The State

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Chapter 5
The State

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The State and Nation

• State (fundamental conditions/legal criteria)
• Territorial base, geographically defined boundary
  (territory and borders)
• Stable population
• Government to which population has allegiance
• Diplomatic recognition by other states
• Nation (a psychological attachment)
• Group of people who share a set of
  characteristics (history, heritage, language,
  customs, lifestyles, etc.)
• Nation-states stateless nations multinational
  states nations across states

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Liberal View of the State

• Process involving contending interests
• Reflection of both governmental and societal
  interests
• Repository of multiple and changing national
  interests
• Possessor of fungible sources of power
• State is sovereign, but not autonomous
• A pluralist arena whose function is to maintain
  basic rules of the game
• No explicit or consistent national interest
  there are many
• National interests change reflecting interests
  and relative power positions of competing groups
  inside and outside the state

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Realist View of the State

• An autonomous actor constrained only by anarchy
  of international system
• State enjoys sovereignty authority to govern
  matters within its own borders and affect its
  people, economy, security, and form of government
• State has consistent set of goals, a national
  interest, defined in terms of power
• Power is of primary importance (especially
  military power), yet ideas also matter
• A statist, state-centric view
• According to realists, once the state acts, it
  does so as an autonomous, unitary actor

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Radical View of the State

• Two slightly different views instrumental and
  structural Marxist views
• Each emphasizes role of capitalism and capitalist
  class in formation, functioning of the state
• Instrumental view
• State is the executing agent of the bourgeoisie
• Reacts to pressures from the capitalist class
• Structural view
• State operates within structure of the
  international capitalist system
• State driven to expand due to imperatives of
  capitalist system
• State action reflects economic goals
• Sovereignty, autonomy is not possible because
  state reacts to internal/external capitalist
  pressure

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Constructivist View of the State

• National interests/identities social constructs
• National interests are neither material nor
  given they are ideational and ever-changing in
  response to domestic factors and international
  norms/ideas
• States share a variety of goals and values, which
  they are socialized into by IGOs and NGOs
• Norms can change state preferences, behavior
• States have multiple identities, which also
  changes, altering state preferences and behavior

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State Power Potential

• Power ability to influence others and control
  outcomes produce outcomes that would not have
  occurred naturally
• Outcome of interactions (within and between
  states) determined by power potential (natural,
  tangible, intangible)
• Natural sources of state power
• Geographic size and position
• Natural resources
• Population
• Tangible sources of state power
• Industrial development
• Intangible sources of state power
• National image
• Public support
• Leadership

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Exercise of State Power

• Diplomacy trying to influence behavior of other
  actors by negotiating, taking or refraining from
  a specific action, or public diplomacy
• Complicated by two-level games (among states and
  within states between domestic constituencies)
  and cultural differences
• Economic statecraft positive and negative
  sanctions
• Positive sanctions offering a carrot,
  rewarding moves in desired direction
• Negative sanctions brandishing a stick,
  threatening/taking action that punishes
• Force (or threat of force) depends on clarity,
  credibility (capacity to follow through)
• Compellence threat of force to get a state to
  do/undo some action
• Deterrence commitment to punish a state if it
  takes undesired action

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Conceptualizing Choices Game Theory

• Way to more systematically analyze choices states
  make and probable outcomes
• Assumes state is unitary actor with one national
  interest and has unique set of options and
  stipulates payoffs
• Applicable to zero-sum (one player wins and the
  other loses) and non-zero-sum (positive sum)
  games
• Advantages simplification clarifies choices
  enables analyst to see options of the other
• Weaknesses assumes unitary state (ignores
  internal factors) rationality payoffs may be
  arbitrary single interaction rather than ongoing

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Foreign Policy Rational Model

• Common to most policymakers (most Realists)
• Action chosen to maximize strategic goals and
  objectives
• State is assumed to be unitary with established
  goals, a set of options, and a formula for
  deciding which option is best to achieve goals
• Perhaps most applicable in times of crisis, when
  there is a short time to react, when one knows
  little about the decision-making process in other
  state

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Bureaucratic/Organizational Model

• Foreign policy decisions product of either
  sub-national governmental organizations or
  bureaucracies
• Organizational politics emphasizes standard
  operating procedures (SOPs) and processes
• Decisions depend on precedents
• Major changes in policy unlikely, likely to be
  incremental
• Bureaucratic politics occurs among members of
  bureaucracy representing different interests
• Decisions result from struggle among departments,
  groups, or individuals
• Outcomes dependent on power of bureaucratic
  players and/or organizations

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Pluralist Model/Radical View

• Foreign policy decisions product of bargaining
  among domestic sources public, interest groups,
  mass movements, and MNCs
• Decisions reflect diverse societal interests and
  strategies
• For Realists and Liberals, states have real
  choices
• For Radicals, states have few real choices
• Capitalist states interests are determined by
  structure of international system and foreign
  policy decisions are dictated by economic
  imperatives of the dominant class

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Comparing Perspectives on State Power and Policy
Liberalism/ Neoliberal Institutionalism Realism/Neorealism Radicalism/ Dependency Theory
Nature of state policy Multiple power sources tangible and intangible Emphasis on power as key concept in international relations geography, natural resources, population especially important Economic power organized around classes
Using state power Broad range of power techniques preference for non-coercive alternatives Emphasis on coercive techniques of power use of force acceptable Weak have few instruments of power
How foreign policy is made Organizational/ bureaucratic and pluralist models of decision-making Emphasis on rational model of decision-making unitary state actor assumed States have no real choices decisions dictated by economic elites
Determinants of foreign policy Largely domestic Largely external/international determinants Largely external determinants co-opted internal elements
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Challenges to the State

• Process of globalization growing integration in
  politics, economics, communications, and culture
  increasingly undermines traditional state
  sovereignty
• Politically globalizing issues force states to
  cooperate and compromise sovereignty
• Economically internationalization of trade,
  finance, production, consumption, MNCs, weaken
  states capacity to regulate economic policies
• Culturally new, intrusive technologies undermine
  state control over information
• Rise of transnational crime difficult to
  control
• Transnational movements (especially religious and
  ideological e.g., Christian fundamentalism,
  Islamic fundamentalism) call for turn away from
  state loyalty toward religious ideas
• Ethnonational movements seek national
  self-determination

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Discussion questions

• Using your understanding of the key ingredients
  of state power potential and supporting your
  position with specific examples, present an
  argument for or against the following statement
  ______ is a powerful state.
• Describe and justify your selection of the two
  most important differences between the realist
  and liberal views of the state.
• State A has made a credible threat to invade its
  neighbor, State B. As an influential world
  leader, you have been asked to submit a proposal
  recommending a course of action to be taken by
  the coalition of states responding to the
  situation. Since the coalition has stated its
  opposition to the use of military force, your
  suggestions must rely on techniques of diplomacy
  and economic statecraft. Present a proposal that
  provides a series of specific actions that can be
  taken by the coalition.
• State A is deciding whether or not to enter into
  a trade agreement with State B. Using any two of
  the three models of foreign policy
  decision-making, present contrasting
  interpretations of State As hypothetical
  decision-making process.