Ques-what is International relations and mention the approaches to study it in brief.
Ans-International Relations is the study and practice of political relationships among the
world’s
nations, and especially their governments. International relations refers to interactions
between non-governmental groups, such as international organizations or multinational
corporations. For example united nations (UN) or OIC.
States were mutually interlinked from the very beginning of the civilised world. But because
of scientific and technological developments the world has greatly shrunk in the modern era.
As a result, events happening in one part of the world have an immediate impact on the rest
of the world.
Therefore the state maintains regular relations with other states of the world. As an alone
individual is nothing similarly, a state without other state is nothing and in the present
complex life, a state without relations with other cannot survive. Materialistic needs,
economic requirement,industrialization,religion, security and trade matters etc. brings the
states
together. Inter-states wars yielded post-war treaties,friendly agreements and economic and
international organisations. All of these things are studied by international relations.
International relations is not a new subhejct but an old subject which can be traced to the old
tribes,
utilised by the Greeks and Romans in their relations. As a regular subject, it started in the
World War-I era and specially because of the second World War, Cold War between USA
and USSR, disintegration of USSR, New World Order (NWO) of USA, global role of North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) emergence diplomatic relations and international
organization,developed this subject to a great extent.
International relations is a complex and broad topic both for countries engaged in
relationships with other nations, and for observers who are trying to understand these
interactions.
These relationships are influenced by many variables,shaped by the primary participants in
international relations, including national leaders, oilier politicians, and nongovernmental
participants,like private corporations, and nongovernmental organizations. They are also
affected by and non-political influences and domestic relations,which includes economics,
geography, and culture.
No matter what other issues are,international relations' primary focus remains interaction
between nations.
Until 1970’s International studies were focused on international security like war and peace.
Scholars very much believed that the strength of the nation lies in its military and how the
nation would relate to other states. This was the main characteristic of nations power and the
military was the centre of focus. Strategies that a nation uses to protect its territory and the
way they protect their own interest was the main area. But from the 1970's the economy of
the state is becoming important and gaining importance in studying international relations
and the economic factor in the relations is the primary focus. There is cooperation and
relation in states in trade and other economic activities to fund international organisations
such as world bank and IMF
International relation studies welcomes all kind of relations be it legal,political,economic be it
private or public and all the human behaviour which is originating from the one side of state
boundary
It also studies foreign relations all kind of organisations and pacts about international justice
and alliances peace and war etc. it also studies international organisations,interstate
interactions,international law and diplomacy.
The term international relations was first coined by jeremy bentham in the later part of the
18th century with regard to the laws of nation. Later this word was used for defining the
official relationship between the sovereign states. Social,cultural,economic and military
relations among the state of the world may be included in the purview of this subject
Definitions of IR
There are different different definitions of what international relation is given by different
different scholars. Here are some of the definitions given by scholars such as Encarta,quincy
weight.
Encarta-“International relations is the branch of political science that studies relations
between
countries of the world.”
According to Quincy wright -“It is not only the nations seek to regulate, varied types of
groups-nations, states, governments, people, region, alliances, confederations, international
organisations, cultural organisations, religious organisations must be dealt with in the study
of international relations if the treatment is to be made realistic.”
Hoffman-International relations is concerned with the factors and activities, that affect the
external
policies and the powers of the basic units into that the world is divided.”
Trevor tayor- “International relations is the discipline that tries to explain political activities
across state boundaries.
The nature and context of international studies have undergone various changes.
Traditionally First, world politics revolved around Europe and relations among nations were
carried by officers of foreign offices secretly,the common man had nothing to do and treaties
were usually secret.
Today the opinion of a man matters and they have a say in the process of decision making in
the foreign offices,completely changing the nature of international relations. Now there are
officers who are in different countries sent by their origin country. Ambassadors once briefed
by the government are largely free to carry out actions and work by assessing the ground
realities of the country where they are posted.
Today the nature of diplomacy is changing the way nature of war is changed by the nuclear
weapons replacing the balance of power by the balance of terror. Today we are living in a
state where the head of government,foreign minister establish relations with other countries
across the globe, improving relations.
Before the First World War an Indian traveller travelled from India to Britain spending about
20 days in the sea voyage. Today, it takes less than 9 hours for a jet aircraft to fly from Delhi
to London, telephones, fax machines, teleprinters and other electronic devices have brought
all government leaders in direct contact. Technology has made travel and communication
easier than before. Hotline communication between Washington and Moscow, for example,
keeps the top world leaders in constant touch. This has reduced the freedom of
ambassadors who receive daily instructions from their governments.
Decolonisation has resulted in many sovereign states. The countries which were under
European power are today free to act on their independent basis. European former colonies
including India were previously silent spectators but now they participate in world affairs.
In today's world international organisations play a very important role in shaping relations
between countries. The USSR's disintegration also resulted in the many sovereign states.
Small countries like Naru may not have power in the UN but they have equal say in the
general assembly. Four small countries were integrated to the UN in 1990-93,these four are
san marino,monaco,liechtenstein,andorra. Today the total number of UN had gone from 51
in 1945 to 185 in [Link] relations are conducted by non state actors too. Various
non-state actors like multinational corporations and transnational bodies influence
international relations in a big way. After collapse of soviet union united nations(UN) had
emerged as supreme located in washington it now dominates the international scene.
Various factors such as day to day increasing human activity shapes the nature of
international relations. This continuous change keeps shaping and that’s why it's difficult to
explain the nature of international studies. But there are some important points which can be
used in explaining the nature of international relations.
1-No single definition- To this date,no single universally accepted definition has been shaped
for international relations for their changing nature. Various scholars have given their own
definition of international relations.
2) Operates in an anarchical system-There is no single organisation which regulates
international relations. It operates in an anarchical system. Michel Nicholson says that
International Relations is the study of aspects of anarchy, though an anarchy which is not
necessarily chaotic.
3) Concerned with global issues-International Relations deal with the global key
issues,which convers public intrest globally. Like every country is concerned because of
global warming which is a matter of global concern. Which could be attain only if all or many
countries will come together.
4. Nations as primary actors of International Relations-politics refers to the process of
interactions among nations. Nation states are playing an important role in relations but
together with several non state actors such as supra national groups and transnational
groups, these all play an important role in international relations. The primary are nation
states because they still control all the important instruments like violence in international
relations and coercion.
5-National interest-Today every nation wants to secure their relation with other nations,the
main factor driving this is national interest. The objective is national interest. International
politics involves the art of securing goals which are of national interest and and usually
involves the art of preserving national interest. This is the process by which a nation rises to
safeguard and secure its interest in case of war or conflict with another nation.
6. Conflicts- the national interests of various nations are neither fully compatible nor fully
incompatible. The incompatibility of the national interest of various nations is a source of
conflict at the international level which finds concrete manifestation in the form of disputes.
However, the possibility of making the interests compatible through accommodation,
adjustment and reconciliation leads to some cooperation among nations. As such, conflicts
and cooperation as well as coercion and persuasion are always present in International
Relations.
7. Power as the means: even in conditions of conflict nations tries to secure their national
goal or mational intrest. Power here is used in concept of national power. Eveey nation is
continuously engaged in acquiring,maintaining,increasing and using power. The power which
backs a nation’s attempt to secure its national intredt is called national power
Power as means as well as end-In international relations and politics power becomes both
means as well as end. Nation uses their power to attain national interest. Each nation works
to maintain and increase their power. Power is regarded as nations vital part.
International Politics as a process of conflict-resolution among Nations: Conflicts are the
conditions of International politics. It is the most important elect of International Politics
because in the absence of conflicts of interests, power can have little function to perform.
Conflict is the very basis of International Relations. It is at the root of both disputes and
cooperation among nations. Conflicts of interests are a reality of International Relations.
However, at the same time, it can't be denied that the existence of conflict compels the
nations with similar goals of national interests to cooperate with each other.
International Politics involves continuous interaction among nations: since the national
interests of various nations are in conflict with one another, conflict cannot be completely
eliminated from International society. However, at the same time, conflict must be resolved
because unresolved conflicts can lead to war. This necessitates continuous attempts on the
part of nations to adjust their relations with one another. Nations they to achieve this
bemoans of their power and resources.
[Link] among foreign Policies: Since the international environment is very complex
and dynamic and each nation has to act in conditions characterised by conflict, cooperation,
competition, war, tensions and uncertainties, it is essential for each nation to perform on the
basis of its foreign policy. The relations among nations mostly take the form of interactions
among the foreign policies of the nations.
To understand these interactions, experts look at the world as a system of nations whose
actions are guided by a well-defined set of rules. They call this system the interstate system.
The interstate system has existed for less than 500 years and is based on a common
understanding of what a nation is and how it should treat other nations. But recent changes
in technology and international norms have caused some scholars to question whether this
system will continue in the future, or be replaced by some other system of relationships that
is not yet known.
Realism in International
Relations
Realism is a straightforward approach to international relations, stating that all nations are
working to increase their own power, and those countries that manage to horde power most
efficiently will thrive, as they can easily eclipse the achievements of less powerful nations.
The theory further states that a nation's foremost interest should be self-preservation and
that continually gaining power should always be a social, economic, and political imperative.
The nature of realism implies that seeking a moral high ground is a goal that governments
cannot always achieve and that deceit and violence can be highly effective tools for
advancing national interests. With homeland defense elevated to the highest priority,
remaining morally righteous in the eyes of international organizations can take a backseat to
enforcing foreign policy that will improve the nation's global stature. In modern times, realism
is evident in the foreign policies of China and Russia. The relationship between Russia and
Syria is one that has raised eyebrows in Europe and around the world; despite the bloody
civil war in Syria—and the international community's pleas for intervention—Russia has
maintained strategic
relations with the government of Bashar Al-Assad in order to protect Russian interests in the
region.
Similarly, China continues its diplomatic and economic association with North Korea in spite
of the latter's abysmal human rights record and aggressive nuclear testing. Chinese
encroachment into the South China Sea and Russia's incursions
into Ukraine also highlight the two countries' aggressive-and at times violent—realist political
approach to international affairs.
Liberalism
Also called "liberal internationalism," liberalism is based on the belief that the current global
system is capable of engendering a peaceful world order.
Rather than relying on direct force, such as military action, liberalism places an emphasis on
international cooperation as a means of furthering each nation's respective interests.
Liberalists believe that the negative consequences of force— such as economic losses and
civilian casualties—far
exceed its potential benefits. Therefore, liberal politicians generally prefer the use of
economic and social power in achieving their national goals (for instance, obtaining the
agreement of a neighboring country to help secure a border). In today's globalized society,
using economic tactics— such as bilateral trade agreements and international
diplomacy-can be more effective in advancing political interests than threatening force.
As liberalism has become more rooted in
international cooperation through the establishment of organizations like the United Nations,
realism has started to wane as a viable political strategy. It can be argued that the liberalist
tradition, perpetuated by the United States, has become the dominant system in international
relations, with established values and international institutions in place to regulate this order.
Constructivism
Constructivism rests on the notion that rather than
the outright pursuit of material interests, it is a nation's belief systems-historical, cultural and
social —that explain its foreign policy efforts and behavior. For example, since German
aggression served as the primary catalyst for the Second World War, Germany deploys its
armed forces outside of German borders only when its
government is certain of the need to intervene in instances of genocide or conflict that
threatens to spill over into other nations. This has been demonstrated by the country's
foreign policy following the first and second Gulf War (the latter of which Germany refused to
participate), as well as its reluctant participation in United Nations-led operations in Somalia
and Yugoslavia.
Constructivists also argue that states are not the most important actors in international
relations, but that international institutions and other non-state actors are valuable in
influencing behavior through lobbying and acts of persuasion. For this reason, constructivism
has become a popular and important theory in recent decades as non-state actors like
international organizations such as Amnesty International, OXFAM, and Greenpeace gain
political influence. International organizations
Marxism
Karl Marx was a Prussian philosopher and economist whose works posited that societies
could escape the self-destructive nature of capitalist socioeconomic systems by
implementing socialist theory into their policies, both locally and abroad. Marxism, a theory
that closely analyzes social classes, aims to dismantle the capitalist structure of the
international system, as it states that capitalism is no longer practically sustainable in the
modern world. Marx believed that private property should be replaced by cooperative
ownership, with the emphasis placed entirely on satisfying human needs for consumption,
rather than creating private profit. Under an ideal socialist international regime, societies
would work together to ensure that basic human needs were met on a global scale. Marxism
was a dominant political ideology during the Cold War and inspired socialist revolutions in
countries such as China, Vietnam and Cuba. Marxism's influence can still be felt today, with
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung encouraging students to study Marxism in
exchange for free tuition. The Marxist revival is not exclusive to current and former
communist nations; The 2017 Marxism Festival was hosted by the Socialist Workers Party in
London and attracted thousands of activists from across the world
Feminism
Gender issues are a significant concern within global politics, and feminism as an
international relations theory seeks to regulate the power derived from (or denied on the
basis of) an individual's gender. Feminists are mostly interested in tracking political and
social developments that inhibit success in female populations. When systems of power
subtly or overtly tell women they can only fulfill certain roles, those limitations become social
norms and perpetuate the cycle.
The significance of feminism in international relations is evidenced by the role women play in
promoting more just and fair international relations policies. Women like Hillary Clinton and
Condoleezza Rice have both made important contributions to the advancement of women
worldwide. As a senator representing the state of New York, Clinton co-sponsored the Lilly
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which was aimed at combatting gender-based pay
discrimination.
