IR201 Introduction to International Relations Spring 2011 Paul Bacon
Lecture Notes for Nye, Chapter Seven
It can be argued that economics will become/has become more important in world
politics after the Cold War:
- The costs of communication and transportation have declined, and shrunk
the effects of distance.
- The role of markets has also increased as a result of new information
technologies and transportation technologies.
-
Global networks of economic interdependence have developed as a result.
Nearly half of all industrial output today is produced by multinational
enterprises.
The decisions of these MNCs about where to locate have a powerful effect
on domestic economies and politics.
There is a deep and deepening faultline between those who have the skills
and mobility to flourish in global markets, and those who don’t.
Is geoeconomics replacing geopolitics?
However, it is necessary to remind ourselves of the enduring significance of politics:
-
All markets operate within a political framework. Global markets depend
on the international structure of power.
Security is like oxygen – you only miss it when it is not there. (Japan-US?)
Economic sanctions are not as effective as military sanctions.
Globalization and economic interdependence have surged before, but this
did not prevent subsequent world wars and global economic depression.
Moreover, globalization does not equal universality:
- There is extremely unequal access to the Internet.
- There is extremely unequal access to mobile phones.
-
Globalization is accompanied by large and growing gaps between the rich
and the poor.
This is true within rich and poor countries, and between rich and poor
countries.
Globalization does not necessarily mean that we are all becoming the same,
or all becoming more equal.
The effects of globalization can also be exaggerated. (Toronto)
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Globalization does not at all necessarily imply the creation of a world community:
- Increased contact might make us more aware of our similarities and shared
interests, as some liberals believe.
- But increased contact is just as likely to make us more aware of our
differences, and lead to conflict, according to some.
- It is argued that migrant communities from one civilization have difficulty
becoming accepted or assimilated in other civilizations.
- One of the defining features of the international relations of the 2000s has
been the War on Terror, and the (perceived) conflict between (some
versions) of Islam and (parts of) the West.
Nye also argues that debates about globalization should not only focus on the economic
dimension. There are four other types of globalization to consider: social, political,
military, and environmental.
In terms of social globalization, we should recognize:
- The importance of migration
- The spread of the Enlightenment worldview
- The spread of the scientific method
-
The increase in the number of countries which have become democratic
The emergence of a global cosmopolitan culture
But we should also recognize the influence of four of the great world religions;
Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and reflect on how important religious
issues remain to some of the key problems we face.
In terms of political globalization, nevertheless, we should acknowledge that certain
views have become widely accepted:
- Constitutionalism
-
Democracy
Human rights
Institutionalization
(Neo-liberal economics?)
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Military globalization refers to networks of interdependence in which force, or the
threat of force, is employed. Two important examples of military sensitivity to
interdependence, which work in slightly different ways, include:
- Mutually assured nuclear destruction between the two superpowers during
the Cold War.
- The vulnerability of advanced societies to terrorism.
In terms of environmental globalization, we need to be aware of our interdependent
vulnerability to disease. Examples include:
-
-
Black Death, which spread from Asia to Europe, and was responsible for
the deaths of a quarter to a third of the European population.
A flu epidemic in 1918 which killed some 40 million people, more than
twice the number of people who died in WWI, and within the range of
those thought to have been killed in WWII.
In the 20 years since HIV/AIDS was identified in the 1980s, some 20
million people died (again, more than died in WWI).
We also need to think about our collective interdependence in connection with the issue
of climate change:
-
Thousands of scientists from more than 100 countries recently argued that
global warming exists, and that this global warming is caused by humans.
Average global temperatures are predicted to rise between 2.5 and 10
degrees Fahrenheit in the 21st century.
The earth is populated with 6 billion people, and the natural and human
systems that provide us with fuel, food and fiber are strongly influenced by
climate.
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Other terms we (you) need to understand from this chapter include:
Network effect
System effect
Pluralization
Interdependence
Complex interdependence
Interdependence asymmetry
Interdependence sensitivity
Interdependence vulnerability
Absolute gains
Relative gains
Under conditions of complex interdependence, according to Keohane and Nye:
1. Transnational actors are increasingly important. States are coherent units.
2. Military force is less useful than in the past. Economic and institutional
instruments are often more useful.
3. Military security less important, and welfare issues increasingly important.
According to Joseph Nye, international relations is now a multi-level chessboard.
There are three levels:
1. Political
2. Economic
3. Transnational
Issues of interdependence arise within each of the levels, but also across them.
For example:
- Nuclear deterrence between the superpowers
- Japan, China and US Treasury bonds.
-
The US, China, Japan and Eurobonds
The soft power of democracy/Al Qaeda/Wikileaks
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