War and Peace in Qajar Persia: Implications Past and ... - Oguzlar.az

Between Scylla and Charybdis 25We assume that statesmen think and act in terms of interest defined aspower, and the evidence of history bears out that assumption. ...Theconcept of interest defined as power imposes intellectual discipline uponthe observer, infuses rational order into the subject matter of politics,and thus makes the theoretical understanding of politics possible. On theside of the actor, it provides for rational discipline in action and createsthat astounding continuity in foreign policy which makes American,British, or Russian foreign policy appear as an intelligible, rational continuum,by and large consistent within itself, regardless of the differentmotives, preferences, and intellectual and moral qualities of successivestatesman. A realist theory of international politics, then, will guard againsttwo popular fallacies: the concern with motives and the concern withideological preferences. 17In its strictest formulation the requirements of rational decision-making theoryare: that the decision-maker knows all the policy alternatives available;knows all the consequences of each policy alternative; calculates the ratio ofcosts to benefits of each policy alternative, and selects the most efficient policyalternative. 18 Efficiency is defined here as maximum gains, minimum losses,minimum expenditure (cost), and in this the term is related to the conceptof utility maximization referred to earlier. When the notion of national interestis added to this equation, defined roughly as the sum of all goods that wouldbenefit the nation in the long run, then rational decision-making theorybecomes a normative theory of decision-making of national leaders. 19A further dimension to this formulation is given by Paul Viotti and MarkKauppi:Within the global system, opportunities present themselves that, if handledproperly, can help to achieve specific objectives. Similarly threatsemanating from the global system have to be dealt with if they interferewith the achievements of basic objectives. But to exploit these opportunitiesand to handle these threats, states are required to mobilize thevarious capabilities they have at their disposal in order to exert powerconstructively to achieve those objectives and protect those interests. Akey responsibility of leaders is to make sure that objectives are in linewith available capabilities. 20The usefulness of the rationality assumption, whether through the lens ofrational decision-making or that of prospect theory, lies in the insights it helpsgenerate regarding international relations, the conditions under which decisionmakersdecide and act, their impetus for action, and the impulses thatgenerate such action. 21 Based on the rationality assumption, Qajar decisionmakersmust be looked at as utility maximizers (or loss averters, as the casemay be) in much the same way as their Russian or British counterpartswere, whether or not the expression of this maximization (or loss aversion)