...International relations, study of the relations among states and other political and economic units in the international system. Particular areas of study within the field of international relations include diplomacy and diplomatic history, international law, international organizations, international finance and economics, and communications, among others. In addition, increased attention has been paid in recent years to developing a more scientific understanding of the international system as a whole. Aspects of international relations have been studied as early as the time of the ancient Greek historian Thucydides. As a separate and definable discipline, however, it dates from the early 20th cent., when the first organized efforts were made to find alternatives to wars in nation-state international behavior. Two schools of thought quickly developed. One looks to strengthened international law and international organizations to preserve peace; the other emphasizes that nations will always use their power to achieve goals and sees the key to peace in a balance of power among competing states. With increased importance attached to a theoretical understanding of the whole international system, there has been a growing use of concepts and modes of analysis developed in the natural sciences in an attempt to improve the verifiability and applicability of theories. International relations is the study of relationships between nations. When analyzing international relations three...
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...Politics 223 2014 International Relations International event 24316563 E.S Zulu 13.07.2014 Introduction International relation is a fast moving subject of study; it came too recognised as academic discipline. Despite adjective international, the field is concerned with much more than relations between or amongst state. Other actors such as international organisation, Multination Corporation, and terrorist groups are now all of what could more correctively be termed world politics. Different perspectives on the international relations naturally generate debates. In 1930’s realist and idealist argued over the nature of the international politics and the possibility of the peaceful change and the Marxist critics (Paul and Mark, 1987:1-3). International Relations According to Johari (2009:1-39) the international relations are the study of the political and social interaction of state, non-state and individuals. In the recent years the increasing interaction among these actors, coupled with advances in informational technology and the spread of human rights, have raised many new questions for international relations scholars, practitioners, and students. International relations as a discipline is chiefly concerned with what state do on the world stage and in turn, how their actions affect other states, correspondingly states are a common unit of analysis in theories of international relation, many analysis focus on states and their interactions to explain observed patterns...
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...Liberalism and The consequences of World War II Ayomide A Adaranijo History 3100; Diplomatic History Dr. Oreste Foppiani Although the term liberalism, in the political sense, became very popular in the early 1970’s, actions that would qualify as liberalism had begun to take place since, at the latest, after the Second World War, and probably before that time. The aftermath of the Second World War was the beginning of wide spread international cooperation, and the period immediately after the war signified the beginning of international organizations and the beginning of political and economic cooperation amongst the most powerful countries at the time. Because of the effects of the war, most countries had no other choice but to cooperate with each other in order to recover from the economic downturn after World War II. This period after the war marked the beginning of a series of actions that would eventually lead to the globalized and interdependent political economy that we have today. At the end of the Second World War, most of the former super powers (Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany) were in ruins. The only two true winners of the war were the United States and the Soviet Union. However, the United States was the only country to come out of World War 2 with a stable and efficient economy as well as an intact army and the capacity to produce nuclear weapons (this was very crucial at that time). With most of the world’s economy in jeopardy, the leaders of these...
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...international relations; study of the relations among states and other political and economic units in the international system. Particular areas of study within the field of international relations include diplomacy and diplomatic history, international law, international organizations, international finance and economics, and communications, among others. In addition, increased attention has been paid in recent years to developing a more scientific understanding of the international system as a whole. Aspects of international relations have been studied as early as the time of the ancient Greek historian Thucydides. As a separate and definable discipline, however, it dates from the early 20th cent., when the first organized efforts were made to find alternatives to wars in nation-state international behavior. Two schools of thought quickly developed. One looks to strengthened international law and international organizations to preserve peace; the other emphasizes that nations will always use their power to achieve goals and sees the key to peace in a balance of power among competing states. With increased importance attached to a theoretical understanding of the whole international system, there has been a growing use of concepts and modes of analysis developed in the natural sciences in an attempt to improve the verifiability and applicability of theories. In many of the leading U.S. universities there are both research institutes and schools of international relations. See diplomatic...
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...1 The Foundations of International Society 2013-2014 Part I: Politics 2 (International Relations I) Paper organiser: Professor Christopher Hill (POLIS): Room 105, Alison Richard Building Email: cjh68@cam.ac.uk Lecturers: Professor Hill (CH), Dr Elisabetta Brighi (EB), Dr Aaron Rapport (AR) and Dr Stefano Recchia (SR). Aims and Objectives The course aims to introduce students to the subject of International Relations (IR), whose main focus is the nature of politics at the international level. Students will acquire the empirical and conceptual foundations needed to understand a world political system which cannot be accurately described as either pure anarchy or a coherent form of ‘global governance’. The starting point is the notion of ‘international society’, which refers to the set of institutions and common procedures generated by states over the last three and a half centuries in their attempts to achieve some minimal form of co-existence, but which has gradually evolved to include many non-state actors and different levels of activity – diplomatic, economic and cultural, as well as that of military competition. By the end of the course you should be able to have an informed discussion about: the historical origins of the present system; what is distinctive about international politics as opposed to politics inside the state; and the main challenges which confront humanity in the twenty-first century. You will also acquire a basic familiarity with the main theories needed...
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...Complex Interdependence In 1970s, a new perspective known as transnational relations arose to question realism key assumptions of state as main and the only actor of world politics. This theory gave a new analytical framework to understand the international relations which was contrary to the state centric paradigm of realism. With complex interdependence as its central concept, this theoretical analysis advanced “synthesis of liberal + realist perspectives by constructing a way of looking at world politics and also the idea of institutionalism to foster cooperation”. It is asked how under conditions of complex interdependence world politics would be different than under realist conditions means this analysis ask to see “ what realism overlooked”. The phenomenon of Interdependence is not new; states have always been interdependent on each other for their economic functions and especially for security purposes. We have seen the complicated interdependence among states in the alliance system to achieve their political ends before First World War. The earliest example of interdependence comes from Norman Angell’s “The great illusion (1910) when he said the economic interdependence will minimize the occurrence of war on the basis of cost-benefit analysis.” Countries are dependent on each other for trade and transaction, they interact globally e.g. flow of money, goods, people and messages across international boundaries but all transactions among countries are not characterized by interdependence...
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...perspectives from the field of International Political Economy and practical examples from the global political economy” Introduction Robert Gilpin (1975) once defined International Political Economy as the “reciprocal and dynamic interaction in international relations of the pursuit of wealth and the pursuit of power”, allowing for the understanding of the relevance of power and wealth in the global economy. The study of International Political Economy provides an understanding of the interaction between the Market and the State, as well as the importance of their existence within countries around the world. In studying this particular area, it is important to familiarize oneself with the key elements and determinants which make up the global economy. Two factors which play an essential role in the global political economy are Power and Wealth. These are considered to be significantly linked, as they share many similar attributes, and many corporations and actively involved members of the State seek to achieve and/or maintain both aspects. Power is globally acknowledged as the ability to influence the behavior in other individuals, or the authority to make decisions. As illustrated by Dahl (1957), the intuitive idea of power allows for the understanding that “A has power over B to the extent that he can get B to do something that B would not otherwise do.” This alluded to the understanding that power is a relation, and more importantly that it is a relation among people. (Parsons...
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...are theories of international relations important? First of all, international relation is the study of relationship between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organization, international nongovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and multinational corporations. In our modern society, globalization has made countries dependent with each other due to the rapid flow of goods, services, people, information and ideas that is driven by economic factor, which includes increasing productive potential and creating new opportunities for international trade and investment, technological factor, which involves faster information access and easier international activities, and demographical factor, which involves different characteristics and resources in different areas. According to the Essentials of International Relations by Karen A Mingst, theory is a set of propositions and concepts that seek to explain phenomena by specifying the relationships among the concepts. So theory of international relation is a set of propositions and concepts that seek to explain international relation phenomena by specifying the relationships among the concepts. Therefore the theory of international relationship is important to analyze political events and their background. For example, behind US attack to Iraq, there were issues of terrorism, Saddam Hussein as an individual, democracy, and weapon. Moreover using the theories of international relationship,...
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...individual to learn the art of government and administration. The courses in the first two semester focus on basic concepts of political science and major political ideologies. The next two, third and fourth, puts emphasis exclusively on the Indian political system. The fifth and sixth semesters courses deal with public administration and International relations. Course objectives 1. Imparting value based education. 2. Preparing responsible and politically conscious citizens. 3. Building good leadership qualities and responsible future leaders. 4. Understanding the art of government and administration. 5. Motivating students to take competitive examinations. 6. Creating civic sense COURSE STRUCTURE I Semester Course Code POL 131 II Semester Course Code POL 231 III Semester Course Code POL 331 IV Semester Course Code POL 431 V Semester Course Code POL 531 POL 532 VI Semester Course Code POL 631 POL 632 Title Core Concepts of Political Science. Title Major Political Ideologies Title Indian Government and Politics- I Title Indian Government and Politics- II Title International Relations- I Principles of Public Administration Title International Relations- II Personnel and Financial Administration Hrs/ wk 5 Hrs/ wk 5 Hrs/ wk 5 Hrs/ wk 5 Hrs/ wk 4 4 Marks 100 Marks 100 Marks 100 Marks 100 Marks 100 100 Credits 4 Credits 4 Credits 4 Credits 4 Credits 3 3 Hrs/ wk 4 4 Marks 100 100 Credits 3 3 1 BA SEMESTER I POL 131: POLITICAL SCIENCE PAPER I – CORE CONCEPTS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE 75...
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...Defining Security “Security” comes from a broader subject referred to International Relations which is the study of all political cooperation that occurs between states that have their own government, international organizations with or without government influence, and some wealthy separate individuals. “Security Studies concerns itself with a sub-set of those political interactions marked by their particular importance in terms of maintaining the security of actor” (Hough 2008: 2). Depending on the emergency of security of an actor will depend how a government or country will act on the security measure. For example, concerns relating to health and rights of the people will be at top on the global political agenda compare to other events such as natural disasters or mass killings are rarely seen as security concerns. It might be of importance to the people that these events are happening to, but not to the people not being affected. There are four main paradigms of International Relations that affect issues in security. Those paradigms are Realism, Pluralism, Marxism, and Social Constructivism. Realism is the idea that states should be self-centered, competitive, and should look after themselves and not trust any other states. The state should do anything within its reach to expand its power in wherever possible being in military or economic sectors in order to secure themselves and be at the top. Realists tend to favor governments that separate the high and low...
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...Media and Diplomacy in International Relations Id number: 620071261 Course code: Govt 1008 Course name: Introduction to International Relations Date: 17/03/2015 Topic: Media and Diplomacy Media and Diplomacy in International Relations. In the period leading up to the overthrow of political authorities in the Middle East, young activists used social media to spread dissident discourse, organize protests and transmit live footage of revolutions across the world. Simultaneously, stubborn autocrats clung to political survival tactics by blocking their citizens’ access to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook in order to disrupt the gathering momentum of a networked people determined to change their governments. Communication is essential to diplomacy, it always has been. As Nicolson (1954:2) wrote “The origins of diplomacy lie buried in the darkness preceding what we call the dawn of history. There came a stage when the anthropoid apes inhabiting one group of caves realized that it might be profitable to reach some understanding with neighboring groups regarding the limits of their respective hunting territories”. Information gathering, reporting, and sharing have been across the centuries the staple diet of diplomats. Communication is so crucial to diplomatic activity that, over history, virtually any advance in communication technology has affected the practice of diplomacy. Nickles (2003) in Under the Wire specifically examines the impact of...
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...actors as well as states, or focusing exclusively on those issue areas where it does, as do some liberal ideologies, liberal IR theory focuses on market structure as variable explaining both openness and closure. The resulting commercial liberal explanation of relative gains seeking in foreign economic policy is quite distinct from that of Realism, which emphasizes security externalities and relative (hegemonic) power, or that of Institutionalism, which stresses informational and institutional constraints on interstate collective action. One source of pressure for protection lies in uncompetitive, monopolistic or undiversified sectors or factors that lose the most from liberalization and have an incentive to oppose it. Commercial liberalism has important implications for security affairs as well. Trade is generally a less costly means of accumulating wealth than war, sanctions or other coercive means, not least due to the minimization of collateral damage. Yet governments sometimes have an incentive to employ coercive means to create and control international markets. To explain this variation, domestic distributional issues and the structure of global markets are again critical. Yet economic development tends to increase the material stake of social actors in existing...
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...ignoring other foundations on which other countries base establishing diplomatic recognition. Focusing on the Republic of China (Taiwan) suggests a more complicated view where economic self-interest on one side and national pride on the other may undermine traditional conceptions of recognition. Using the ROC-PRC diplomatic battle as a case study, this paper hopes to shed light on two questions: why, despite the PRC's rise as a global power, a country would continue to formally recognize the ROC and secondly what does the ROC receive in exchange for such high-cost endeavors to maintain recognition. In this case mutual ideological rationales have greatly diminished while I contend that economic factors have predominantly maintained this diplomatic battle. In addition, previous research often focuses on major world powers granting or withholding formal recognition to smaller states. In this situation, poor countries with typically little political influence are the major players, suggesting different rationales behind recognition. Methodologically, this paper blends qualitative and quantitative analysis to uncover factors affecting recogni- T IMOTHY S. RICH is a doctoral student in political science at the Indiana University. His previous rese arch analyzed Taiwan's democratization and cross-Strait relations. His dissertation analyzes electoral reform in East Asia . In 2009, Timothy received a National Science Foundation grant to conduct research in Taiwan regarding recent electoral...
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...claims that documentary evidence indicates that they belong to China and were taken as part of Japan’s imperial conquests. The US has no official position regarding the islands but they are included in the US and Japan’s Treaty of Mutual Security and Cooperation, which ensures that any attack on the island would require the USD to aid Japan. The Government of Japan bought three of the remaining disputed islands from private ownership, triggering a wave of anti-Japan protests in China (Lohmeyer, 2008). In this case, the ESCAP and the ARF should be involved in trying to resolve the issue, even though the conflict has not degenerated into war because the liberal international theory seems to relate best to the situation. What regional and international organizations would or should have involvement? Why? ESCAP, or the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the pacific is the UN’s regional arm for the Pacific and Asian region. Its establishment was meant to encourage its member states, of which China and Japan are part of, to cooperate economically (Niksch, 2010). Because China and Japan are major trading partners, keeping the peace between them and attempting to resolve the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands dispute...
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...Kellie Mairin Matack IRLS210 International Relations I Professor Laura Culbertson 25 April 2015 International Relations Theoretical Perspectives of Putin, Obama, and Rouhani Vladimir Putin The current president of the country of Russia, Vladimir Putin predominately exhibits realist tendencies on the international stage. While Putin may be motived by variables that inevitably fall under constructivism and other theories of international relations, he most recently has adopted a realist viewpoint of how his country fits in to the world as an international actor. The definition of the realist theory as described by Wilkinson, explains that the world of international politics is a constant struggle over power, motived by self-interest and primarily maintained through military power that is acquired by commerce and industry wealth (2007, 2). During Putin’s address to the Federal assembly, he exemplifies a realist view in his statement, “Every nation has an inalienable sovereign right to determine its own development path, choose allies and political regimes, create an economy and ensure its security… we will have to protect our legitimate interests unilaterally”(2014). It can be seen that President Putin justifies Russia’s actions on the international stage through purporting that every nation has it’s own interests and has the right to do whatever it takes to ensure those interests are secured. When President Putin was serving as the prime minister in Russia, he oversaw...
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