PART II: 4 WAYS TO CONCEPTUALISE THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
Lecture 2: International Anarchy (& Aliens)
International System
Many types of actors that co-exist within a larger system that structures them & their interactions:
● States (governments, ministries, etc.) divided territorially.
● Sub-national bodies (regions, cities, etc.).
● Inter-governmental organisations (regional or functional).
● Non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
● Multinational corporations/businesses/firms.
● Transnational networks (advocacy networks, terrorist networks, other).
International System: A combination of incentives & expectations that shape the identities &
behaviours of actors in international politics (has multiple understandings).
➔ Why study the international system?
◆ It has effects that CANNOT be explained simply by examining the actors &
organisations themselves.
➔ 4 concepts (ways of understanding) of the international system:
1. Anarchy
2. Hierarchy
3. Interdependence
4. Capitalism
➔ IMPORTANT questions:
◆ What are the dynamics of the international system (that CANNOT be attributed
simply to the preferences of the actors & organisations within it)?
◆ What do the parts have in common, & what distinguishes them?
KEY CONCEPTS SUMMARY
1. International Anarchy: The absence of effective central authority above states. Security dilemma or
likelihood of aggression or states’ identification with or against each other.
2. International Hierarchy: Vertical relationships of authority & domination (based on differences in
coercive power/wealth/market position, or deep social structures/ways of thinking).
3. Interdependence: Cross-border relationships with uneven reciprocal effects (exposure to
cross-border processes).
4. Capitalism: Integrated world system produces inequality among states & social classes (dynamics
of capitalism & interests of transnational capitalist class).
Anarchy
The “Billiard Ball’ model of IR: Simplified conceptualisation that views states as unitary actors
interacting with each other on the global stage.
➔ States are rational & self-interested entities.
➔ Like billiard balls on a table, each moves independently & interacts based on their interests.
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