Security Dilemma - Fear Cooperation and Trust in World Politics - Past Exam, Exams of Political Science

Download Security Dilemma - Fear Cooperation and Trust in World Politics - Past Exam and more Exams Political Science in PDF only on Docsity! ABERYSTWYTH UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS SEMESTER TWO EXAMINATIONS ACADEMIC YEAR 2008/09 IPM2230 FEAR COOPERATION AND TRUST IN WORLD POLITICS Time Allowed: Three Hours Answer THREE questions from the list below 1. „Uncertainty is a synonym for life, and nowhere is uncertainty greater than in International Politics‟ (Waltz 1993). Discuss this statement. 2. „The security dilemma can operate even when both states genuinely pursue defensive objectives in their policies towards each other‟ (George 1988). Critically assess this statement, illustrating your answer with cases you have studied on the module. 3. „Each put the “worst case” construction on whatever the other side did, overestimated the threat, and overreacted‟ (Rees 2004). Assess this verdict on superpower competition during the Cold War. 4. „One cannot deter terrorists in the way that one might deter states – particularly if the ultimate threat, death, is not perceived as a threat but rather welcomed by suicide terrorists‟ (Daase and Kessler 2007). Assess this statement. 5. „Without government, actors will always look after their own survival, will always pursue a policy of self-help, even when that means acting in a way that damages the collective welfare‟ (Craig, 2003). How far do you agree that sustained cooperation is impossible in international politics? 6. How important is Charles Osgood‟s GRIT strategy in building trust between enemies in world politics? 7. Critically assess Andrew Kydd‟s theory of trust-building through „costly signalling‟. 8. „The double-standard must be replaced by a single standard, which can only be the goal of a world free of all nuclear weapons‟ (Schell, 2007). Discuss this statement. 9. Why is international cooperation over climate change proving far harder than it did over ozone depletion? 10. How important is trust in the emergence and development of security communities?