The author of the piece talks about the fundamental
assumption in international politics which is anarchy. However, the author
Helen Milner believes that this assumption is very reductionist. She believes that
anarchy is a very vague concept and she goes on to give several accepted
definitions of anarchy. Firstly, anarchy could refer to the lack of order or
chaos. This disorder is linked with a constant state of war. However, Milner
argues that when scholars ascribe anarchy to international politics they do not
mean that international politics is characterized by chaos since many of them
have noted elements of order in the international arena. Another meaning of
anarchy is the lack of government. A problem with this definition is that it
fails to state what exactly is lacking; and it does not define government and authority
or gives numerous ways of defining them.
For Milner, legitimacy, more than institutions or laws, is
what distinguishes domestic and international politics. Furthermore, Helen
Milner expounds that this reliance on anarchy to explain international politics
ignores an essential element of international relations i.e. interdependence.
Milner defines interdependence as strategic interdependence, where the ability
of one participant to achieve his goals relies to a great extent on the
decisions that that the other participant will make. In such a situation,
achieving ends without cooperation seems unlikely. However, interdependence and
cooperation does not automatically translate into harmony and neither does it
exclude power, rather according to many eminent scholars, power is an intrinsic
element of interdependence.
The author’s emphasis on interdependence as being an
essential component of international politics appeals to me as this realist
notion of the world politics being based on anarchy seemed too simplistic. For
example, anarchy does not explain the emphasis place on ‘diplomatic ties’ and
their maintenance, in today’s world. Thus
for me, Helen Milner’s work was a welcome addition to realist interpretation of
the international arena that we have studied so far.
I completely agree with your views. Anarchy is not really the over arching principle in the international arena and its good that Milner through her article gives importance to the concept of interdependence. It was a refreshing change to read about something other than anarchy again and again.
ReplyDeleteI see that everyone appears to be tired of reading about anarchy and that Milner's piece has been well received. I agree with you Lyla and Hamza that the addition of strategic interdependence helps us better understand state behavior in the international system.
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