World Politics on Screen: Understanding International Relations through Popular Culture

2. A Primer on IR (International Relations) Perspectives

2 a PrImer on Ir (InternatIonal relatIons) PersPeCtIves Scholars and students of world politics look for tools and devices to help make sense of the world. Political science, like most social sciences, is premised on the idea that there are discernible patterns in the world that we can categorize, explain and, in some cases, predict.1 Thus, if we know and understand the patterns, it will help us comprehend world politics. International relations (IR) perspectives are meant to do just that: identify patterns to explain and sometimes predict the course of world politics. Despite the variation in understandings of world politics among different perspectives, there are some general points upon which most scholars agree. Political scientists concur that the primary unit of world politics is the state. A state, which is a legal term, has the basic characteristics of defined territorial borders, human population, government organization, and demonstrated sovereignty.2 Perhaps the most important characteristic of the modern international system is that there is no world government. International politics is said to exist in a state of anarchy (without a ruler or government), because all states are sovereign. Sovereignty means that each state has exclusive jurisdiction over its territory, free from outside interference. Since sovereignty exists, and world politics occurs in a condition of anarchy, states must be concerned with their own security because no one else will.3 The study of the interactions between states is referred to as international relations, and the major schools of thought are referred to as perspectives. Perspectives are a tool to give us a shortcut in our understanding of world politics. Many people describe them as a lens, or glasses, that will help us filter out less important, or extraneous, information. A perspective allows 29 30 World Politics, Films, and Explanations us to focus on the main details of information. It is difficult, and perhaps a bit disingenuous, to summarize broad, complex schools of thought in a few sentences. Scholars have conducted vast amounts of research, writing, and interactions with other scholars that are not reflected in this brief essay, yet for the purpose of this book it will be helpful to review the major premises of the perspectives in order to demonstrate, in subsequent chapters, how films reflect contemporary understandings of world politics and international relations theory. Realism The oldest and most established of the schools is political realism (realpolitik ), which finds its origins in focusing on the resources and capability of a state. As the school has developed, there has been more emphasis on the power a state possesses. Specifically, realism assumes that those states that have more power are dominant and shape the politics of the system. The anarchical nature of the international system requires states to be concerned, even obsessed, with power because it is the only way to ensure security or even survival. Thus, for most realists today, the study of international relations should concentrate on how power is distributed among states. Realists argue that the struggle for power and security is timeless and oftenciteThucydides,theGreekhistorianwhowrotein380BCE,“Thestrong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.”4 Since, according to the realists, the issue of security cannot be resolved, states are trapped in a series of competitions over power, resulting in continual military conflicts. The emphasis on power leads realists to assume that very little weight should be given to other motivations, such as ideology, religion, or even characteristics of leadership.5 Liberalism The primary alternative to the realist school is known as the liberal perspective . Rather than focusing on the power of the state, liberals tend to focus on the decision of individuals (sometimes these scholars are referred to as idealists or pluralists). Based on the work of philosophers such as JeanJacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant, liberals argue that there are always opportunities for people to cooperate; however, this does not mean that they will always do so. In fact, there might be significant barriers that might A Primer on IR (International Relations) Perspectives 31 preclude or inhibit cooperation, including ideological, cultural, racial, or economic differences. While liberals will maintain that the security dilemma is a major problem, most contend that these barriers can be overcome through cooperation. Liberals also acknowledge that power is a key issue in world politics, but they point out that there might be other interests that drive state behavior , such as economics, ideology, or religion. Thus the liberals...