Week Three - Interest or Ideas?

During the lecture by Professor Jackson, I thought about how the dichotomy of interest and ideas ties into Thucydides three motives of war: fear, honor, and interest. It seems to me that interest for both Thucydides and Professor Jackson is based on rational calculation. On the other hand, fear and honor are cultural and contextual. Thus, fear and honor reflect ideas or values as stated by Professor Jackson.

Furthermore, in considering the Melian dialogue where the Athenians deliver an ultimatum to the people of Melos: surrender and pay tribute to Athens, or be destroyed. This is clearly an example of interest because the Athenians are acting on rational calculation and not on values. Thucydides provides the famous line in the dialogue that reflects the essence of power politics: "the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must." This view of power politics is still the core belief of realists.

I think that President Obama's decisions to NOT intervene decisively in Syria or the Ukraine demonstrates the choice of interest or idea. When the president warned President Assad that the use of chemical weapons against Syrian rebels would be a red line that the United States would NOT tolerate, it was based on an international norm that most Americans consider consistent with our values. However, after the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government, the president first pushed for military action but then punted the issue to Congress. The president's decision was based on the rational calculation that the American public did NOT want US military involvement in Syria. Likewise, President Obama warned President Putin of Russia that violating Ukraine's sovereignty would have consequences. Again, the president ultimately based his policy and US response on the rational calculation to NOT provoke Russia. In both instances, the president has been criticized for NOT upholding international norms and values while also exhibiting American weakness to perceived bullies.