Structural Realism - International Relations (1/7)

Summary

The speaker, a structural realist, argues that the anarchic nature of the international system compels states to pursue power for security. States, especially China, aim for regional dominance to avoid vulnerability. The U.S. and other nations resist such hegemony, leading to intense security competition. Despite China's economic rise, the speaker predicts non-peaceful ascendancy based on realist theory.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ Structural Realism: The speaker believes that the structure and architecture of the international system largely explain state behavior, rather than domestic politics or the composition of individual states.
• 🌐 Anarchic System: States exist in an anarchic international system with no higher authority to turn to if they encounter trouble, driving them to pursue power for survival.
• 💪 Power and Security: To avoid vulnerability in the anarchic system, states strive to be as powerful as possible to ensure their security and dominance.
• 🇺🇸 Example of the USA: The United States dominates the Western Hemisphere and faces no significant threats from its neighbors, showcasing the ideal powerful state scenario.
• 🔍 Realism Theories: Realism is divided into human nature realism, which attributes conflict to human nature, and structural realism, which attributes it to the international system's structure.
• 👥 Human Nature Realists: These theorists, like Hans Morgenthau, believe that humans are hardwired to pursue power, leading to international conflict.
• 🏗️ Structural Realists: These theorists, like the speaker and Ken Waltz, believe that the lack of a higher authority and uncertainty about other states' intentions drive states to engage in security competition.
• 🎯 Parsimonious Theory: Realism provides simple explanations for major international events, focusing on a few key factors to explain complex phenomena like World Wars.
• 🐉 China's Rise: The speaker believes that as China grows economically, it will seek to translate that power into military dominance in Asia, similar to the US in the Western Hemisphere.
• 🛡️ US-China Competition: The United States and China's neighbors will likely work to contain China's rise and prevent it from dominating Asia, leading to intense security competition.

Q & A

What is the core belief of a structural realist?

A structural realist believes that the structure and architecture of the international system largely explain how states behave, rather than domestic politics or the composition of individual states.

Why do states in an anarchic system pursue power according to the speaker?

States pursue power in an anarchic system to ensure their survival and security, as there is no higher authority to turn to for help, and they can never be certain about the intentions of other states.

What is the difference between human nature realism and structural realism?

Human nature realism attributes aggressive behavior to inherent human traits, like Morgenthau's 'animus dominandi', while structural realism, as the speaker explains, attributes it to the lack of a higher authority and the uncertainty of other states' intentions in the international system.

Why does the speaker believe that the United States does not fear attacks from its neighbors?

The speaker believes the United States does not fear attacks due to its overwhelming power in the Western hemisphere, which deters any potential adversaries.

What does the speaker suggest is the ideal situation for a state in the international system?

The ideal situation for any state, according to the speaker, is to be as powerful as possible to avoid vulnerability and ensure survival in an anarchic system.

How does the speaker describe the theory of realism?

The speaker describes realism as a parsimonious and simple theory that provides straightforward explanations for significant events in international politics, particularly related to war and peace.

What does the speaker predict about China's rise and its implications for Asia?

The speaker predicts that China's economic rise will translate into military might and that China will attempt to dominate Asia, much like the United States dominates the Western hemisphere.

What is the United States' likely response to China's attempt to dominate Asia according to the speaker?

The speaker suggests that the United States will go to great lengths to prevent China from dominating Asia, as it does not tolerate peer competitors.

Why would China's neighbors join the United States in containing China's dominance in Asia?

China's neighbors would join the United States to contain China because they would not want a powerful, potentially hegemonic neighbor and would prefer to maintain a balance of power in the region.

What is the speaker's view on whether China can rise peacefully?

The speaker's view, based on his theory of structural realism, is that China cannot rise peacefully due to the inherent competitive nature of the international system and the pursuit of power by states.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Structural Realism and International Anarchy

The speaker identifies as a structural realist, emphasizing the impact of the international system's structure on state behavior. They argue that the anarchic nature of the system, lacking a higher authority, compels states to pursue power to ensure their security. The unpredictability of other states' intentions and the absence of a protective overseer make power accumulation a state's top priority. The United States is cited as an example of a powerful state that enjoys security due to its dominance in the Western hemisphere. The speaker distinguishes between human nature realism, which attributes conflict to inherent human traits, and structural realism, which views the system's architecture as the cause of aggressive state behavior.

05:02

📚 Theoretical Perspectives on International Politics

This paragraph delves into the core questions of international politics, which the speaker believes revolve around war and peace. Realism, particularly structural realism, is praised for its simplicity and ability to provide straightforward explanations for significant events like World Wars. The speaker asserts that the most important theories should address major issues and be parsimonious, using minimal factors to explain complex phenomena. The potential rise of China and its implications for regional dominance is discussed, with the prediction that China will seek to translate economic strength into military power and establish hegemony in Asia. The United States and China's neighbors are expected to resist this dominance, leading to intense security competition, reflecting the structural realist view that great powers will always strive for regional supremacy.

Keywords

💡Structural Realism

Structural Realism is a theory in international relations that posits the structure of the international system, rather than human nature, dictates state behavior. It is the main theme of the video, as the speaker identifies as a structural realist and explains that the anarchic nature of the international system compels states to pursue power to ensure survival. The concept is exemplified when discussing why states strive to be as powerful as possible within an anarchic system.

💡Anarchic System

An anarchic system refers to the lack of a central authority governing states in international relations. The speaker uses this term to describe the condition where states must rely on themselves for security due to the absence of a higher authority. This concept is central to the video's argument that states are driven to accumulate power to protect themselves from potential threats.

💡Power

In the context of the video, power is the capability of a state to influence others and defend itself. The speaker argues that the pursuit of power is a fundamental aspect of state behavior in an anarchic system. The term is repeatedly emphasized to explain why states, like the United States and potentially China, seek to dominate their respective regions.

💡Security Competition

Security competition is the rivalry between states to ensure their own safety and security. The speaker mentions this concept to illustrate the dynamic of states trying to outpace each other in terms of military and economic strength, driven by the uncertainties and potential threats of an anarchic system.

💡Hegemon

A hegemon is a state with overwhelming influence or authority over others, often a dominant regional power. The script discusses the aspirations of China to become a hegemon in Asia, as per the logic of structural realism, to ensure its security and influence in the international system.

💡Human Nature Realism

Human Nature Realism is a theory attributing aggressive state behavior to inherent human traits, such as the desire for power. The speaker contrasts this with structural realism, arguing that it is the structure of the international system, not human nature, that is the primary cause of conflict and competition.

💡Parsimonious Theory

A parsimonious theory is one that uses a minimal number of assumptions to explain phenomena. The speaker praises realism for being parsimonious, offering simple explanations for complex international events, such as wars, which is a key reason for the theory's appeal.

💡Vulnerability

Vulnerability, in the script, is the risk faced by weaker states in an anarchic system due to the lack of protection from a higher authority. The speaker uses the term to describe the predicament of states that do not possess sufficient power to deter aggression or coercion by more powerful neighbors or states.

💡Containment

Containment is a strategy used by one or more states to prevent another state's expansion or influence. The speaker predicts that the United States and China's neighbors will engage in containment to prevent China from dominating Asia, mirroring the Cold War strategy used against the Soviet Union.

💡Night Watchman

The term 'night watchman' is used metaphorically in the script to represent the absence of a protective authority in the international system. The speaker uses this concept to emphasize the self-help nature of the anarchic system, where states must rely on their own power for security.

💡Peer Competitor

A peer competitor is a state that is considered an equal in terms of power and influence. The speaker mentions that the United States does not tolerate peer competitors, particularly in reference to China's potential rise as a dominant power in Asia, which would challenge the U.S.'s position.

Highlights

Structural realism posits that the structure and architecture of the international system largely determine state behavior.

Domestic politics and the internal composition of states have minimal influence on their international behavior.

Anarchy in the international system compels states to seek power to ensure security against potential threats.

States aim for regional dominance to mitigate vulnerability in the absence of a higher authority.

The United States exemplifies a powerful state with no fear of attack due to its dominance in the Western hemisphere.

Realism differentiates between human nature realism and structural realism in explaining state behavior.

Human nature realists attribute conflict to an innate desire for power, while structural realists focus on the system's lack of authority.

Realism offers parsimonious theories that provide simple explanations for significant events like World Wars.

The primary concern of realism is to address the fundamental questions of war and peace.

China's economic rise is expected to translate into military power and a pursuit of regional hegemony in Asia.

The United States is unlikely to tolerate a peer competitor dominating Asia and will act to prevent it.

China's neighbors will likely join the U.S. in an effort to contain China's dominance in Asia.

The speaker predicts an intense security competition between China and the U.S., along with China's neighbors.

The speaker questions the possibility of China's peaceful rise based on the principles of realism.

The importance of theory in predicting future events in international politics is emphasized.

Realism's ability to provide insights into major events makes it an attractive and relevant theory.

Transcripts

Basically, what I am is a structural realist. I'm a person who believes that it's the structure

of the international system, it's the architecture

of the international system, that explains in large

part how states behave. Another way to say that is, I do not believe that domestic politics,

I do not believe that the composition or the make-up

of individual states matters very much for how those states behave on a day-to-day basis, in international politics.

And to be a bit more specific about this,

I believe the fact that states live in what we call an

anarchic system - that's a system where there's no higher authority that those states can

turn to if they get into trouble - that fact, coupled

with the fact that states can never be certain that

they won't end up living next door to a really powerful state that has malign intentions,

All of that causes states to do everything they can

to be as powerful as possible. And again, the

reason that you want to be very powerful, that you want to pursue power, that you want

to dominate your region of the world, is because

in that situation, there is no other state that is

capable of hurting you. If you're small and you're weak in the international

system, that means you're vulnerable. If you don't have a lot of power, what happens

is that the big, the powerful state is in a position

where they can take advantage of you. And again, because the system is anarchic, because

there's no higher authority that sits above states, there's nobody that you can turn to.

There's no night watchman that you can call on the

telephone to come and help you. So you're in a

very vulnerable situation, and the way to avoid that is to be very powerful.

And to give you a good example that really highlights this, think about the United States

of America in the Western hemisphere.

The United States is by far the most powerful country in

the Western hemisphere. It has the Canadians on its northern border. It has the Mexicans

on its southern border. It has fish on its eastern

border and fish on its western border. No American ever goes to bed at night worrying

about another country attacking it, and the reason is because the United States is so

powerful. So the ideal situation for any state in the

international system, is to be as powerful as possible.

Because that's the best way to survive in a system where there's no higher authority,

no night watchman, and where you can never be certain

that you won't end up living next door to another country that has malign intentions

and a lot of military power. In the world of realism, there are basically

two sets of theories. What one might call the

human nature realist theories and the structural realist theories. The human nature realists

and Hans Morgenthau, of course, would be the most

prominent example of this school of thought,

believe that human beings are hardwired with what Morgenthau called an animus dominandi.

To put this is slightly different terms, Morgenthau was saying that all human beings are born

with a Type A personality, and when they get into power, what they want to do is pursue

power as an end in itself. So in that story, it's human nature, it's the way human beings

are born that causes all this conflict in the

international system. That's a very different way of thinking about

the world than the structural realist argument. Structural realists like me and like Ken Waltz

believe that it is the structure of the international system, it is the architecture of the system,

not human nature, that causes states to behave aggressively. That's what causes states to

engage in security competition. It's the fact that

there's no higher authority above states, and that states can never be certain that

another state won't come after them militarily somewhere

down the road that drives these states to engage in security competition.

So although both realist schools of thought lead to the same form of behaviour, which

is a rather aggressive kind of competition, the

root causes are different in the two stories.

Again, on one side, you have the human nature realists who focus on the way human beings are

hardwired, and on the other side, you have the structural realists, who focus on the

basic way that the system is organised

My view is that the most important questions in international politics are what a theory

should be concerned with, and there are really only

a few big questions out there that matter. And

these questions largely involve war and peace. And I think one of the great advantages of

realism is that it has a lot to say. It doesn't provide perfect answers, but it has a lot

to say about the big questions in international politics.

And one of the attractions of realism is that it is a parsimonious theory, which is a

sophisticated way of saying it's a simple theory. Realism is easy to understand. A handful

of factors are said to describe why the world,

or to explain why the world works in particular ways, why you get these very important events

like World War I and World War II. And I think that that's the most important thing that

a theory can do, is to provide simple explanations for

very important events. This is not to say that we shouldn't have

theories that explain minor actions or minor considerations or peripheral situations in

the international system. But the most important theories, by definition, are going to be those

theories that deal with the big questions. And the

theories that are going to matter the most - and I believe this is why structural realism

matters so much - are those theories that are nice

and simple, that are parsimonious. I believe that if China continues to rise

economically, that it will translate that economic might

into military might, and that it will try to dominate Asia the way the United States

dominates the Western hemisphere. I think that China,

for good realist reasons, will try to become a

hegemon in Asia, because I believe the Chinese understand now and will certainly

understand in the future that the best way to survive in the international system is

to be really powerful.

The Chinese understand full well what happened to them between 1850 and 1950 when they

were very weak. They understand what the European great powers, the United States and

the Japanese did to them, and they want to make sure in the future that they're going

to be very powerful. So I think they'll try to dominate

Asia. The United States, on the other hand, does

not tolerate what we sometimes call peer competitors. The United States does not want

China to dominate Asia, and the United States will go to enormous lengths to prevent China

from dominating Asia. And of course China's neighbours. This includes Japan, South Korea,

Singapore, Vietnam, India and Russia - will not want China to dominate Asia. So they will

join with the United States to try to contain China much the way our European and Asian

allies joined together with us during the Cold War

to contain the Soviet Union. The same thing, I believe, will happen with China.

So you will have this intense security competition between China, which is trying to dominate

Asia, and the United States and China's neighbours, which are trying to prevent China from

dominating Asia. So with regard to this question that lots of people are talking about today,

can China rise peacefully? My answer is no, and my answer is based on my theory, because

there's no way you can predict the future without a theory.