Poli 279 notes Politics of the global south What is the global south? Part 1, developing nomenclature. Terms have boundaries, establishes what subject matter is contained within it and what is not Essentially contested concepts, a term can have different definitions and be used in different ways. No consensus on definition, and no consensus for application (how you use it to describe the real world) Ex. Political scientists cannot agree on what the term “politics” means and disagree frequently. With essentially contested concepts, even the subject matter that definitions try to describe are contested and debated about. Definitions are multi-paradigmatic Multi-paradigmatic means essentially contested. Defines the world and analyzes the world, tries to offer a more compelling explanation of the world (think of realism, liberalism, dependency theory etc.) Historically specific: Language is specific to a time period. So, terms and definitions are the product of a historical period (people are trying to understand the world in its current state). Example: International relations should be renamed global studies (or something else) as it does not describe the current system properly. Global South is an essentially contested concept. Has a lot of definitional variation. Global south is historically specific (made in 1970s/1980s). North-south axis was realized, and people wanted to describe it. North-South dialogue, the southern states wanted to change the international system so that they could develop. Another reason the term global south emerged was the decline/collapse of the cold war. The terms that were used to describe it were no longer appropriate. This need to change terms was caused by the end of the second world (collapse of the USSR), since the second world disappeared, the term third world was not applicable anymore. New terms were needed to describe the new situation left behind by the end of the cold war. Part 2: Third world Spatio-temporal origins - Alfred Sauvy Poli 279 notes Based on how he saw the world, he thought the world should be divided into 3 parts. First world, second world and third world. In August 1952, he introduces the idea of “worlds” in an article. These terms he coined reflects his interests, concerns, biases. Historical Specificity: - - Second World War Decolonization, Empires (America, Europe, Japan) gave up their hold on territories, involuntary or voluntarily. Cold War, Due to a change in balance of power after the world war, the world ended up in an East vs West divide. The East was aligned with the USSR and the West was led by the United States. The term third world presupposes the existence of three worlds The term third world referred to countries that were previously colonized (post-colonial) Western bias Essentially contested term Bandung Conference 1955 The conference created the non-aligned movement (NAM) China, while aligning itself by Marxist-lenin ideas, did not want to be ‘controlled’ by the USSR and joined NAM. Third Option – An alternative term to Third World. It defied the idea of third world, by stating that every country has its own unique development model. Third World criticized for being too ethnocentric North-South was emerging to due an inequality in the distribution of wealth within the world. The south call for rectification to fix the economic imbalances. The NIEO (new international economic order) and the G-77. 77 states wanted to negotiate a reconfiguration of the economic system to address the inequality concerns around the world. What came out of this was a north-south dialogue. UN forms the Independent commission for international development issue in 1977-1979. Willy Brandt headed the commission. Brandt reports (1980:1983) South Commission (1987-1990), headed by Julius Nyerere. Poli 279 notes Challenge to the South (1990) - Heterogenous Global South, all the states are different but do have common characteristics: - Lagging Development Poverty Low Health Standards Infrastructural deficit Low access to education (“Brain Drain”) High Degree of Vulnerability caused by circular and cumulative causation (idea developed by Gunner Myrdal) Asymmetry between north and south. The north is always going to make economic deals that benefits itself and not the south. Empire and Imperialism Part A: Significance 1, Formation of state and international system 2. Post-colonial development 3. International relations Part B: Power 1. - Significance Central organizing concept Focus of theoretical debate Objective/goal of states and non-state actors Classification of states and state systems Characteristics of Power 1. Ubiquitous 2. Power produces consequences 3. Power is a resource that empowers (ex. Autonomy) 4. Conceptions of power, Negative vs Positive view Negative: The ability to overcome others that try to impede what they’re trying to do and make others do what they normally would not do. Positive: Get everyone together to collaborate on something that will benefit everyone Forms of Power Poli 279 notes Two forms of power. Hard Power: Tangible Power Soft Power: Intangible Power Empire and imperialism Part I: Power Part II: Empire A. Comparative Comments: 1. Geographical dispersions - Non-Contiguous Vs Contiguous Western empires were non-contiguous geographically compared to non-western. Their territories were not proximal as they were far away from the host empire. Western empires were trans-oceanic/saltwater empires (across oceans). 2. Western empires were highly competitive - Economic assets, military assets enabled them to constrain and outcompete non-western empires. 3. Transformative - Western empires transformed conquered territories culturally, politically/legally, economically. They attempted to remake these countries. New flora, new fauna. Alfred W. Crosby, Ecological imperialism. Alfred suggests that these western empires created neo-Europes, literally trying to make everything similar even down to the animals (flora + fauna). B. Empire (What makes an Empire?): 1. Spatial Entities (Contiguous or non-contiguous) 2. Composite Entity (consists of societies or peoples that were previously independent), amalgam of different territories and people/societies that are ideologically, culturally, politically distinct. 3. Systems of conquest. Territories are acquired through the conquest of people. o Done in two ways o Intimidation (Gunboat diplomacy) o Compellance – to exercise force, physical force to mak societies join the empire. Poli 279 notes Thucydides Ex. Sprata + Athens Melian Dialogue 4. Systems of domination - Asymmetrical distribution of power 5. System of exploitation Part III Imperialism - As practice/process As Idea Part IV Forms of Empire 1. Formal Empire o Colony, a previously independent people and territory that resides outside of the imperial society’s territory. Contiguous to the imperial society or non-contiguous. These ▪ Colonies are non-sovereign entities. o Systems of Rule ▪ Direct Rule ▪ Indirect Rule (ecole colonial, penetrated polity) 2. Informal Empire o Made up of juridically sovereign states (legally independent) o Imperialism without colonies (Magdoff) o Informal empires referred to as leaseholds. Forcing states to lease them land for a certain amount of time. o Protectorate. A protectorate is when the dominant state takes over a subordinate’s state’s control over its own military and foreign affairs. o Sphere of influence consists of JSS or a group of JSS’s over which a dominant state exerts control over. Ex. Monroe Doctrine (1823) Part 5: Imperial Motivations 1. Economic Motivation Poli 279 notes 2. 3. 4. 5. Prestige Motivation Strategic Motivation Proselytizing Motivation Demographic Motivation Western Imperialism Phase I: Mercantilism Mercantilism o o - Europe 15th-18th centuries Assumptions o Resource Scarcity ▪ Inter-state Competition o Bullionism ▪ Bullion (Specie) – means raw gold or silver ▪ Specie means money, as in you can make money out of gold or silver o Empire Building ▪ Resource Extraction ▪ Trade o Autarky (self-suffiency) ▪ Self Sufficiency / Balance of trade surplus (positive) ▪ Mercantilists realize autarky is impossible and some amount of interdependence is required to get resources you’re unable to extract. • Asymmetrical Interdependence / Balance of payments surplus o Mercantilists want to balance payment surplus and trade surplus. Importing less and exporting more. o Statism ▪ State Intervention in/management of national economy ▪ Done in the state’s interest. ▪ Protectionism • One way to enforce this, is levying tariffs (taxing goods, raises prices of foreign imports) ▪ Quotas. ▪ Strategic Industries. ▪ Brain Drains Mercantilism Causes Poli 279 notes - - - - War Making o Bellicist Theory ▪ Charles Tilly • “The state made war but war made the state” o Resource Scarcity ▪ Countries had to go to war because of scarce resources (inter-state competition), a zero-sum game. o Anarchy ▪ The international system was anarchy. An order that is characterized by an absence of supranational authority. State-Making o Taxes to fund war o Borrowing to make up a deficit if there is not enough taxes ▪ This requires a good banking system o Military-Industry Complex ▪ Needed industry for war by making weapons, uniforms. o Bureaucracy Resource Depletion Technological innovation o Using better technology to extract resources o Ex. Ship building ▪ Ship building allowed European states to become trans-oceanic o Navigation o Military ▪ Must be able to outcompete peoples to get access to their resources Social Motivations o Population pressure caused Europeans to expand outwards o Moors ▪ Reconquista • Conquistadors o Castille + Aragon Western Imperialism Phase II Industrial revolution - Western Europe, US, Japan Late 18th-20th centuries Agarian to industrial economy Characteristics - Energy Production Socio-demographic (urbanization) Poli 279 notes - - - - - - - o Working class emerges Transportation revolution o Steam ships Communication Revolution o Telegraph o Telephones Water ways o Sues canal o Panama Canal Over Production and Under consumption o Theory made by J.A.Hobson and Lenin o Europeans are producing so much inventory but Europeans are not consuming it. o Europeans are immiserated, they are displeased and may engage in a revolution. o Europeans ‘export’ their problems abroad to get rid of their problems. Colonial Division of Labour o Core states o Periphery states o Core states disarticulate non-European societies and rearticulate them into something that serves European interests o Uneven development, the core stats develop so much faster than periphery states. o Unequal exchange Scramble for Africa Scramble for concessions (China) o Century of humiliation ▪ 1842-1949: Unequal Treaties ▪ Treaty Port System • Revises Qhuangdo system • Westerners could now remain in china as long as they wanted and go wherever they wanted. • New ideologies entered china • Foreign Military could occupy China ▪ Extra territoriality • A foreign resident (or companies) in a host state is not subject to the laws of that state ▪ Reparations • A cost that a loser of war pays to the winning, to cover the losses incurred in the war. Power Empire Imperialism Poli 279 notes -
