The Modern State
Define Sovereignty
The supreme power of lawmaking within a territory (can either be in relationship to other states or in relationship to citizens/subgroups)
True or False: Conservatism first stemmed from Edmund Burke
True!
What are John Locke's Four Basic (inalienable) Rights
Life, Liberty, Property, To Execute the Law of Nature
What is the difference between soft power and hard power?
Soft power: the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payments
Hard power: the use of military and economic means to influence the behavior or interests of other political bodies
How many waves of feminism have there been?
Three!
1st wave: 1900-1920 (right to vote)
2nd wave: 1960-1980 (equality in public/private spheres)
3rd wave: 1990-Present (recognize difference amongst women)
What are the functions of a modern state? (Hint: there are six!)
1. Legislative
2. Executive
3. Judicial
4. Administrative-Bureaucracy
5. Socialization/Educational Function
6. Coercive Function
What are the four main modern Western ideologies?
1. Liberalism
2. Republicanism
3. Conservatism
4. Socialism
True or False: The World Bank investigates genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes.
False! This is the role of the International Criminal Court that was established in 2002 as a new enforcement mechanism for human rights.
Name at least two new threats to international relations
Proliferation of weapons, population/environment, ethnic conflict, terrorism, pandemics, etc.
Name the institutions of the Bretton Woods Systems
1. IMF - economic stability by regulating international monetary system based on convertible currencies
2. World Bank - development bank, especially for developing countries
3. GATT/WTO - liberalization of trade
What are the three modern theories of state power?
Conservative, Liberal, and Marxist
Define John Stuart Mill's Harm Principle
The Harm Principle is a central tenet of J.S. Mill's political philosophy of liberalism. It states that people should be free to act however they wish unless their actions cause harm to somebody else
Define Deliberative Democracy (Hint: this concept is from your readings!)
Deliberative democracy suggest that it is not enough for voters to have an opportunity to exercise a political choice: "True" democracy must allow for choices to be developed through discussion and reflection. Thus, political choices are never set in stone
What is constructivism?
Constructivism argues that very existence of social order (beliefs, norms, values, interests, rules, institutions, etc.) is the product of human activity alone, not of nature.
What are some negative aspects of globalization?
Poverty, social disintegration, environmental destruction, etc.
Which two philosophers inform the Conservative views on Modern theories of State Power?
Hobbes and Machiavelli
Explain the difference between Negative and Positive Liberty
Negative Liberty: liberty means freedom from external constraint and non-interference by the state, in order to protect and preserve individual liberties.
Positive Liberty: liberty means the capacity to be master of one's own destiny, requiring the state to provide goods so the individual has freedom to act.
How does the Canadian Charter of Rights place limitations on individual rights? (give at least one example)
1. Recognition of Group Rights:
Section 25 (Protection of Treaty Rights) and Section 27 (Protection of Multi-culturalism)
2. Government can over-ride Charter
Section 1 ('Reasonable Limits')
Section 33 (Not withstanding clause)
Explain the realist theoretical approach to international relations
Principles of realist school of thought: human nature is power-seeking; key actors are states; anarchy underpins international system; motivation of states is national interest; national security is central problem; the objective is to balance hard power between states
What three key financial institutions were involved in the 2008 International Credit Crisis?
Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, AIG
Briefly explain Weber's Typology of Authority (Hint: there are 3 types!)
Three types:
1. Rational Legal Authority (e.g. Modern State)
2. Traditional Authority (e.g. Hereditary Monarch)
3. Charismatic Authority (e.g. Nelson Mandela)
What main points did Thomas Picketty argue in Capital in the 21st Century about wealth and income inequality?
1. Growing wealth inequality: Rising concentration of wealth in the top 10% and 1%; perception does not equal reality, etc.
2. Solutions to income and wealth inequality: 80% domestic income tax rate for super-rich; global tax on accumulated wealth/capital, etc.
What does Karl Marx mean when he says that Rights assume 'egoistic man'?
Marx views the rights to liberty, equality, and security as expressions of the egoism and individualism of bourgeois civil society. The State of Nature is a flawed idea. Private property is a product of capitalism not nature.
Explain how Woodrow Wilson created a new world order of Liberal internationalism after the Second World War?
- Keen promoter of international institutions (tried to persuade the U.S. to join the League of Nations)
- Having seen the carnage of war, Wilson detested the armaments industry
What does Frederich Nietzsche mean by the "Death of God"?
Nietzsche offered the creation of our own values as individuals and a meaning of life by those who actually live it. The Religious God, Moral absolutes, and Physical absolutes of Science are dead. There is no truth outside ourselves because truth is relative. We have the ultimate freedom and responsibility to create a new system out of an old one