What is the globalisation paradigm?
world affairs have been transformed by the growth of global interconnectedness and interdependence
What are reasons for revising International Relations?
- IR has universal pretentions (how the world works), but essentially it is a Western affair (Western bias)
- Widening gap between IR theory and political practice (overspecialization, theory for the sake of theory; sometimes unnecessary
- International Relations (structure, institutions, states) has no answer to the changed, volatile nature of global politics today in particular
What reasons does Heywood give for revising International Relations?
- We have to move away from a state-centred perspective to a wider perspective
- From state-centrism to mixed-actor model (world politics too complex to focus on states alone)
- From domestic/international divide to transnationalism
- From international anarchy to ‘global governance’
What new international relations approach does the lecturer (Gerrits) give?
- We are in need of more global perspective, not focussing on the state alone
- Connect the ‘global’ with the diversity of the ‘local’/regional – politics, culture, religion, language
- Connect International Relations with History, culture, and area studies
- Go beyond Western ideas and policies
What is the traditional interpretation of the Cold War?
- Struggle between conflicting universal values/ideologies (democracy vs. communism).
- The culmination of Russian and Soviet expansionism.
- US defensive/containment policies.
What is revisionist interpretation of the Cold War?
- An ideological conflict, but with clear geopolitical and economic features. US global hegemony project.
- Soviet weakness and defensive policies.
- Cold War as a global conflict in Third World.
What is the Post-Revisionist interpretation of the Cold War?
- Less ideologically motivated, other influences too.
- Action-reaction, filling vacuum without Germany. No prime responsibility.
- A different, non-Western perspective.
How was ideology important during the Cold War?
The Cold War as a global clash of cultures, of ideas and ideologies – partly political, partly societal (ideas on how the ideal society would look)
- Ideology as policy driver: About perception, self-perception; ‘democracy’ (freedom) and the USA/’communism’ and the SU
- Ideology as policy tool: About policy effectiveness, legitimisation – Marxism in the ‘Third World’, ‘democracy’ in Eastern Europe
Why was the Cold War an arms race?
The combination of growth of science and technological know-how (energy, transport, communication, information) and all-out Great Power competition.
Two crucial components: political conflict in combination with rapid technological advance
What is Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)?
A condition in which a nuclear attack by either state would only ensure its own destruction, as both possess an invulnerable second-strike capacity
What is Détente?
The relaxation of tension between previously antagonistic states, often used to denote a phase in the Cold War
- Arms negotiations
- Political agreements
- Domestic opposition: Peace movement (West); dissident groups (Eastern Europe)
What is Arms Control?
Mechanisms through which the proliferation of nuclear arms is constrained by agreements limiting their production, distribution and use. The objective of arms control is to regulate arms levels either by limiting their growth or by restricting how they can be used.
