CULMINATING ACTIVITY BRIC(K)S MOVEMENT
B - razil
Mr. Mario Marayag
R - ussia
I - ndia
Domestic Affairs > Local > Arena/Process
C - hina
DOMESTIC – Democratic and is open
K - orea (tentative)
ISSUE >> DEMAND >> >> >> POLICY >>
REACTION >> SATISIFED or UNSATISFIED S - outh Africa
NEW DEMAND - new Dominant vs. Not-So-Dominant in Politics
PROTEST - not new; continue & Economics
REBELLION - strong rally 1. Dominant Knowledge – The widely
accepted and influential political-
REVOLUTION – change economic ideas, usually shaped by
powerful nations and ruling elites.
o Example: Capitalism & Free
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS / AFFAIRS (IR) Market Economy promoted
by the USA.
- A multi-disciplinary field of global
o Global institutions like the
politics. The conduct diplomacy of IMF, World Bank, and WTO
foreign policy. enforce these dominant
economic policies.
2. Not-So-Dominant Knowledge –
PHILIPPINES – OPEN Alternative perspectives that
challenge the mainstream economic
NORTH KOREA – CLOSED and political structures.
o Example: Marxism, Neo-
Marxism, Dependency
DOMINANT – shapes government policies Theory, and Critical Theory.
o These challenge the
NOT SO DOMINANT – has presence but is
dominance of capitalism,
not enough to rule the government
hegemony, and globalization
controlled by Western
superpowers.
Key Concepts Final Explanation
1. Marxism Cores (Not-So-Dominant • The dominant political-economic
Knowledge) system is controlled by powerful
o Totality: Society must be Western nations through capitalism,
analyzed as a whole. globalization, and international
o Historical Materialism: institutions.
Economy shapes all other • The not-so-dominant ideas (like
aspects of society. Neo-Marxism) critique this system
o Class Struggle: Economic and propose alternative global
exploitation leads to class structures.
conflicts. • Countries like China, Russia, and
2. Neo-Marxism (Expands Marxism) BRICS nations challenge Western
o World System Theory: Rich dominance by creating their own
"core" nations exploit poor economic and political alliances.
"peripheral" nations.
o Hegemony & Counter-
Hegemony: Ruling elites
control ideas to maintain Neo-Marxist View on World Order (from
power, but alternative "World Order According to Neo-Marxists")
movements can challenge
them. o It examines global power
o Critical Theory: Challenges structures through the lens
the global capitalist system of Neo-Marxism.
and promotes radical o It critiques capitalism and
democracy. how hegemonic powers
3. Superpower Dominance vs. BRICS maintain control through
Challenge coercion and consent.
o Current Dominant o It highlights economic
Superpowers: USA, UK, dependence, exploitation,
France, Germany, Japan. and the role of media,
o Emerging Challengers education, and military
(BRICS): Brazil, Russia, India, power in reinforcing the
China, South Africa. system.
o The solution, according to
Neo-Marxists, involves
countering the status quo
during economic crises,
challenging dependency, and
striving for decolonization.
International Political Economy (IPE) (from The Role of Hegemons
"What is IPE?")
• Hegemons (dominant states,
o This explores the intersection corporations) control the global
of politics and economics on economy, politics, and military.
a global scale. • They manipulate culture, media,
o It discusses how states, education, and even history to justify
markets, and transnational their power.
• They create an illusion of freedom (civil
actors interact.
rights) while ensuring economic
o Different schools of thought dependence.
in IPE include Mercantilism,
Liberalism, and
How Hegemony is Reinforced
Marxism/Neo-Marxism.
o It covers themes like wealth • Economic Power:
distribution, globalization, o States produce goods based on
financial crises, and hegemonic demands, not their
international trade. own national needs.
o IPE looks at economic o Economic dependency (foreign
policies, institutions, and debt, IMF/World Bank loans).
their effects on global power o Globalization leads to
relations. dependency rather than real
competition.
• Political Power:
Neo-Marxist Perspective on World
o Laws and policies enforce
Order inequality.
o Civil rights exist but do not
Neo-Marxists analyze global power structures challenge economic control.
by expanding on Marxist theory, arguing that • Military Power:
capitalism and hegemonic states control global o Hegemons maintain a
politics, economics, and culture. monopoly on war technology
(nuclear weapons, advanced
arms trade).
Key Theorists & Concepts
o Military force is used to
suppress resistance.
• Antonio Gramsci → Hegemony is
• Cultural Power:
maintained through a mix of coercion
o Media, education, and social
(force) and consent (people accepting
values reinforce hegemonic
domination).
ideologies.
• Robert Cox → Power structures
o The "Iron Cage of Reason" →
(economic, military, political) shape
People accept the status quo as
world order.
"natural."
• Jurgen Habermas → Critiques modern
capitalism’s "iron cage" of rationality
and bureaucracy. Neo-Marxist Counteraction
• Justin Rosenberg & Benno Teschke →
Capitalism evolved historically, shaping
international relations.
• Challenge the "ahistorical" worldview o Example: Dependency Theory
(the belief that the current system is → Global South is trapped in
timeless and inevitable). poverty.
• Strike during economic crises when
capitalism is weakest. Key Themes in IPE
• Reclaim history, economic
independence, and ideological • Global Trade & Finance
freedom. o How international trade and
• Decolonization → Overcome capitalist financial systems distribute
and Western dominance. power.
• Global Solidarity → Unite oppressed o Example: The 2008 Financial
nations against hegemonic control. Crisis and its impact on global
inequality.
• Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
2. International Political Economy (IPE) o Companies like Amazon, Apple,
and Google shape global
IPE studies how politics and economics interact politics.
in global affairs. It includes multiple o They influence laws, evade
taxes, and control supply
perspectives:
chains.
• Globalization & Inequality
Main Perspectives in IPE o Economic interdependence
benefits rich countries but
1. Mercantilism (Economic Nationalism) exploits poor nations.
o States compete for power and o Example: Sweatshops,
wealth. environmental destruction in
o Governments protect domestic developing countries.
industries (tariffs, subsidies). • Economic Crises & Power Shifts
o Example: China’s industrial o Crises (Great Depression, 2008
policy & US trade crash) create opportunities for
protectionism. political change.
2. Economic Liberalism (Free Market o Neo-Marxists argue capitalism
Capitalism) survives by reinventing itself
o Free markets promote after each crisis.
economic growth and
cooperation.
o Adam Smith, David Ricardo
argue for limited government Connecting Neo-Marxism & IPE
interference.
o Example: WTO, IMF promoting • Neo-Marxists see IPE as a system where
globalization. powerful nations and corporations
3. Marxism / Neo-Marxism (Critique of manipulate global economics.
Capitalism) • IPE scholars analyze power relations,
o Capitalism exploits workers and but not all reject capitalism like Neo-
poor nations. Marxists do.
o Rich countries (core) dominate • Both agree that globalization creates
poor countries (periphery). winners (rich countries) and losers
(poor countries)
