L-22-Key-Concepts-in-International-Relations-(PSIR)-(QEP-2025)

He is a founding realist in International Relations, known for classifying national interest into vital and non-vital categories.

"National interest is the key to understanding a state's objectives in global affairs."

Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics, 2004

After Hegemony: Cooperation and Discord in the World Political Economy, 1984

The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, 2001

Theory of International Politics, 1979

The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, 1996

The End of History and the Last Man, 1992

Politics Among Nations, 1948

"Security is the supreme goal of states... the condition enabling pursuit of freedom and welfare."

"Security denotes the relative absence of threats to acquired values."

Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics, 2004

Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch, 1795

Social Theory of International Politics, 1999

Ole Wæver, Ken Booth: Challenges state-centric views, focusing on power structures, marginalization, and discourses. Critiques militarized responses that worsen human insecurity, e.g., securitization of migration.

Cynthia Enloe, Carol Cohn: Highlights gender-based violence, women's experiences in conflict, and reproductive rights. Advocates for addressing gendered impacts of war and conflict.

Mahbub ul Haq, Amartya Sen: Shifts focus to individual security from poverty, disease, environmental degradation, and displacement. Promotes global efforts to address non-military threats to human well-being.

Joshua Busby: Recognizes climate change as a driver of insecurity through resource scarcity and displacement; e.g., Sahel region conflicts (2024) linked to climate stress.

Robert Jervis: When offensive capabilities outweigh defensive ones, states adopt aggressive postures, deepening the security dilemma.

Environmental Security; 'Climate change and environmental degradation are security risks.'

Both coercion and attraction; 'Power is the ability to influence outcomes and shape international events.'

Protecting digital infrastructure from cyber threats; e.g., 2010 Stuxnet attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Transnational Threats; '9/11 attacks redefined global counterterrorism efforts.'

Smart Power (2004)

Sharp Power (2017)

Fast Power emphasizes speed, agility, and technological edge in global affairs, focusing on technological innovation, agile diplomacy, economic agility, and crisis management.

Aníbal Quijano draws from indigenous, non-Western frameworks, exemplified by India's 2024 G20 cultural diplomacy asserting a distinct civilizational identity.

Morgenthau notes that the balance of power serves to manage and limit dominance in international relations, promoting global stability by curbing unilateral dominance.

Internal Balancing refers to states enhancing power independently through military and economic buildup, exemplified by Germany's post-WWII reconstruction.

The U.S.-China Rivalry illustrates how the US and allies counter China's rise, especially in the Asia-Pacific, through military presence and alliances.

NATO's eastern expansion counters Russian aggression, reflecting balancing dynamics in Europe during the Ukraine war.

The Quad, consisting of the US, India, Japan, and Australia, aims to balance China's strategic influence in the Indo-Pacific.

The EU leverages collective economic power to balance other global actors in trade and diplomacy.

The US emerged as a unipolar power post-Soviet collapse, where global opposition failed to deter US action in the Iraq War (2003).

Theory of International Politics (1979)

Unipolar moment (1990)

Multipolarity (2020)

Bipolarity (1990)

MAD prevents direct conflict between nuclear-armed states due to the certainty of mutual annihilation.

Kenneth Waltz is known for his work on Neorealism, published in 1979.

John Mearsheimer's work is titled 'The Tragedy of Great Power Politics', published in 2001.

Richard Rosecrance is known for 'The Rise of the Trading State', published in 1999.

Joseph Nye's key concept is soft power, and he states, 'Soft power is the ability to attract and co-opt rather than coerce.'

Barry Buzan is known for his analysis on multipolarity, emphasizing its complexity and instability, published in 2004.

Charles Kindleberger's work is titled 'The World in Depression', published in 1973.

Robert Gilpin is known for 'War and Change in World Politics', published in 1981.

Robert Keohane - After Hegemony, 1984

Charles Kindleberger - The World in Depression, 1973

"The absence of a hegemon leads to instability in the international system." - Robert Keohane

Saskia Sassen - Globalization and Its Discontents, 1998

"Transnational actors are crucial in shaping global governance and policy." - Saskia Sassen

Shape global and national policies on climate change, trade, and human rights.

Foster cross-border understanding and cooperation.

Promote development and poverty reduction.

Initiatives like the 2024 Global Compact drive public-private efforts toward SDGs and global policy frameworks.

Sees transnational actors as marginal or tools of state interests; states remain dominant.

Highlights their role in enhancing global governance, cooperation, and democratization.

Focuses on how they shape global norms, identities, and values.

View MNCs as agents of global capitalism, perpetuating inequality and exploitation.

MNCs and IGOs influence domestic policies; e.g., WTO norms pressuring national governments.

MNCs drive global trade and investment, binding states into interconnected supply chains.

Cross-border campaigns on rights and environment challenge state policies and ideologies.

Transnational crime and terrorism require international cooperation, often diluting unilateral state control.

Digital networks erode state control over information, challenging governance.

States must increasingly align policies with global agreements on climate, health, and trade, impacting sovereignty.

They discuss 'transgovernmental relations' which highlights how MNCs influence policymaking through lobbying and corporate diplomacy.

She accuses MNCs of fostering inequality, environmental harm, cultural homogenization, and undermining state sovereignty.

Collective security is a system where states collectively commit to counter aggression, based on the principle that an attack on one is an attack on all.

1. Universal/Near-Universal Membership: Broad participation prevents domination and strengthens legitimacy.

2. Strong Member Commitment: Success hinges on states' readiness to act when principles are violated.

3. Efficient Decision-Making: Timely and clear processes enable effective responses to crises.

4. Enforcement Capability: Requires sufficient military and economic resources to implement decisions.

5. Shared Perception of Interests: Member states must see alignment between collective security and their own national interests.

Collective security is generally linked to the UN Charter, emphasizing that peace is a shared responsibility where an attack on one is considered an attack on all.

Balance of power maintains peace by preventing dominance through counterbalancing, involving flexible alliances and military build-ups.

"Peace is a shared responsibility; attack on one = attack on all."

"Peace is maintained by preventing dominance through counterbalancing."

E.H. Carr stated that the League was an alliance of victors, not truly universal.

John Mearsheimer argues that powerful states manipulate the system, as seen with NATO bypassing the UNSC in Kosovo 1999.