense. One study of wars showed 21 wars
won by the country with large military
force. “God is always on the side with the
larger army”
Lecture 14.26
• But powerful states (many resources) often
fail to get their way against less powerful
states. Why do less powerful states win in
conflict with powerful states?Why do states
sometimes fail to convert power as a
resource into power as an influence?
Lecture 14.27
Reasons
a) Weak states have friends: melos and
sparta, Vietnam and China, Kuwait and
US.
b) Loss of strength and gradient: Distance
weakens strength on the battle ground.
Lecture 14.28
c) Resolve; power, as an influence requires
will to use power as resources. Large states
have more resources, but willing to apply
only small fraction. Small states may have
more at stake, e.g preserving sovereignty.
d) Non-fugibility and relevance of power
resources : Who is influencing whom about
what:Relational and situational
Lecture 14.29
aspects of power again. Military power works
to seize and hold territory, but not to create
loyal workers and economic wealth.One
type of power works to seize and hold
territory, but not to create loyal workers and
economic wealth.One type of power may
not be relevant to desired goal. Japan’s
economic power can influence
Lecture 14.30
economy of US but not its legal and political systems
; needs military force for that. US nuclear
weapons have not helped reduce trade deficits
with Japan actual resources n. OPEC had power
over US economy.
e) Prestige and reputation: Perceived power may less
be or more than actual resources controlled.
China,Latin America,Iraq,Russia today.
Lecture 14.31
f) Skill use: Sufficient resources to accomplish a task
and applying them.
D.Different approaches and explanations of
international relations and causes of war.
1.Realist-seeking power, fear,capabilities rather than
intentions
2. Liberal institutionalism-Obstacles to cooperation
that can be overcome under certain conditions and
with a whole lot of work, war is not inevitable.
Lecture 14.32
3. Feminist-aggressive nature of man;lack of women
in power, underlying values.
4.Constructivism-the power of ideas.
E. Capability is a necessary condition for power
relationships.Without such possession it is
impossible for an actor to obtain a complaint
behaviour and the aim of power relationship is to
seek and secure compliance.
Lecture 14.33
F. Compliant behaviour may consist of doing
something different or it consists of
continuing with a behaviour pattern that an
actor really wishes to drop.
G. In power relations, the expectation is
always made that compliance will have to
overcome resistance from target.
Lecture 14.34
H. Power relations involve one actor or a group of
actors in overcoming the resistance of another
actor or group and securing compliance.
I. Power relationships are confined to a situation of
social opposition. Their distinguishing
characteristics are that sanctions will be used to
secure compliances
Lecture 14.35
J. The sanction can be either positive or negativethus it may offer rewards or it may threaten
punishments.
K. Because power relationships involve the use of
sanctions to overcome resistance they can
properly be seen as coercive.This way it is
possible to distinguish power relationships from
influence of relationships.
Lecture 14.36
L. Influence is non coercive. Coercion can
have unpredictable results on the actor
being coerced.
M. Rather than securing compliance sanctions
can stiffen resistance and make the target
actor determined to resist in face of threats
and bribes.
Lecture 14.37
N. Threats costs more if they fail while
rewards cost more if they succeed.
O. Rewards can be seen as punitive in certain
circumstances. A state that has been
receiving foreign aid can see a sudden
suspension or reduction in aid quota as a
punishment if the cessation is linked to
demands for compliant behavior.
Lecture 14.38
P. Power relations exist overtime and
perceptions of the past can influence
reactions in the present or anticipation for
the future.
Q. Power in itself thus its legitimate. People
can pursue power as a goal or an end in
itself.
Lecture 14.39
R. Physical force represents illegitimate
power
S. Types Of Power
1. Physical force/Hard Power-ability of actor
A to influence activities of B with the use of
force so that B does what A demands.
Lecture 14.40
2. Institutional/Structural power-refers to force of
office/personality.
a) Explains who owns resources (World Bank/IMF
director vs Professor)
b) Who is able to change the behavior of the people
of Zimbabwe.
c) Some institutions by their very nature can
influence the behavior of peopleregionally/globally depending on influence they
exert.s
Lecture 14.41
3. Social power-exist in families,some have
more than others
4.Technological power
5. Will Power
6.Soft powerideas,culture,language,music,eating
habits,dress.
Lecture 14.42
T. Power is not to fixed all the time-it was one time
Greece,Ottoman Empire, France, Britain,
Germany, US, USSR….
U. A state can be powerful in one thing but not the
other.
V.Power is reflected in the UN:
1.Security Council is the body with social powermandated.
Actual power rests with p5