Comparitive Politics

Front 1

1. War is one of the means sometimes used by states to achieve their goals. There are people who argue, however, that war is unjustifiable under any circumstances. Discuss the arguments for (“just”) war, including the Bush doctrine of preventive war, and their limitations.

Back 1

1.recapturing things taken or punishing people who have done wrong
2. The injustice suffered by one side must far outweigh any injustice suffered by another.
3. War may not be used for material or economical gain.
4. Force may not be used when success isnt likely
5. Force may be used only after all peaceful alternatives have been tried over and over.
6. The Bush administration says that offensive force must be used in situations where it could prevent a much greater harm for civilization, such as the threat of nuclear war.

Hint 1

1.recapturing..
2.injustice
3.no gain
4.force may not
5.force may
6.Bush Administration

Front 2

2. Discuss the three main goals of states in the international system and how these states fare in achieving them: developed states, transitional developed states and developing states.

Back 2

1. Security
a. Survival and autonomy
2. Stability
a. Order maintenance and political development
3. Prosperity
a. Economic development and welfare distribution

Hint 2

1.s a.s
2.s a.o
3.p a.e

Front 3

3. The international state system is anarchic but not chaotic. Discuss four mechanisms of anarchy management, including the relative advantages and disadvantages of each.

Back 3

Diplomacy, Alliances, Treaties, Regimes
I. Diplomacy
- formalized interactions between two or more states
- states establish a physical presence with embassies, trade delegations, cultural centers
- permanent channels of communication
Advantages:
- less miscommunication
- peaceful handling of emerging problems
- greater cultural exchange
Disadvantages:
- diplomats exist to represent their countries & their national interests
- may use diplomacy to prolong negotiations and put off problem solving
- can lead to misunderstandings

II. Alliances
- informal/formal agreements between states to assist militarily, economically or politically
- states find their goals are often best sought through cooperation
- states find it in their own self-interest to not seem self-interested

III. Treaties
- formal, legalistic alliances
- stronger expectation of compliance
- usually military with limited membership
Advantages:
- helps assist vulnerable states through a mutual help society
- provides for better stability and transparency
Disadvantages:
- can destabilize the international system because countries must be kept in check
- states may have to fight when they don’t want to and have to defend rogue states
- may entail unaffordable financial commitments

IV. Regimes
- an agreement by countries to accept a set of norms, rules and procedures regarding a particular issue
- e.g. international trade
- GATT, WTO
- usually non-military with wider membership
Advantages:
- everyone plays by the same set of legally binding rules
- gives way to organizations
- stability and transparency
Disadvantages:
- states are not forced to comply with regulations
- there is no way to keep states inside the regime
- may conflict with national security
- a static set of rules may not be sufficient for the dynamic world
V. International Law
- constitutes the broadest attempt to formalize and constrain the behavior and interaction among states
- seeks to establish broad principles rather than specific rules
- no state will use force against another state unless it is in response to a direct attack

Hint 3

1.Diplomacy
2.Alliances
3.Treaties
4.Regimes
5.International Law

Front 4

4. What are the pros and cons of each of the three types of political economies discussed in class and the textbook (i.e., market, command and mixed)?

Back 4

Market-is an economic system in which the making and distributing of goods and services take place through free markets guided by a free price system--the producer gets to decide what, how much, and price of what he makes, not the government.

Pros – Less regulation, more efficient distribution of resources. Entrepreneurship. Ability to gain high personal income. Individualism
cons – Less regulatio
n leading to more social ills, such as pollution. A high concentration of lower incomes with a low concentration of high incomes. Selfishness.

Command-state or government manages the economy to one degree or another-state controls all major sectors of the economy

Pros – attempted equality of material possessions, income. Government can force industries to produce certain goods and services vital to the needs of the nation. Training and education for all.

Cons – Heavy regulation = Lack of entrepreneurship. Lack of initiative. Limits on commerce with other nations, individuals. Only government officials achieve high incomes.

Mixed-has both private owned and state owned enterprises

Pros – Welfare for the poor. Essential goods and services are produced. Entrepreneurship. Efficient allocation of resources. High personal incomes possible. Individualism. Training and education for all.

Cons – Less regulation leads to social ills, pollution. A high concentration of lower incomes with a low concentration of high incomes. Selfishness.

Front 5

5. China has emerged as one of the success stories in the world economy. Discuss the policies that are beginning to make China the envy of the world, as well as the limits (i.e., downsides) to the applicability of the Chinese model elsewhere (e.g., Africa).

Back 5

One-child policy helps limit population growth in order to avoid poverty (lack of resources, space, etc).

Technological achievements are encouraged to ensure China’s security.

The system of education is standardized throughout the nation, creating more equity of education.

China is one of the oldest states in the world. In spite of its diversity, China has a strong sense of identity. This sense of identity is not present in many parts of the Third World.

China has a strong state. Centralized authority in Beijing is able to project power throughout the territory of China; it can make, in other words, authoritative decisions. Many governments in the Third World, including those of Africa, are too weak and too dependent on outsiders (World Bank, IMF, etc) to make major decisions.

Thirdly, China's economic success may be connected to Chinese culture, in particular the tradition of Confucianism, which advocates, in part, obedience to authority. It is difficult to imagine China's one-child policy being implemented in Africa, which has its own view toward reproduction (children as divine recompense). Places like Africa will have to find ways to limit population growth in ways that are consonant with their cultural values.

Fourthly, China is an authoritarian, developmental state, whereas many parts of the Third World, except the Arab world, have been moving toward some sort of democratization.

Front 6

6. What are Structural Adjustment Programs? Name four components of SAPs and what they are intended to do.

Back 6

Structural adjustment is a term used to describe the policy changes carried out by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in developing countries. These policy changes are conditions for getting new loans from the IMF or World Bank, or for obtaining lower interest rates on existing loans. In general, loans from both the World Bank and the IMF are claimed to be designed to promote economic growth, to generate income, and to pay off the debt which the countries have accumulated.

Four components:
1. Improving governance and fighting corruption.
2. Devaluation of overvalued currencies.
3. Trade liberalization.
4. Balancing budgets and not overspending.

Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) are created with the goal of reducing the borrowing country's fiscal imbalances.

Front 7

7. What are the three ideologies that have dominated Western thought in the modern age, and what do these ideologies say about human nature, society and equality.

Back 7

Conservatism, Classical liberalism, and socialism.
a.Conservatism
i.Society is unequal. There is inequality throughout society, but people shouldn’t interfere with the natural order of things. Even though society is unequal, the rich have a certain obligation towards the poor because it is in their best interest and in God’s interest. Conservatives believe in God and country. They prefer slow change. They believe that society is more important than the individual.
b.Classical Liberalism
i.Human nature is rational. People are capable of pursuing their own self interest. Do not think that state should interfere in people’s pursuit of self interest.
Advocate equality of opportunity but not equality of outcome.
Equality in law but not marketplace.
c.Socialism
i.People are not innately selfish and aggressive. Humans are social and caring by nature. Most important goal for each person is to increase the collective good of all.
Most important value is the good of the society as a whole. Individual rights may then take a back seat.
Government has a crucial role in education and civil training as well as policies that provide every citizen with good material living conditions.
Equality of outcomes (material possessions, wealth)
Social and political equality for all members

Front 8

8. Discuss five types of political violence, pick any one five and make an argument in support or rejection of its use.

Back 8

Terrorism, Riots, Coup, Class Conflict, Revolution
1. Terrorism – When target of premeditated violence serving a political objective is a “noncombatant”. Bombs, chemical poisoning, kidnapping of civilians, etc.
2. Riots – Spontaneous and relatively disorganized, group violence against property, political agents, random targets, etc. Often trigged by specific incident
3. Coup – Top leader or part of leadership group is replaced by violent means or explicit threat of violence
4. Class Conflict – Intergroup violence dealing with ethnic or religious cleavage
5. Revolution – Rapid and fundamental transformation of the state organization and class structure

Terrorism is indefensible:
1. Destruction of innocent life
2. Any extreme political violence not committed by representatives of the state is illegitimate.
3. It pushes existing regime to become more aggressive and less willing to compromise.
4. Terrorism rarely succeeds in achieving its goals, historically.

Hint 8

TRRCC

Front 9

9. It has been said that, since WW II, no two democracies have been at war with one another. Why do you think this is the case, and, more generally, are some countries more prone to war than others?

Back 9

1.Democratic Norms
- Democratic culture may make the leaders accustomed to negotiation and compromise
- belief in human rights may make people in democracies reluctant to go to war, especially against other democracies
- democratic culture affects the way leaders resolve conflicts
-unlikely to choose another democratic country to go to war with because they have greater resources, which make them more likely to win wars
Democratic Political Structures
-Democracy gives influence on the decision to go to war to its people, which makes leaders more cautious of declaring a war.

2.War is more likely in states that have socialized their citizens to accept the government’s actions on national security.
Countries less well linked to the global economy are more likely to engage in war.
Countries with a high degree of nationalism are more warlike.

Front 10

10. Compare and contrast the following international organizations: the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations (UN), the World Bank, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Red Cross.

Back 10

NATO and the United Nations are the most similar among all of the aforementioned organizations. Both are governing military and governmental alliance structures put in place to help overcome the anarchy that is inherent in the international state system. However, the World Bank, WTO, and the International Red Cross are also structures put in place to help overcome this “organized anarchy”. While NATO and the UN deal mostly with governmental peace-keeping efforts, the World Bank and the WTO deal with global financing and financiers. Both the World Bank and WTO put in place policies and policy prescriptions to maintain financial security in the global community. Whereas, the International Red Cross and the UN indeed also have many things in common, such as medical aid to those in dire need. Along with the international aid of the red cross, the un also gives medical help, water, food, and living provisions to the most needy in the world. Perhaps the International Red Cross is most unlike all the other organizations in the reason that it does not support or back monetary or governmental policies or policy prescriptions.