UNIT 1

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - INTRODUCTION

The discipline that studies international relations or international politics is called

International Politics or International Relations or International Studies.

There are many definitions that describe this field of studies:

 IR is the study of the political and social interaction of state, non-state actors and
individuals.
 IR is an academic and public field and can be positive and normative because it
analyzes and formulates the foreign policy of a given state.
 IR is the area of politics which is concerned with the relations between different
countries.
 IR is global political interaction, primarily among sovereign nations.
 IR is the academic discipline devoted to studying world politics, embracing
international law, international economics, and the history and art of diplomacy.
 IR is the study of relationships among countries, the roles of sovereign states, inter-
governmental organizations (IGO), international non-governmental organizations
(INGO), NGO, and multinational corporations (MNC).

There are so many definitions of international relations because this field is so broad and
interdisciplinary in its character. Many authors tend to use the term world politics rather than
international politics. IR is related to other academic disciplines: technology and engineering,
economics, history, international law, philosophy, geography, social work, sociology,
anthropology, criminology, psychology, cultural studies and more.

The basic problem facing anyone who tries to understand contemporary world politics is that
there is so much material to look at that it is difficult to know which things matter and which
do not. Where on earth would you start if you wanted to explain the most important political
processes? How, for example would you explain 9/11, or the 2003 war in Iraq, the recent
global financial crisis, or the failure of the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, or the
significance of the Arab Spring? There are very different answers to questions such as these
and there seems no easy way of arriving at a definitive answer to them.

In order to find answers we should resort to theories. A theory is not simply some grand
formal model with hypotheses and assumptions. It is a kind of simplifying device that allows
you to decide which facts matter and which do not.

As political activity IR dates from the time of the Greek historian Thucydides (ca.460-
395BC) and people have tried to make sense of world politics for centuries, and especially so
since the separate academic discipline of International Politics was formed in 1919 when the
Department of International Politics was set up at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. A
Welsh industrialist David Davies set it up and he saw its purpose as being to help prevent
war. It was believed that by studying international politics scientifically, scholars could find
the causes of the world’s main political problems and put forward solutions to help politicians
solve them.

At the beginning of 21st century research in world politics focused on issues such as
terrorism, religious and ethnic conflict, the spread of weapons of mass destruction and efforts
to counter nuclear proliferation, and the development of international institutions, economic
development, international security, ecological sustainability, globalization, just to name few.

Comprehensive questions

1. What is international about international relations?

2. Why is it difficult for states to work together?

3. How does international trade reduce the chance of war?

4. What is nuclear proliferation? Is a nuclear proliferation a good thing?

5. Why does terrorism work?

6. If war is costly, why can’t states settle their differences at the bargaining table?

Terms to learn in Unit 1

 World politics – International politics

 International relations
 Academic discipline
 Nation – State –Country
 Political relations
 Arab Spring
 Nuclear proliferation
 Global politics
 Global climate change
 Government
 Political theories

Homework task

Search the Internet and find the definitions of the terms listed above.
UNIT 2
THEORIES OF WORLD POLITICS
The concept of theory

Lead-in Questions
1. What is a theory?
2. Why do we need theories?
3. Which theories in world politics do you know?

For most scholars a theory is simply an explanation of an event or pattern of

behaviour in the ‘real’ world. This is otherwise known as empirical theory. A theory explains
such patterns by elaborating on why they take place. In one (in) famous expression, a theory
explains laws of behaviour. According to this conception, theories are useful instruments. If
we know why and how events relate to each other, we may then be able to intervene and
perhaps change reality to suit our purposes. This conception of empirical theory rests on two
important assumptions. First, there is a categorical distinction between theory and practice.
The world consists of an apparently random collection of facts that need to be described and
studied to discern how they are related. Theory and practice are linked by empirical
propositions that summarise the degree to which certain facts are connected to other facts.
Only when we have a large body of such propositions can we engage in the hard work of
attempting to explain them. Second, theories are never true or false in any absolute sense.
Whilst theories must always be tested against the evidence, they can only be replaced by
better theories that are either more coherent or more comprehensive in the scope of their
explanatory power than their rivals.
It should be noted that the sheer variety of empirical theory in the study of
international relations is very wide indeed. It is common to distinguish between middle-range
theory and grand theory. For example, there is a big difference between a theory that tries to
explain single events like the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, a theory that tries to
account for the variation of patterns of war and peace among the great powers over the last
200 years, and a theory that attempts to explain why war itself takes place. International
relations is very wide indeed. It is common to distinguish between middle-range theory and
grand theory. For example, there is a big difference between a theory that tries to explain
single events like the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, a theory that tries to account
for the variation of patterns of war and peace among the great powers over the last 200
years, and a theory that attempts to explain why war itself takes place.
Second, it is common to come across the phrase normative theory. Unlike empirical
theory, normative theory is concerned with how to elaborate the ethical standards used to
judge international conduct. Today, there exists a large body of normative theory concerned
with the use of force (just war theory) and distributive justice in international relations.
When is it right or appropriate to use military force? Is the present distribution of global
wealth and income fair? These are the kinds of questions that normative theory seeks to
answer.
Third, the term is sometimes used in a constitutive sense. Unlike empirical or
normative theory, this use of the term is perhaps best expressed through other concepts, such
as paradigm, worldview, or framework of analysis. Some of the terms used in this book, such
as realism, critical theory, and liberal internationalism are examples of constitutive theory
in the study of international relations.

The main theories in international relations are:

 Realism
 Liberalism
 Marxism
 Social constructivism
 Poststructuralism
 Postcolonialism

Comprehensive Questions
1. How do you understand empirical theory?
2. Why theories are never true or false in any absolute sense?
3. How do you understand normative theory?
4. Give examples of normative theory?
5. How would you explain the term constitutive theory?