GOV 312L Questions and Correct Answers

What are the two main components of the international system? Explain the differences between actors and structure in the international system Ans Actors and structure are two main components Actors: individuals or groups of individuals with a common purpose or collective identity. Have a goal and understand how their actions will shape other interactions and be evaluated by others (purposive and reflective). Ex: states, firms, international orgs, political parties or transnational activists. Structure: overarching principles, rules, constraints; the set of properties or arrangements that connect and order the actors in the system. Allocates power and shapes interactions; rewards or penalizes certain behaviors. Ex: speed limits How does structure in the international system constrain behaviors of international actors? Discuss some examples of how structure constrains actors' behaviors. Ans Structure constrains actors by preventing or encouraging certain behaviors, such as international economic pressures, sanctions or treaties. Ex: Iran Nuclear Accord in which US, China, France, Germany, UK and Russia created a structural constraint against Iran because of their combined global military and economic power arrayed against Iran How does structure constitute actors by influencing their identities and interests? Discuss some examples. Ans Structure constitutes actors when attributes of the actor, like identity or interests, are enabled by or dependent upon the larger structure; generates or alters fundamental dispositions and characteristics.Ex: EU, European Coal and Steel Community, European Parliament and European Court of Justice have all constituted European countries by creating a European identity which has affected their international relations and broader political community - bail out of Greece According to the reading, what are the most prominent actors in the international system? Ans states, firms, powerful individuals, international organizations - as well as the structures that constrain them.Structures may cause actors to act in ways they otherwise wouldn't and may produce unintended results What does it mean to say that international relations is marked by a condition of anarchy? Why does this aspect of the international system make cooperation among international actors like states so difficult? Ans Anarchy threatens cooperation by increasing challenges associated with enforcing interstate agreements. It is an absence of supranational authority over states and an absence of a third-party enforcement mechanism to facilitate cooperation among states. Absence of an international source of authority capable of punishing states when they negotiate in bad faith and revoke their promises, other states might just choose not to make agreements in the first plac