Transcript US and World Politics

US and World Politics
“It’s the end of the world as we know
it...”
Overview
• The International Political System
• Aims of US Foreign Policy
• Evolution of US Foreign Policy
World Politics
• Recap domestic politics
– Why is government
necessary?
– What role does government
play?
• International environment
is anarchic
– No government
– Implications?
World Politics
• Global Political System is a “self help”
system
• Participants
– States
– Non-State Actors
• IGOs
• NGOs
World Politics
• States:
– Basic unit of world politics since 1648 (Treaty
of Westphalia)
– Features:
• Defined Geography
• Population
• Sovereign Government
World Politics
• States (continued)
– Note that the first and third
points (geography and
sovereign government)
mean that the idea of
“statehood” rests in part on
the agreement of other
states.
– States “recognize” other
states by respecting the
borders and the sovereignty
of other states
–Wars and violence result when that
recognition breaks down (e.g.,
Iraq/Kuwait in 1990; Serbia/Croatia
1993)
World Politics
• States (continued)
– Distinct from “nations” by which we mean:
• a people with a shared language
• inhabiting a fixed territory
• sharing common customs that take on sense of
shared identity/commonality
• recognition of common unity
World Politics
• Keeping the two ideas distinct means that
we can have:
–
–
–
–
states with a single nation (e.g., Italy)
states with multiple nations (UK, Russia)
nations with multiple states (Arabs, Koreans)
nations with no state (Kurds)
World Politics
• Non-state actors in world politics include:
– International Government Organizations
• e.g, UN, NATO, EU, ASEAN, OAS, OAU
– These organizations are comprised of a variety
of states
– But they lack sovereignty
World Politics
• United Nations:
– General Assembly
(each state equal)
• Security Council
• 15 states, each with one
vote, but 5 permanent
members (US, UK,
France, China, Russia)
have “veto power”
– Secretariat
– International Court of
Justice
World Politics
• NGOs (Non Government Organizations)
– Organizations that have a political impact or
focus but which are unconnected to any
government
• e.g., Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty
International, Greenpeace
but also
• Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, ETA, FARC, Sendero
Luminoso
US and World Politics
• Aims of US Foreign Policy:
– National Security
– Territorial Integrity
– Political Ideology
• How do we achieve them?
US Foreign Policy
• 2 main themes have
driven US policy:
Isolationism
– avoid “entangling
alliances” and stay out
of European and world
politics
US Foreign Policy
• Idealism
– Promote democracy,
freedom, and liberty abroad
– Monroe Doctrine: protect
western hemisphere from
European encroachments
– Truman Doctrine: protect
all “free” nations from
communist expansion
– Bush Doctrine: use
preemptive force to protect
all free nations from
terrorist threats
US Foreign Policy
• Impact of these two strands has led the US
to get involved in wars beyond national
security or strategic interests
• Use warfare to promote ideals
– Democracy, freedom, capitalism
• Expansion of US
US Foreign Policy
• Factors/Players shaping foreign policy
– President
• State, DoD, Homeland Security, NSC, CIA
– Congress
– Corporations
– Foreign Policy “elite”
• think tanks, academics
US Foreign Policy
• Resources for navigating
in anarchy:
– Diplomacy
• Negotiation to work out
differences/disagreements
– Economics
• Rewards: tax breaks, trade
concessions, grants, loans
• Punishments: tariffs,
quotas, embargoes
– Military
US Foreign Policy
• Post WW2 the aim of US foreign policy
was to contain communist expansion
–
–
–
–
Korean War
Vietnam War
Nuclear Arms Race with USSR (now Russia)
Regional Military Alliances
• (e.g., NATO, OAS, SEATO, etc.)
Defense Spending & the Budget
• Defense related expenses receive the largest
share of federal appropriations:
– See Table 8.9 for details
Global Military Spending
• Latest figures (2005)
show that total global
spending on military is
$1.118 trillion, or
about $173 per capita
• 34% increase from
2004
• US is responsible for
80% of that increase
Global Military Spending
• US spent $420.7 billion in
2005 (not including the
money appropriated for
Iraq/Afghanistan) war
• US military spending was
almost two-fifths of the
total; more than the
combined spending of the
next 14 nations.
• US military spending was
almost 7 times larger than
the Chinese budget, the
second largest spender.
Military Spending
• The US military budget was almost 29
times as large as the combined spending of
the six “rogue” states (Cuba, Iran, Libya,
North Korea, Sudan and Syria) who spent
$14.65 billion.
• These six potential “enemies,” plus Russia,
and China together spent $139 billion, or
just 30% of the U.S. military budget.
Military Spending
• Nuclear proliferation
issues
• Nukes and “rogue”
states
• Nukes and terrorist
groups
Global Poverty
• Currently 6.6 billion
people in the world
• Human population
growth
• Of that number,
approximately 3
billion survive on less
than $2.00/day
Global Poverty
•
Global economic data
–
–
•
GDP per capita
Divide between north and
south
The GDP of the poorest
48 nations (i.e. a quarter
of the world’s countries)
is less than the wealth
of the world’s 3 richest
people (Bill Gates,
Warren Buffett, Carlos
Slim Helu) combined.
Conclusions
• US and the world
– population growth
and immigration
– energy
– health
– AIDS
1919 flu pandemic
• 1/4th of US population
afflicted, 1/5th of
global population
• Estimated death from
pandemic:
21,500,000