International Relations

International relations is the study of the relations of states with each other and with international organizations and certain subnational entities (e.g., bureaucracies, political parties, and interest groups). It is how two or more nations interact with and regard each other, focusing on political, economic, or cultural relationships. It is related to several academic disciplines, including political science, geography, history, economics, law, sociology, psychology, and philosophy. The study of International Relations is called International Affairs.

The field of international relations emerged at the beginning of the 20th century widely in the West because of the growing demand to find more-effective means of conducting relations between two or more entities was necessary. Post-war, there was a growing interest in developing theories that could help to explain the major issues of the changing international scene. New security issues emerged: the issue of nuclear weapons, international and mainly European alliances, and alignments, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ideologies, foreign-policy decision-making, theories about conflict and war, the study of low-intensity conflict, crisis management, and international organizations.

International relations seeks to understand:

• The Origins of War and the Maintenance of Peace

• The nature and exercise of power within the global system

• The changing character of the state and non-state actors who participate in international decision-making

The study and practice of international relations are valuable for the reasons:

• International relations promote successful trade policies between nations.

• International relations encourage travel related to business, tourism, and immigration, providing people with opportunities to enhance their lives.

• International relations allow nations to cooperate, pool resources, and share information to cope with global issues beyond any particular country or region. Contemporary global issues include pandemics, terrorism, and the environment.

• International relations advance human culture through cultural exchanges, diplomacy, and policy development.

Professionals studying international relations determine the level at which they will analyze a state’s behavior:

• System Level Analysis: System level analysis looks at how the international system affects the behavior of nation-states

• State-Level Analysis: State-level analysis examines how a state’s characteristics determine its foreign policy behavior. This type of analysis often views states as having cultural characteristics based on their religious or social traditions, and their historical legacy, and includes an analysis of economic and geographic factors.

• Organizational Level Analysis: Organizational level analysis examines how organizations within a state influence the state’s foreign policy behavior. In other words, organizational level analysis views that organizations—not states—make the decisions that create a state’s foreign policy.

• Individual Level Analysis: Individual level analysis views the leaders of states as being the largest influencers of foreign policy.

There are two major theories of international relations: realism and liberalism;

Realism

Realism focuses on the notion that states work to increase their power relative to other states. The theory of realism states that the only certainty in the world is power; therefore, a powerful state—via military power will always be able to outlast its weaker competitors. Self-preservation is a major theme in realism, as states must always seek power to protect themselves.

In realism, the international system drives states to use military force. Although leaders may be moral, they must not let morality guide their foreign policy. Furthermore, realism recognizes that international organizations and law have no power and force and that their existence relies solely on being recognized and accepted by select states.

Liberalism (Idealism)

Liberalism recognizes that states share broad ties, thus making it difficult to define singular independent national interests. The theory of liberalism in international relations, therefore, involves the decreased use of military power. It also claims that exercising economic power over military power has proven more effective.

Although the liberal theory of international relations was dominant following World War I while President Woodrow Wilson promoted the League of Nations and many treaties abolishing war, realism came back into prominence in the Second World War and continued throughout the Cold War.

Information Curated from https://www.britannica.com/ & https://www.internationalrelationsedu.org/