International Relations: Definition, History & Scope

International relations as a practice of interaction among states, and among state and non-state actors are thousands of years old
However, International Relations (IR) as an academic discipline studying these relations emerged as a specialized field after WW1.
Like every other academic discipline, International Relations (IR) has developed its own distinctive subject matter since its emergence
This presentation explains the scope and the subject matter of IR with the help of its five pillars- Aim, Actors, Agenda, Arena, and Actions

1. International Relations Scope & Subject Matter Shahid Hussain Raja Author/Consultant/Trainer Cambridge. UK www.shahidhussainraja.com

2. Introduction What is International Society/System? Features of International Society/System What are International Relations? What is IR? Difference between IR and International Politics History of International Relations, and IR Scope of IR- 5 As Areas of interest in IR Conclusion Sequence

3. International relations as a practice of interaction among states, and among state and non-state actors are thousands of years old However, International Relations (IR) as an academic discipline studying these relations emerged as a specialized field after WW1. Like every other academic discipline, International Relations (IR) has developed its own distinctive subject matter since its emergence This presentation explains scope and the subject matter of IR with the help of its five pillars- Aim, Actors, Agenda, Arena and Actions Introduction

4. 'International society' refers to rules, institutions, and shared practices used for interaction by different groups of political communities Developed over 5000 years of interaction, composed of interconnected but independent sovereign states and non-state actors Multiple phases & facets-wars, conquests, conflicts, cooperation finally led to Westphalian nation-state system in mid 17th CE Although it faces a complex range of challenges in the era of globalization, yet its main features are as follows What is International Society/System?

5. Despite emergence of numerous non-state/supra-state actors, nation-states are still the main actors in international society Pursuit of National Interest is the main objective of every nation-state; territorial integrity, sovereignty, well-being of citizens etc Two opposite forces namely conflict & cooperation are the main forms of interaction among states in international society These interactions take place without any global government, yet mutual self-interest prevents any anarchy in the system Features of International Society/System

6. Despite formal equality of all states, it is practically an hierarchical system consisting of global/regional hegemons, weak states etc Consequently, national power of a nation state determines the position of a nation/ success or failure of its national interest Increasing complexity of international system due to emergence of new actors and cross-borders issues; terrorism, climate change, Covid etc Increasing complexity is therefore enhancing the role of supra-state actors such as UNO/World Bank etc, leading towards World Government Features of International Society/System

7. Internationl Relations more difficult to define than it seems to be. There are multiple reasons for this definitional ambiguity 1. International relations is very broad concept; multiple definitions 2. Comparatively new concept; constantly evolving 3. Different perspectives of scholars; six blind men defining elephant! Is it International Relations or International Politics? its essence, its scope? Are these real issues or just expression of intellectual arrogance? What is International Relations(IR)?

8. International Relations (IR) is the study of relations among the states and non-state actors to achieve their objectives. Non-state actors could be supra state such as UNO, IMF, WB etc Non-state actors could be violent; terrorist organisations Non-state actors could be peaceful; NGOs, MNCs etc Scholars study these relations from different perspectives known as theories-Realism, Structuralism, etc. All your analysis/remedies will flow from the perspective you choose. What is International Relations(IR)?

9. Inception -Term International Politics used before 1950s while it was replaced by International Relations afterwards Eurocentric -International Politics was used when European writers dominated the field and focussed on European politics Formalistic -International Politics mainly studied inter-state relations from the official government perspectives; IR deals with all modes Scope -International Politics was mainly concerned with political dynamics of inter-state relations; IR is with totality of relations Difference between IR & International Politics

10. Can be traced back to the rise of city-states thousands of years ago However, modern between the centuries of roughly 1500 to 1789. Rise of the independent, sovereign states, diplomacy and armies. Age of exploration,cultural interaction, MNCs, global trade The Peace of Westphalia of 1648-development of the modern state system, sovereignty, sanctity of borders, nationalism French Revolution of 1789 further expanded these ideas in Europe Colonialism took these ideas outside Europe to Asia/Africa History of International Relations-Practice

11. Before WW1, IR was conducted primarily in two loosely organized branches of learning: diplomatic history and international law. Since WW1, need and importance of studying IR increased due to 1. Emergence of USA as global power led its universities to study it 2. WW1 devastation-not enough was known about global issues 3. Democratisation of public policy policy formulation-global matters responsibility of all citizens, not only of scholars and diplomats History of International Relations-Discipline

12. 4. Global popularisation of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson (1913–21) Fourteen Points-a call for “open covenants of peace, openly arrived at” 5. Global Recession of 1920s-no nation is an island 6. New fields of studies in schools, universities were being introduced 7. Increase in number of educational/ reserch centres, institutes 8. Ease of international travel led to more interaction among scholars History of International Relations-Discipline

13. 10. greatr access of scholars to rusuian/german archives to study 11. Creation of League of Nations- need for global civil sevants 12. Advent of WW2-what is happening? We heading for another war? 13. WW2 followed by Cold War anf threat of nuclear war 14. Rapid globalisationon has increased its importance 15. Global trends are now affecting everyone, directly or indirectly History of International Relations-Discipline

14. Every academic discipline tries to explain some aspect of the world from different perspectives based on its respective body of literature. This body of literature has been built over a period in response to particular problems or questions emerging relating to its subject matter. Study of international relations (IR) has developed its own distinctive subject matter since it emerged as a specialized field soon after WW1. Gradually became multi-disciplinary drawing on other disciplines especially history, economics, sociology, geography, philosophy, and law. There are five pillars of international relations (remember 5As)- Aim, Actors, Agenda, Arena and Actions; Scope of IR Studies

15. Each branch of knowledge aim-studying its respective core elements. Economics- what is being produced, how it is being produced, and for whom it is being produced. Political Science-who wields authority to allocate resources to whom & how. Public Administration-who governs whom and how Similarly in international relations-who gets what and how in terms of power, prestige, and resources in global setting Studying IR-Aim

16. International relations-collective interactions of international community. Not only individual nation-states but also non-state entities Intergovernmental organizations-(UNO/ UNICEF/ IMF/ WTO) Non-governmental organizations-(Oxfam, Red Cross, etc) Multinational corporations-(Microsoft, Google, etc) Violent non-state actors, whether nationalists or terrorists Studying IR-Actors

17. Agenda-what they want to achieve. Throughout history, states have three objectives under their Agenda (Remember 3Gs)-Gold, God,& Glory. Gold : pursuit of economic interests-hydrocarbon resources/access to market, graining foothold of a geostrategic location/denying it to others God : religious/cultural norms and values you consider superior to others and are desirous of spreading them I.e., Islam/ Christianity/communism,/liberal democracy, Glory : considering yourself superior to others either personal aggrandizements like Alexander's or hegemonic designs of the ruling elite of a country like the USA However, common threats like global warming, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, etc are common agenda to counter these threats Studying IR-Agenda

18. Place of action where the actors are pursuing their respective agenda For a small country, it could be just its immediate neighbourhood For a regional power, it could be region, consisting of several states Global powers having global agenda, are every country’s neighbours It could be a physical location(Middle East), space, or even cyber space. Or it could be a metaphysical space-human rights, global warming Studying IR-Arena

19. Strategies these actors employ to achieve their objectives. Diplomatic-open or back-door Trade relations-access or denial to markets Aid-Economic, military, moral, diplomatic Economic sanctions-tariffs, quotas, banning of trade/investment Threat of use of force/Actual use of force Soft Power-cultural invasion, exchange of artists Studying IR-Actions

20. 1. Nation-states 2. National Interest 3. National Power 4. Foreign Policies 5. International Economic Relations 6. Supra-state Actors 7. Non-state Actors 8. Concepts and Ideas 9. Study of Current Issues & Events Areas of Interest in IR

21. Since their inception after the Peace of Westphalia, the nation-states are the primary actors in international relations. Their proliferation after WW1/WW2 has increased their importance Each state is conditioned by its geography, resources, population, national power, ideology, diplomacy, national interest, etc. As such, the study of nation-states, their respective objectives, their weaknesses or strengths, etc., are the starting point of the scope of IR. 1. Nation-states

22. Ambiguous concept defined by states according to the context and used to achieve the objectives defined under it by different states. "What a nation feels to be necessary to its security and wellbeing … National interest reflects the general and continuing ends for which a nation acts." Brookings Institute National interest determines the shape and scope of external relations of a country; this affects the direction of global relations. Accordingly, the scope of IR includes the study of the objectives various countries try to achieve under their national interest 2. National Interest

23. Success or failure of a country to achieve the national interest objectives is dependent upon the extent of its national power Thus a superpower will be in a better position to pursue its national interest agenda than a regional power and so on. However, sometime, a weak but strategically located country can play larger than life role in international relations-case of Afghanistan As such, the study of the national power of a country forms an important part of the subject-matter of International Politics. 3. National Power

24. Foreign policy is the strategies chosen by a nation-state to safeguard its national interests by interacting with other state/non-state actors In pursuit of these objectives, every state is either cooperating with other countries or is in conflict with some, setting relations matrix Ultimately it is the interplay of these foreign policies and the strategies which are the stuff of the International Relations By studying the foreign policies of various nations, one can understand the nature of present-day international relations. 4. Foreign Policies

25. The increased importance and role of economic and trade relations in global affairs can be hardly overestimated. Bilateral or multilateral economic relations such as trade, investment, aid, etc., form a very important part of international relations. They are the most important means of influencing the course, content, and direction of relations among the nation-state of relations Hence the study of economic relations forms an integral part of the scope of International Relations. 5. International Economic Relations

26. Rapid growth of supra-state actors, international institutions is one of the most prominent features of post-WW2 international relations. They are acting as the institutionalized means for the conduct of relations among nations, even becoming more powerful than states In fact, they are increasingly penetrating those domains which were henceforth exclusively reserved for the domestic state machinery. Thus, the study of these international institutions is an important subject matter of international relations 6. Supra-state Actors

27. Along with the rise of supra-state institutions, there has been a mushroom growth of two types of non-state actors Violent non-state actors; genuine liberation movements or pure terrorist organizations, very active nationally, globally and regionally Non-violent non-state actors; multinational corporations, NGOs, and other such actors Their growing influence have necessitated the inclusion of the study of the role of these actors in the international system . 7. Non-state Actors

28. While the nation-states, non-state actors, supra-state organizations, etc constitute the hardware of the study of international relations, There are certain concepts and ideas which have been dominating the study of international relations since its inception; software of IR For example, International law, the balance of power, dictatorship, fascism, capitalism, end of history, public opinion, etc. Studying all such concepts and ideas to have a thorough knowledge of the subject matter of international relations. 8. Concepts and Ideas

29. Major contemporary issues and events such as wars, disasters, etcs are the immediate drivers of inter-state relations at any time. Similarly, there are long terms trends such as global warming, pandemics etc needing coordinated action at global level These issues and events shape and condition the behaviour of nations in international relations. Consequently, their study is also an important subject matter of IR 9. Study of Current Issues & Events

30. Internation Relations(IR) is continuously evolving academic discipline, changing in scope and subject matter However, its five pillars discussed above will remain the same There will be additions and adptations in each of these pillars Keep yourself well-informed by studying new developments Conclusion

31. If you like the presentation , kindly click the icon For any question, kindly email me at [email protected] For downloading the presentation or its word version, please visit my website www.shahidhussainraja.com This website contains large number of articles on diverse issues. Some of these are presented in the next few slides Request

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38. Thanks