Chapter 11 Review questions

  1. Four major issues are introduced in the chapter. Can you think of other 'new issues' that are relevant for IR?
  2. Some scholars claim that climate change has emerged as a third major issue of international relations, alongside security and global economics. Do you agree? Why or why not?
  3. Summarize what natural scientists have to say about the challenges of climate change. What are the consequences of these problems for international relations?
  4. A robust international reaction to the problem of ozone layer depletion has taken place since the 1980s. Why has it proven so much more difficult to address the problem of global warming via international cooperation?
  5. According to liberal institutionalists and economists, climate change can be understood as an instance of the ‘Tragedy of the commons’. Do you agree? Why or why not?
  6. Do you find the ‘green theory’ perspective a helpful reaction to the challenges posed by climate change?
  7. Should IR theorizing address the deeper causes of climate change or solely enter at the point where the damage has been done and the issue emerges in international negotiations? Discuss.
  8. What is the 'Clash of Civilizations'? Is such a clash taking place today?
  9. Is there an increasing influence of religion on politics today?
  10. It is sometimes claimed that 'one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter'. Discuss.
  11. How serious is the security challenge invoked by September 11?
  12. To what extent has the problem of terrorism been ‘securitized’ by political actors in liberal democracies?
  13. Why have many scholars of IR begun to study earlier international systems of late? (Hint: relate this to the US unipolarity since the end of the Cold War).
  14. What does history show about the frequency of balance of power and hegemony in world history (see Table 11.3)? How does this fit with Waltz’s thinking about balance of power in multistate systems?
  15. Why has Europe seen repeated attempts to establish hegemony fail since the Middle Ages? Is the European pattern normal or the exception in historical perspective?
  16. How do neoclassical realists explain that hegemony is sometimes established in multistate systems?
  17. Where do you think the global state system is headed in the 21st century? In the direction of hegemony or balance of power?
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