Discussion context: We consider the impact of culture on diplomacy this week, using the concepts of endogenous and exogenous variables, and the ”billiard table” metaphor to do so.
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Forum Activity: I want to use this week’s forum to explore more deeply a controversy in this week’s lesson: Which type of variable – exogenous or endogenous – determines how states behave.
- Our Lesson Notes state that exogenous variables — reflecting the external forces influencing a state like relative power positions, geography, location, rivalries, history, and events that are outside of the state’s power – determine how states behave. Using the “billiard table” metaphor to illustrate it (representing states, the balls on a table are inanimate and move only by being struck by outside forces), this explanation contends that states make decisions based on what is going on outside of the state.
- Samuel Huntington rejects the validity of the “billiard table” metaphor (billiard balls on a table are not an accurate representation of how states actually interact) and contends instead that endogenous variables – like government, bureaucracy, institutions, organization of the government, groupthink, intelligence, political parties, public opinion, media, culture, state capabilities, standard operating procedures, group perceptions and biases, group cognition and capabilities, population, ideology, economic power, and individual leadership – determine how states behave. According to Huntington, since they reflect the internal dynamics – especially culture – impacting a state, the characteristics of local cultures are more important than political or economic ones, and this explanation contends that states make decisions based on what is going on inside of the state.
Take a position in support of one explanation or the other – you are not allowed to argue on behalf of both or create your own hybrid position – and present at least two (three is even better!) reasons to provide support for your position.
Note that I intentionally requiring us to make a “forced” choice (i.e., choose one or the other and defend your choice) as a deliberate educational approach to achieve one of the learning objective for this week’s lesson. Please provide a response within the parameters of this requirement.
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Please provide support from the lesson material and/or assigned readings to support each of your assessments by making proper attribution to the material that informed your responses.