INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Section F-359 (1:00 – 2-

30) RM. 242

F-358 (2:30 –
4:00) RM 244
Introduction to International Relations

I. Why study International Relations

A. What is it?
B/ Let me tell you why:

As of last year, 2006,, there are more than 6 BILLION PEOPLE

in our planet. (Phil 86 million)

If this population was reduced to that of a small town with 100

people, it would look like something like this:

57 % Asians
21 % Europeans
14 % Americans (North & Latin America)
8 % Africans (because of famine and killings/tribal wars)

52 % women
48 % men

89 % heterosexuals ( straight)
11 % homosexuals (gay)

ONLY 6 people would own 50% the wealth of the WHOLE WORLD and
all them would be from the United States of America (Forbes Magazine
survey)

80 % would have bad living conditions

70 % would be uneducated
50 % underfed
When we look at the world from this point of view, you can see there is a
real need to understand it , to study it, and to be one with it.

ALSO THINK ABOUT THE FF:

This morning, if you woke up healthy, then you are happier than
the one million people that will not survive next week.

If you have never suffered a war, the loneliness of the jail cell, the agony
of torture, or hunger, you are better off than 500 million people in this
world.

If there is food in your fridge, you have shoes and clothes, you have bed
and roof, you are richer that 75 % of the people in the world.

If you have a bank account, money (or credit card) in your wallet and
some coins in your small change box, you belong to the 8% of the people
who are well to do.

AND if you are now listening to a pretentious professor talking about

this now, then you do not belong to the 200 million people who cannot
read or write.

TRANSITION:

1. Problems
The Global Immigration Problem

SOMETIME LAST YEAR , CNN, SHOWED Chinese in

Milan mass demonstration for unfair treatment
Thousands cross over to the US 2,000-mile border from
impoverished Mexico.

In Germany, Turkish workers- both legal and illegal, are

desperate to find either permanent residence or citizenship.
In London, they have new term ‘ Londonstan’ referring to
thousands of unassimilated Pakistani nationals, (Explain

Assimilation). Most of those arrested for terrorism were

Pakistanis. AT the moment, thousands are waiting in Calais
France to cross the English Channel. At the same time East
Europeans, by the thousands, are also waiting.

In France, there were riots in 2005 – 2006 because many

children of the North African immigrants, are unemployed and
unhappy. They burned cars, destroyed and looted shops.
(Mostly from Algeria, Morocco, other French African/Arab
colonies.)

Or Albanians flock to Greece to do farm work, and then

regularly deported for doing so illegally.

The list could go on and on but you would probable mumble to

yourself , OK, SO WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

Well, immigration is only one of the global problems that has

become ticklish that has created frictions among and between
countries. US-Mexico, now a big immigration issue that has
challenged President’s Bush leadership and angered both the
legal and illegal immigrants in the country. The country is
divided on this issue which could affect our own Filipino
immigrants and future immigrants.

The Big deal is: We now live in a Global Village. As they say
when the President of the US sneezes, the rest of the world
catches cold. Whatever happens in some parts of the world,
could affect us. We citizens of this world share common
problems, face common issues, like the environment, fuel,
global warming, population, food, water, of all things, which is
predicted to be a great issue in the near future. (Malaysia-
Singapore)

William Shakespeare, ( 1564- 1616) the Bard of Avon, an

English writer wrote : ‘All the world is a stage, and all men and
women merely players” in a play titled “ As You Like It.”

It is important to realize that in this world stage we should not

be merely an audience but a participant.

And your efforts to become knowledgeable about our world

and to try to shape its course into something to our liking is
important because international relations and politics do
matter because they play an important role in our lives.

The Players
• Nations
• Nation states
• International/ Regional Organizations
• International NGO's
• Other Groups
• Individuals

The United Nations

In 1945,there were 51 members of the United Nations
Organization. Now it is 192, (Montenegro 2006)

(A short quiz: Write the names of at least 6 countries each and its capital
city in the following regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East,
SouthAmerica)