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Contemporary International Relations

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Contemporary International Relations

Ortega Keith

Abstract

Despite the existence of an international society, it can be considered non-existent because there is
no supranational authority. In any case, several groups must be considered within it:

State

IO = I.O.G = international governmental organizations

Transnational Forces (NGO)

To define International Relations, it is first necessary to define the object of study that is the
international society, international system or international community.

Introduction

Before the 20th century this concept was restricted to Europe, even so there were some
international subsystems from which they were formed from other more complex ones: Greece can
be cited as a cultural center, then Rome (which is at the base of international law), at which time a
rift occurs: the Byzantine empire that lasted until 1453, the western empire assumed Christianity
(313) and another entity emerged: Christian Europe. And a little later the irruption also pushed by a
religious force: Islam. Therefore we have 3 subsystems: Byzantium, Christian Europe and Islam.

Advancing towards the 16th century, we find the appearance of the national states with their
own organizations within each country, this coincides with the European expansion into the new
world as a result of the strengthening of these states.

We come to the year 1648 "the great mutation" with the Westphalian peace sign. It is at this
moment when the disappearance of the confessional of the states that develop by itself is
recognized.

Now international society is emerging as a group of states on an equal footing with different
organizations (republics, monarchies ...) but with legal equality. Here the foundations of the
European balance are laid (a utopia, since the conflicts between countries continued).

We go to 1776 and the American Revolution. The independence of the British colonies causes
a rift in the international system. Here 3 fundamental principles are imposed:

The principle of legitimacy of this new society respects its political actions and the principle
of effectiveness of that new system.

Apart from the British crown, it is the important year of self-determination of the people
regarding the relationship with the metropolis, where a regionalist ideology begins to form (some
South American countries against Spanish and Portuguese colonialism are also revealed).
 After the French revolution, the Napoleonic empire breaks the balance of 1648 a little as the
countries are no longer equal to each other. For this reason, in 1815, with the Congress of Vienna,
this balance was once again reinforced with a different nuance; The American system that is no
longer part of the British colonial empire has been left out here.

It is the beginning of the liberal revolutions and the appearance of 2 contradictory

phenomena that, however, do not alter the balance: nationalisms and imperialism.

The formation and strengthening of the great empires begins: the British empire (thanks to
its industrial revolution), the Tsarist empire and the Austro-Hungarian empire that collides with
Japan, an incipient power.

It is now when the so-called “armed peace” (1885-1914) begins, apparently since the
European nations maintained continuous economic and colonial rivalries. Already in the Franco-
Prussian conflict it was clear that entire nations were involved in the war mobilization.

Another sign of this balance was the threat posed by Bismark's policy of agreements and alliances:
rapprochement with Austria and Russia. However, after the conflict between Russia and Turkey
(1877), Bismark did not support the Russian cause with the signing of the Berlin Treaty and it
produced a split in the harmony of the 3 emperors (from Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia).
Germany now has 2 enemies: France and Russia. Hence the triple alliance :( Germany, Austria and
Italy) and the triple front: (Great Britain, France and Russia).

This tension was aggravated by the problem of nationalisms that arose out of necessity due to the
imperial yoke: Pangermanism and Pan-Slavism, also with the Bismarck systems.

The main problem now is the regrouping of the European system. The fact that Europe
returned to colonialism made the United States in 1900 embark on the same adventure to achieve
equality with respect to Europe; This is a sign that it is already emerging as a great power.
We are approaching the outbreak of World War 1, "the balance of power is not a solution of
European states, but of world states."

Even so, it should be noted that even in Europe there was already a balance since the end of
the 19th century due to German unity, industrial development and the desire for hegemony. In
addition, it should be noted that already around 1880, the Russian expansion towards Korea made it
collide with Japan, who after defeating Russia in 1905, consolidated itself as another major military
power.

Therefore: nationalism with the desire to enlarge a country, arms race, rancor of France
towards Germany (1870-71), desire of Germany to become a naval power, fight in the bacchans ...
the outbreak of the great war was imminent.

International society is beginning to be present (it is no longer just about European society) in
which various powers come into play.

This international system was consolidated in 1919 with the creation of the League of
Nations (an international organization whose mission was to regulate relations between states and
maintain peace).

The defeated countries were left out of it: Germany and the USSR who begin a
rapprochement.
 The United States was also left out due to the refusal of the isolationist North American
Senate, despite the fact that it was President Wilson who proposed the famous 14 points for peace.
We arrived in 1929 with the crash of the stock market that affected the entire world
economic panorama that until now had been in good condition. It is between this date and 1931
when there is a separation of economic, political and ideological interests. Europe is divided n 3: on
the one hand the parliamentary countries such as G. Brittany, France and Czechoslovakia, the
totalitarianisms and the USSR that had not yet expanded, but little by little was making an
appearance in the conflicting apexes so that it penetrated its ideology.

From now on, a series of events will take place that will make evident the ineffectiveness of
the society of nations, such as the Spanish civil war, the attack on Japan…. The dissolution is
immediate.

How does international society recover?

This occurred with the end of the 2nd world war, at which time the UN formed by 51
countries was created, over which the power of the 2 superpowers weighed: USA and the USSR.
From now on, a new system of international relations is established.
There is the birth of a new international order based on the balance of powers between the
two.

With the creation of the UN, this new international system was consolidated, which played a
very important role in decolonization, recognizing the right of all peoples to their freedom and
independence.

This international system stopped working due to the rupture caused by the outbreak of the
cold war in 1947, there is a paralysis of the objectives of the UN.

2 subsystems and 2 antagonistic ideas appear:

TRUMAN DOCTRINE: economic aid to Europe that later became a communist struggle.

Zdarov doctrine

The two military blocks:

NATO = mutual defense pact between member countries and its scope of action was Europe and
North America.

The Cold War

1947-1954: bipolarity begins, the objectives of the UN are paralyzed.

After the Japanese invasion of Korea, they withdrew and the dispute began over the two
parts into which it had been divided: the communist north and the western south.

Finally the North American army invaded the north and this was supported by Mao's China
that took the USSR as a model and that began to have international weight. The peace signed in 1953
ended the threats of nuclear war but returned to the previous crisis situation.
1954: it is now when the change in the policies of each block occurs.

Eisenhower succeeded Truman. After Stalin's death, the 20th CPSU congress was held, where
it was severely criticized and de-Stalinization began. After a power struggle, Khrushchev arrives and
fissures begin within the bloc and the rupture between China and the USSR began. China was
increasingly a country of greater political weight; Along with this phenomenon appears the NON-
ALIGNMENT formed by all those states that during the Cold War were characterized by their lack of
commitment to the 2 superpowers.

1956: A new stage begins, the peak period of the Cold War, where a period of danger is again
crossed: among some conflicts are:

Vietnam War

communist uprising in Hungary

the Suez crisis.

The fact that the UN approved a resolution ordering Western withdrawal is a very important
point in international relations during the Cold War, since it began in direct confrontation between
superpowers. This conflict demonstrated that the international order depended on the USA and the
USSR and that these old colonial powers were relegated to a second order role.

This period was marked by the Soviet and American arms scale and the space race, which
was another symbol of supremacy. The David Camp agreements were a failure and the confrontation
continued.

1960: a stage of negotiation begins. In November, Kennedy was elected president, and despite
Krochov's negotiating spirit, his failures were very serious and this increased tension, proof of this
fueled the erection of the Berlin wall.

In 1959 Fidel Castro had taken power in Cuba, had promoted a revolution and the approach to the
USSR. The US intervened in a bay of pigs that was invaded by anti-Castro groups, it was a failure. In
October 1962, an American spy plane discovered Soviet missiles and Kennedy wanted to avoid that
confrontation.

This fact was also crucial for the international system because it was never so close to a
direct confrontation and the agreement to withdraw the missiles was reached if the USA did the
same in Turkey. Thus begins a period of relaxation.

In 1963: it is the so-called PACIFIC COEXISTENCE period, where some very important symptoms for
the international system can be seen:
Kennedy was murdered. Johnson and Nixon continued that peaceful policy.

Contacts between the USA and China and Moscow were initiated.

Conclusions

Despite this, there were many conflicts; President Jonson continued with the Vietnam War,
despite the high costs of this war made the USA withdraw in 1973, thus giving its first military defeat.

The fact that the USSR did not make this an act of humiliation is another symbol of pacifism.
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