POSC 2200

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POSC 2200 Theoretical Approaches

• Russell Alan Williams
• Department of Political Science

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Unit Two Theoretical Approaches

• Marxism and Radicalism
• Required Reading
• Globalization of World Politics, Chapter 9
• Vladimir Lenin, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of
  Capitalism, Chapter VII, Imperialism as a
  Special stage of Capitalism (Available from
  http//www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/i
  mp-hsc/ch07.htm, or from the instructor)
• Outline
• Introduction to Radicalism
• Key Assumptions
• Contemporary Approaches
• Conclusions
• For Next Time

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1) Introduction to Radicalism

• Marxism, radicalism, critical theory are all
  labels for a catch all category . . . .
• Approach that questions the nature of existing
  global relations relations which are often
  taken for granted in realist and liberal
  scholarship
• Explore topics made invisible by mainstream
  approaches
• E.g. Economic inequality
• -General link to Marxist political economy . . .
• Key Thinkers
• Lenin
• Gunder Frank
• Wallerstein
• Cox

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2) Key Assumptions

• A) System of production central to IR
• Means of Production economic system
• Modes of Production social relations
• Heavy emphasis on economics and global
  capitalism
• More relevance to IPE???
• B) Importance of historical analysis
• System of production changes over time . . .
• Will result in changes in international
  politics/foreign policy
• Westphalian states ? Neoliberal states
• C) All politics driven by class struggle
• Capitalism inherently exploitative
• IR can be seen as a subset of struggles among
  different classes goal should be emancipation

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• D) Global system is VERY hierarchical - states
  are not all the same . . . despite sovereignty
• Imperialism Conquest or control of other
  societies
• Driven by expansion of specific economic system
  Capitalism
• Marxist economics suggests capitalism prone to
  crises
• ? Leads to depressions, dissatisfaction and
  revolutions . . . .
• Can only be managed by state oppression and
  imperial expansion . . .

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• D) Global system is VERY hierarchical . . . .
• E.g. Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924)
• Architect of the Russian Revolution
• IR scholar(?)

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• Example Lenins Theory of Imperialism
• Believed
• Monopoly Capitalist phase had begun in great
  powers
• Declining profits for proto-MNCs
• Elites demanded new imperialism of 19th century
  for super-exploitation of south
• Result gt Intensified imperial rivalries
• gt World War I
• Implications
• Economic problems Imperialism War
• International power requires economic domination

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• D) Global system is VERY hierarchical . . .
• E.g. Dependency Theory (Gunder Frank)
• Logical successor to Lenin
• Capitalist imperialism war underdevelopment
• southern states will be systematically
  exploited
• Labour and natural resources produce super
  profits necessary for capitalism

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• Example Gunder Frank the challenge of
  development
• Argued Careful study of history showed that
  south was systemically underdeveloped, not
  undeveloped
• E.g. Northern Multinational Corporations
  undermined natural local development
• Implications Northern development strategies
  would never work in south!!
• Policy?
• Southern states could only develop by isolating
  themselves from global capitalism?
• Revolutions or Protectionism

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• Example Gunder Frank the challenge of
  development
• Problems
• Dependency strategies not successful (?)
• Success of East Asian states since 1970s (?)
• Remains a popular method for understanding IR,
  but less popular as an economic strategy . . .

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• D) Global system is VERY hierarchical . . .
• World Systems Theory (Wallerstein)
• Argues World organized into single global
  capitalist system
• Capitalism determines states position in
  international hierarchy only core countries
  have power and real sovereignty
• Core Wealthy metropolitan countries Advanced
  industry and banking
• E.g. United States
• Semi-Periphery Weaker countries with some
  industry partially exploited by core
• E.g. Brazil? Indonesia? Canada?
• Periphery Poor countries mainly exploited for
  natural resources

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3) Contemporary Approaches

• Two families of thought
• New Marxism
• Gramscianism

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• A) New Marxism
• Evidence of decolonization, NIC development
  and globalization shift focus from interstate
  hierarchy
• Modern approach is a more direct critique of
  mainstream IR, and Neorealism in particular
• IR is based on bad history, nature of states is
  constantly changing as technology and production
  changes
• Transition to neoliberal state just the latest
  evolution
• E.g. sovereignty no longer as important as
  servicing capitalism
• Credit Crunch (2008)
• East Asian Financial Crisis (1998)
• Different forms of state are not a product of
  anarchy, interdependence or globalization
  but are part of class struggle we can make
  different states . . . .

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• B) Gramscianism (Robert Cox)
• Modern approach popular in Canada and Britain
• Focus on global class relations and ideology
  often linked to constructivism
• Less state centric than other IR theories
  including New Marxism . . . .
• Transnational Capitalist Class (MNCs)
• power in politics and international
  institutions
• ideological domination over subordinate
  classes
• Hegemony understood as the ideological
  generation of consent by elites in society
• State coercion and imperialism not necessary as
  most accept prevailing order

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• B) Gramscianism
• E.g. Washington Consensus neoliberal
  development strategy
• Lower taxes, remove tariffs, remove obstacles to
  MNC activity and cut social programs etc. and
  development will occur
• A development strategy designed by MNCs not
  the global poor . . . .

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• B) Gramscianism
• Implications?
• International politics is a war of ideas between
  elites and others weaker groups must organize
  counter hegemony supporting alternative ideas

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4) Conclusions

• Who are the actors of international politics?
• A) Social classes (Marx ? Gramscianism)
• B) Corporations
• C) States (Lenin ?World Systems Theory)
• However . . . states are agents of economic
  elites not independent actors (?)
• D) Most important site of of analysis
  Capitalism
• Economic system and the political relations it
  creates

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4) Conclusions

• Strengths
• Focus on issues ignored by Realism/Liberalism
• Position of southern states
• Clear normative position
• Purpose of international politics/foreign policy
  should be to reduce exploitation

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• Weaknesses
• Unclear implications
• Does capitalism cause war?
• Or,
• Does capitalism lead to peace driven by harmony
  of interests of capitalist elite?
• Unclear policy recommendations
• What should southern states do????
• Pessimism about solutions

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5) For Next Time . . .

• Unit Two Theoretical Approaches
• Constructivism, Post Structuralism and Feminism
• Required Reading
• Globalization of World Politics, Chapters 10, 11,
  12 and 17.
• Alexander Wendt, Anarchy is what states make of
  it The social construction of power politics,
  International Organization, Vol. 46(2), (Spring
  1992), Pp. 391-425. (Available through
  e-journals, or as an excerpt available from the
  instructor.)