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International Relations

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Why is it important for us to understand the peace of Westphalia in the study of

global affairs?

The "Peace of Westphalia" led to the creation of the Westphalian system, which is a key

part of understanding international politics today. This framework is the basis for establishing

three basic principles of international politics: territoriality, sovereignty, and autonomy (Schmidt,

2011). Territoriality means that states have control over certain geographical areas. Sovereignty

means that a single "sovereign authority" is recognized as running that territory and has the most

legal power over domestic affairs. Autonomy means that people should be free to enjoy the

benefits of sovereignty. linked in a way that can't be separated from the "Self-Determination"

ideas of the 20th century). Many things can be traced back to World War I, including the

Westphalia Treaty, which was the start of the modern nation-state and how important it became

during World War I. The Westphalia system laid the groundwork for modern institutions of

diplomacy, power balance, and international law, which are very important with the rise of the

United Nations and the World Trade Organization.

Peace at Westphalia made it possible for international law to develop. International law is

a set of rules and norms that govern diplomatic and other interactions between countries. It put

the idea of international balance in the spotlight and made it necessary. This will lead to a

balance of power between countries and discourage the use of force, dominance, and violence in

international relations. This peace treaty helped people understand religion and true religiosity,

which had been clouded by the myths and lies that some clerics told to people, especially the

simple ones. It did this by promoting the idea that people should debate to find the truth, in

whatever form it comes, and by working to put the people's interests ahead of the clergy's. But

current political, economic, and social trends in Europe show that the Westphalia Convention's
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values are starting to fall apart and that nationalism is once again at the center of European

politics.

Scholars agree that the Peace of Westphalia was a big deal for its time. It paved the way

for modern international diplomacy, which didn't exist until the 17th century. Modern

international politics can be seen as a result of the Westphalian tradition, which was set up by

this peace. The 1648 Congress came up with compromises on issues of state sovereignty,

religious tolerance, and diplomatic solutions to international war (Telo, 2016). These

compromises were the basis of common and international law until the First World War, and

they may still be the basis of foreign policy today. Modern international bodies like the United

Nations carry on the Westphalian tradition, which is one of the best examples in history of how a

single war can affect the affairs of dozens of independent nations for hundreds of years.

Some further suggest that Westphalia served as a template for the development of the

United States and the contemporary relationships between European nations, in addition to

providing the groundwork for international relations conventions like the League of

Nations. Westphalia, like Philadelphia, the cradle of the American colonies, was "the birthing of

a new constitution for a limited society of states," as Phillip Bobbitt writes in The Shield of

Achilles: War, Peace, and the Course of History (Fox, 2008). The fact that the Peace of

Westphalia is still being referenced centuries later in the context of the United States

Constitution demonstrates not only its enduring relevance but also its far-reaching ramifications,

which have been felt not only in Europe but also in North America. The peace in Europe served

as inspiration for the European Union, an organization whose member nations maintain their

independence while also submitting to the leadership of the Union. Similar arrangements were
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provided by the Westphalian system for the independent states of Germany inside the Holy

Roman Empire. 
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References
Fox, J. (2008). Integrating religion into international relations theory. In Routledge handbook of

religion and politics (pp. 285-304). Routledge.

Schmidt, S. (2011). To order the minds of scholars: The discourse of the peace of Westphalia in

international relations literature. International Studies Quarterly, 55(3), 601-623.

Telò, M. (2016). International relations: a European perspective. Routledge.