How to Read a News Article for International Relations

Note: This is a short handout I made for my students that I thought was useful for a general audience.

International relations is about conflict and cooperation. After reading a news article on world events, you should be able to express in a stylized prisoner's dilemma like the one below whether the actors are in conflict or are cooperating. Over time, you should also be able to offer explanations for why these actors are in conflict or cooperation from each of the three perspectives and from each level of analysis. Doing this requires practice, which you can do by following 5 simple steps while reading an article.

Step 1: Identify the major actors.

Step 2: Identify the major actors' goals or interests. What is it they each want to achieve? Are their goals the same or different?

Step 3: Determine what the payoffs for the actors' interaction will be for each of the four possible outcomes (CC, CD, DC, or DD).

Step 4: Determine which of the four outcomes has happened or will happen. Are the actors cooperating (CC) or are the actors in conflict (CD, DC or DD)?

Step 5: Provide an explanation why this outcome occurred from the realist perspective. How does the liberal perspective explain the same outcome? What about the identity perspective? Don't forget that there are three levels of analysis — the systemic, the domestic, and the individual.

Example

The following example is based on the article "Why Russia is against Kosovo plan" from the June 28, 2007 edition of the Christian Science Monitor.

Step 1: The major actors in this story are the United States (A) (or "the West") and Russia (B).

Step 2: The United States wants security for ethnic Albanians in Kosovo who are threatened if Kosovo remains part of Serbia. Russia wants to avoid setting a precedent that will encourage other ethnic groups to demand independence, especially those inside Russia. Their goals are not the same.

Step 3:

	Cooperate (B)	Defect (B)
Cooperate (A)	Kosovo is secured without having it set a precedent for other groups who want to be independent.	A: Kosovo remains a full part of Serbia. B: Clear message that independence for ethnic minorities will not be tolerated.
Defect (A)	A: Independent, secure, and legitimate Kosovo. B: Precedent allows other ethnic groups to seek independence.	A: Independent Kosovo lacks legitimacy. B: Door left open for others to seek independence.

Step 4: The actors are not cooperating. They are in conflict. The United States has already declared its intention to move ahead with Kosovo's independence, which is a defection. Russia seems poised to defect as well by vetoing approval of Kosovo's independence by the U.N. Thus, the outcome is DD or conflict.

Step 5:

	Realist	Liberal	Identity
Systemic Level of Analysis	Buoyed by oil revenue, Russia is reasserting its authority in international relations to balance the power of the United States.	The current structure of the international system is based on nation-states, which results in the absence of any real alternative to independence for Kosovo.	Russia shares an Orthodox identity with Serbia and does not want to see it dismembered by Kosovo's independence.
Domestic Level of Analysis	Desire by domestic interests in the United States and other Western states to "finish the job" they started by bombing Kosovo and Serbia.	The Russian government's hold on power is based on appearing strong and appeasing Russian nationalists. This requires an aggressive stance towards the West.	Growing nationalism and authoritarianism in Russia have created a climate hostile to the West.
Individual Level of Analysis	Russian president Vladimir Putin is a weak leader who cannot use his position to prevent conflict.	Western leaders have failed to consider the concerns of Russia.	Putin's training as a KGB operative has lead him to view the West as an enemy.