Sunday, March 1, 2015

Session 10: It's not all about anarchy

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. 

2 comments:

  1. 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.

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  2. I 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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