Chapter 7: CONTENPORARY MAINSTREAM APPROACHES: NEO-REALISM AND NEO-LIBERALISM By Baylis 5 th edition INTRODUCTION p. 116 Neo-realism and neo-liberalism are the progeny of realism and liberalism respectively - neo-realism refers to Kenneth Waltz s Theory of International Politics importance of structure of international system and its role as the primary of state behaviour - neo-liberalism refers to neo-liberal institutionalism/ institutional theory by those writing in this theoretical domain - most Western states joined US-led chorus to enlarge the community of democratic and capitalist nation-state - National interest take precedence over morality and universal ideals - Economic interest are given priority over geopolitical ones - Robert Keohane neo-liberalism institutionalist borrows equally from realism and liberalism - Neo-realist theory focuses on issues of military security and war - Neo-liberalism theorists focus on issues of cooperation, international political economy and the environment How to promote/support cooperation in anarchic and competitive international system - Neo-realist- how to survive in this system NEO-REALISM p. 117 Waltz s theory of structural realism only one version of neo-realism - 2 nd modern realist profile - 3 rd security studies STRUCTURAL REALISM - Realism is primarily an inductive theory - Structure the ordering principle of international system, which is anarchy and distribution of capabilities across units which are states - India and Pakistan s nuclear testing would be anarchy or lack common power or central authority to enforce rules and maintain order - Realist-power an end in itself - Many states leaders believe they can resolve their difference by force - Power gives states a place or position in international system Pg. 118 states will seek to maintain position or placement in the system
- Waltz central mechanism for order in the system is balance of power - Neo-realist all states experience same constraints presented by anarchy and strive to maintain their position in the system - Realist states react to condition according to size, location, politics, leadership qualities Pg. 119 Belgium, China s constraints of anarchy in need for security to protect national interest - Belgium small, limited resources so join alliance - China major power, pursue a unilateral strategy of increase military RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE GAIN - Grieco states interested in increasing power and influence so they cooperate with other states (absolute gains) States concerned on how much power and influence other states have or gain (relative gains) - Neo-liberals states fail to follow rules and cheat won t have cooperation - Neo-realism 2 barriers to cooperation: cheating and relative gains SECURITY STUDIES AND NEO-REALISM - John Mearsheimer suggest relative power not absolute important to states (offensive realist) - Bush stopped the threat by telling World about Iraq weapons War unnecessary cause containment of Iraq working and no strategic rationale for this war Cost of war outweighs benefits - Defensive neo-realist conflict unnecessary Leaders never certain that an aggressive by a state is an expansionary action Easy to find national interest might converge and become basis of cooperation and institution building - Defensive neo-realist concerned about cheating NEO-LIBERALISM p. 121 David Baldwin 4 varieties of liberalism that influence contemporary international relations: commercial, republican, sociology, liberal institutionalism - commercial liberalism free trade, market and capitalist economy to peace - Neo-liberal orthodoxy free trade, private property rights, free market lead to richer world - Republican liberalism democratic states less likely to go to war, inclined to citizens right - Sociological liberalism notion of community and the process of interdependence - Neo-liberal institution believe states have mutual interest THE NEO-NEO DEBATE
- Neo-realist and neo-liberals share an epistemology focus on similar questions and agree on some assumptions - Institutional theory a half-sibling of neo-realism - Neo-neo agreements International system is anarchic Anarchy means no common authority Anarchy encourage states to act unilaterally and promote self-help behaviour - Scholars suggest difference between neos, they study different worlds Neo-liberals economy, environment, human rights issues Neo-realists high politics issues WHAT IS LEFT OUT OF THE DEBATE? Pg. 124 issue of political culture, identity, domestic political games must be considered - 2 world wars prompted Europeans to build an economic community - Neither theory explore possibilities of states learning and shifting from a traditional self-interest perspective to common interests - Possible that political activities shifting away from state NEO-LIBERALS AND NEO-REALISTS ON GLOBALIZATION p. 125 states still monopoly over legal use of coercive power - Waltz globalization presents new policy challenges, denies states being pushed away - Most neo-realist globalization challenge sovereignty p. 126 transnational social movements, global advocacy networks shifted many political issues away from the state - Globalization among neo-liberals Free-market commercial Academic neo-liberal institutionalism promotes regimes of managing globalization process
Neo-realist - Anarchy more constraints on foreign policy. - They minimize the importance of international interdependence, globalization, and the regimes - International cooperation hard to achieve, difficult to maintain - Dependent on state power - Fundamental goal of states in cooperative relationships is to prevent others from gaining more Neo-liberalism - Minimize the importance of survival as the goal of each state - Cooperation is easy where states have mutual interests - Common interests will maximize absolute gains. - Overlook the importance of relative gains - Maximize the total amount of gains for all parties
. - Anarchy requires states to be preoccupied with relative power, security, survival in competition - Emphasize the power of states over the intentions and interests of states - Uncertainty about the intentions of other states forces states to focus on their capabilities - Do not mitigate the constraining effects of anarchy on cooperation - Concerned with economic welfare and non-military issue (environment) - Emphasize intentions and preferences - Institutions and regimes significant forces - Exaggerate the impact of regimes and institutions on state behaviour - The facilitate cooperation - Dominate the security studies area - State-centric view of foreign policy - IR as a world of cooperation and conflict - Foreign policy dominated by security and survival issues - Egoistic value maximize - States work to establish regimes and institutions if they serve their interests (absolute gains) - Will we all gain from cooperation but who will gain more? - Foreign policy about managing complex interdependence and the various processes of globalization - Institutions can promote foreign policy agenda, facilitate policy making, encourage cooperation at local, national, international levels - Expect an increase in the number of institutions and an increase in cooperative behaviour