MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR

B.A.LL.B.(Hons.) Year-II, Semester-IV: Academic Year: 2021-2022

First Open Book Assessment, February-2022
Course Code and Name: 4.6 Political Science-III (International Relations)
Name of Student: Mayank Gandhi UID: UG2020-117

Answer 1
A system approach is regarded as a useful method to understand international politics.
Morton Kaplan was one of the first people who used this approach in the field of
International Politics. Morton Kaplan in his work ‘System and Process in International
Politics’ has provided a detailed theoretical analysis of the system approach in international
politics. According to Kaplan, international politics provides the ideal sphere for the
application of “system” as a method for examining the concept and phenomena of
international politics. Further, based on function and stability, Morton Kaplan provided six
models of the international system. The models are as follows - (1) The balance of power
system, (2) The loose bi-polar system, (3) The tight bi-polar system, (4) The universal
international system, (5) The hierarchical system, and (6) The unit-veto system.
1. The Balance of Power System – The period between the 18th and 19th centuries is
considered as the golden era of the balance of power system which prevailed in Europe.
The main purpose of this system was to maintain an equilibrium of political powers
among states so that no particular state becomes so powerful to enforce its whims and
fancies on other states. The functioning of this system was based on 6 rules. The first rule
was that every state is having the right to increase its power, but only through negotiation
and not by way of war. Second, the states are allowed to resort to war only for
maintaining the balance of power and protecting their national interest. Third, an essential
state should not be eliminated from the system. Fourth, states should be prevented from
forming a coalition so that the international system can be protected. Fifth, states should
be restricted from pursuing supranational principles and lastly, a defeated nation should
be permitted to re-join the system.
2. The Loose Bipolar System – Breakdown in the balance of power system leads to the
emergence of a loose bipolar system. In simple words, such a system originates when
there are too many actors that influence international relations and it becomes difficult to
strike a perfect balance of power position than a loose bipolar system develops. In such a
system, two strong states are successful in organizing the other nations into their two
 respective competitive blocs or groups. Other than such groups, there exist several other
supra-national and regional actors. It is a type of bi-polar system which is created by two
major bloc-actors (the USA and the erstwhile Soviet Union), non-member bloc-actors
(non-aligned states), and universal actors (UN). Each bloc uses the universal actor for
increasing their power and non-bloc actors tend to support the universal actor so that they
can reduce the danger of war between rival blocs.
3. The Tight Bipolar System – It is also a type of bipolar system in which the two strong
powers lead their respective blocs of allied power. Simply, in such a scenario, the world is
divided between two bloc actors, and non-member bloc actors either disappear or lose
their importance. Moreover, the universal bloc actor does not have significant importance
to mediate between two bloc actors who are dominated by major powers.
4. The Universal International System - This system can be identified when universal actor
such as united nations or other international agency becomes so powerful that they can
prevent a war. The universal international system replaces the bipolar system. Further, in
a universal system, nations would be left with sufficient autonomy. The highlighting point
of the universal system is that the international agency performs judicial, economic,
administrative, and political functions.
5. The Hierarchical International System – In a hierarchical international system, a single
powerful superpower brings all other nations under its control by way of treaty or war. If
such a system comes into existence by way of war, then it is considered as a directive
system whereas if such a system comes into existence by way of a treaty, then it is
considered as a non-directive system. In simple words, the directive system would be
based on force whereas the non-directive system would be based on will. The
highlighting point of this system is that only one nation is left as the universal actor.
6. The Unit Veto System – The last model of the international system as propounded by
Morton Kaplan is Unit Veto System. This system is based on the concept that every
nation is equally powerful. Every state is having strong weapons so as to destroy other
nations. In other words, the development of weapons leads to the development of the unit
veto system. This system emerges when various nations build or develop highly
destructive weapons (nuclear weapons) and create a system of a one-level actor. This
system is known as the unit veto system because nations possess a sort of veto power by
virtue of their destructive power.
These are the six models of the international system and on the basis of these models, Morton
Kaplan projected that international relations can be understood and analyzed as an
international system.

Answer 5
The Cold War has been described as ‘peacetime unarmed warfare’ between new
superpowers. It was a ‘diplomatic war’ and not an armed conflict among the superpowers and
was based on ideological hatred and political distrust. Cold War has been viewed as a war
that was not fought on the battlefield. It was a mind war wherein one tried to control the
minds of others. The Cold War was very different from traditional wars because in Cold War,
the battle was never declared and diplomatic relations were maintained among the countries.
It not only involves some military confrontation but also involves psychological warfare. The
Cold War was the clash between two ideologies and between two different economical
systems. It was a bipolar confrontation between the United States of America and the Soviet
Union. However, it also involved allies of these two superpowers.

Causes of the Cold War – Various factors are responsible for the outbreak of the Cold War.
These factors or reasons are as follows: -
1) Firstly, the major reason behind the Cold War was the ideological difference between the
Soviet Union and the USA. USA was against the communist ideology of the USSR
whereas USSR did not want to accept the dominance of the USA over other European
countries. USSR was propagating communism whereas the USA was promoting the idea
of Capitalism. Hence, these differences ultimately accelerated the Cold War.
2) Secondly, the Soviet Union sought to increase its power in Eastern Europe which violated
the terms and conditions of the Yalta Agreement. It also tried to liquidate the democratic
Party and non-communist population of Poland. It established the Lublin Government in
Poland which was in contravention of its commitment that the exiled Polish government
in London and the Lublin government would be duly represented in the future
government of Poland.
3) Thirdly, both the superpowers were competing with each other with respect to their
weapon and military power. Simply, their Race of Armament served as another cause for
the Cold War. After 2nd World War, on one hand, USSR increased its military strength
which posed a threat to the western world, and on the other hand, America also started to
develop an Atom bomb and other deadly weapons. Further, the Nuclear Programme of
 the USA and the bombardment of America on Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced the Soviet
Union to follow the same path to combat America. Also, the USA did not inform the
Soviet Union about the exact nature of the atomic bomb, dropped on Japan. This led to
the growth of the Cold War.
4) Fourthly, the Soviet Union used its veto power against various western countries and such
enforcement of veto by Soviet Russia aggregated the tension between Soviet Russia and
western countries. Whenever the western countries forwarded any proposal to the
Security Council of the UNO, Soviet Russia immediately opposed it through a veto.
Therefore, such enforcement of veto by the USSR gave birth to the Cold War.
5) Fifthly, the USA and other western countries refused to give recognition to the
governments of Bulgaria and Romania. The western countries refused to accept the
government of these two countries on the ground that they lacked popular representation
and such justification was not accepted by Soviet Russia, and this generated tension
between the two blocs.
6) Sixthly, unnecessary hindrances created by the Soviet Union in the conclusion of peace
treaties created a doubt in the mind of American people regarding the actual aim and
purpose of the Soviet Union.
7) Seventhly, the unwarranted delay by the western powers in opening the second front
during WWII and resulting losses suffered by the Soviet Union, made the Soviet Union
dubious of the genuine intentions of the Western countries.
8) Eighthly, the suspicion and distrust between the Soviet Union and the western countries
was also an important reason behind the emergence of the Cold War. The Soviet Union
could never forget that Western states had tried to undo the Bolshevik revolution and
intervened in the civil war. Also, the western countries did not forget that the declared
objective of the Soviet Union was the overthrowing of capitalism. Thus, such conduct and
behaviour created distrust and suspicion among the two blocs and lead to the emergence
of the Cold War.
9) Ninthly,  the political, military, and ideological barrier erected by the Soviet Union after
World War II to seal off itself and its dependent eastern and central European allies from
open contact with the West and other non-communist areas was also an important factor
behind the acceleration of Cold War.

Consequences of the Cold War – There were various consequences of the Cold War.
1) Firstly, the Cold War gave rise to permanent types of the alliance. NATO, SEATO,
CENT0, and the Warsaw Pact were all formed due to the cold war. In simple words, one
of the consequences of the Cold war was that it led to an alignment system.
2) Secondly, countries' economic development and growth were adversely affected by the
Cold War because due to the Cold War countries put their labor and resources in
developing the destruction weapons and neglected their economic interests. States from
both blocs invested a lot of money to get the most up-to-date armaments. The aftereffect
of such a situation was that funds of the country were not utilized in an optimum manner
to improve the lifestyle of people.
3) Thirdly, the rivalry between the USA and the Soviet Union reduced the importance of
UNO and made it a simple forum of world opinion. In simple words, it rendered the
UNO ineffectively. It prevented some of the states from becoming members of the world
body.
4) Fourthly, due to the Cold War, a large number of nations of Africa, Asia, and Latin
America decided to keep themselves away from becoming members of any of the two
superpowers. So, Non-Alignments Movement was the direct consequence of the Cold
War.
5) Fifthly, the Cold War created an atmosphere of disbelief among the countries and
shattered the principle ‘Whole World as a Family’.
6) Sixthly, it created an atmosphere of insecurity and disturbed world peace. The alliances
and counter-alliances created a disturbing atmosphere and both the superpowers USA and
Soviet Union, failed to maintain peace in the world.

Answer 2
National interest is a vague and unclear expression that differs according to different
situations and circumstances. Its meaning differs based on the context in which it is used. In
simple terms, national interests are those interests that a nation seeks to achieve or protect in
relation to each other. It means desires on the part of sovereign states. In general, national
interest can be defined as demands, goals, and interests by a nation to protect, preserve and
defend its relations with other nation-states. Further, there are two components of national
interests, one is vital components and another is non-vital components. States seek to fulfill
these components and sometimes also indulge in a war for achieving these components.
Vital components are essential for protecting the identity of the nation. The identity is
consisting of cultural, physical, and political identity. Cultural identity is made up of the
historical values of a country. Physical identity is known as territorial identity and political
identity refers to the political and economic system of the country.
Further, non-vital components are also known as situational components. In general, these
components are dependent on circumstances. These factors are dependent on public opinion,
opinions of decision-makers, party politics, sectional or group interests, and moral factors.
States seek to fulfill these components but do not indulge in war while achieving these
components.
Further, diplomacy is the process of representation and negotiation by which states
customarily deal with one another in times of peace. Simply, it is the art of forwarding one’s
interests in relation to other countries. It is a useful tool in promoting the national interest by
peaceful means. Generally, it is done using negotiations and conduct of relations with other
nations. It is always guided and conditioned by the foreign policy of the nation that it
represents. Diplomacy performs significant functions and is having significant importance in
protecting national interest and maintaining international relations. The important features of
diplomacy are negotiations and communications. It also plays a vital role in Intelligence
gathering, managing the image of the nation, and implementing the policies. Further,
diplomacy is playing a crucial role in protecting the interest of a nation.
Protection of National Interest through Diplomacy – A diplomacy is a persuasive tool for
securing national interests. It is a universally accepted means for securing national interests
and is a powerful tool for resolving conflicts. Countries negotiate, bargain, compromise for
achieving their intended interest and goals. Kautilya, in his Arthashastra, has suggested “Sam,
Dam, Danda, Bheda, and Niti” as the tactics of Diplomacy. Protection of national interests
through diplomacy includes preserving the political, cultural, economic, and any other
interests of the nation. The diplomats must promote the national interest in whatever situation
may be. These diplomats must be patriotic towards their country, must be loyal to their nation
must have proud of their country, and must possess sound knowledge about the political
conditions of the nation. The interests of both our country and the other country with which
we are negotiating must be considered. Diplomacy seeks to protect national interest by way
of persuasion, rewards, a promise of rewards, threat to use force, use of pressure, and non-
violent punishment. Diplomats seek to promote their countries interest by way of logical
reasoning and by convincing other nations of the justifications of the goal which a diplomat is
trying to uphold or promote. Further, national interest can be promoted by rewarding others
for securing the acceptance of desired views or interests that the nation wants to achieve.
Moreover, diplomacy can promise matching rewards and concessions for maintaining a
particular view in the policies of other nations. Furthermore, diplomats can use the threat of
use of force ultimatums, symbolic boycotts, protest walkouts, or even threat of war, etc., for
securing or promoting national interest. Additionally, diplomats, by using pressure tactics,
can force other nations to accept the desired view or interest that the diplomat represents.
Also, by depriving a promised reward or concession, diplomacy can protect and secure the
interests of a nation. Diplomats conduct negotiations for achieving the desired national
interests. These negotiating sessions are considered as the most effective means of conflict-
resolution.  Diplomats present their goals, objectives, and interest in such a manner to
convince others to accept their interests as just and fair. Hence, it can be concluded that by
way of mutual give & take, accommodation, and reconciliation, diplomacy seeks to protect
and achieve the national interests.