What Is IR Notes: Trevor Taylor (1979)
What Is IR Notes: Trevor Taylor (1979)
What Is IR Notes: Trevor Taylor (1979)
is IR ‐ Notes
A discipline, which tries to explain political activities across state boundaries.
Trevor Taylor (1979)
International Relations are the study of all forms of interaction that exist between members of
separate entities or nations within the international system.
Ola Joesp (1999)
International Relations is the study of conflict and cooperation by international actors, as
furthered by the development and testing of hypotheses about international outcomes.
What is International Relations?
1. It is an academic discipline which is inter‐disciplinary & multi‐disciplinary
2. Synthetic Discipline
3. Public Policy Field
4. Focus is Countries, Regions, Institutions and Processes
5. Study of the Subject is as fragmented as World Politics it self
Relations among States: Political and other dealings between two or more countries
IR is a field of Political Science concerned mainly with explaining political outcomes in
International Security Affairs and International Political Economy.
State:
1. Sovereignty
2. Government
3. Geography
4. Population
Non‐State Actor: Anything and Everything that impacts state behavior
1. Individuals
2. MNCs
3. NGOs
4. IGOs
5. Groups
6. Terrorists
States are the most important actors in IR: International system is based on the sovereignty of
about 200 independent territorial states of varying size – UNO.
Non‐state actors: IGOs, NGOs, MNCs, Individuals and Groups that exert a growing influence on
International Relations.
The post–Cold War era holds hope of general great power cooperation despite the appearance of
new ethnic and regional conflicts.
World Wars I and II dominated the 20th century, yet they seem to offer contradictory lessons
about the utility of hard‐line or conciliatory Foreign Policies.
Views of a State:
Traditional View Alternative View
States are valuable institutions: they provide States and the state system create more
security, freedom, order, justice and welfare. problems than they solve.
The majority of the world’s people suffer more
People benefit from the state system. than they benefit from the state system.
The global State system:
1. 5 great powers: Britain, China, France, Russia, US
2. Approximately 30 highly substantial states: Europe, Japan, N. America
3. Approximately 75 moderately substantial states: Asia and Latin America
4. Approximately 90 less substantial quasi‐states: Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Pacific
5. Numerous unrecognized territorial political systems submerged in existing states
A “war on terrorism” of uncertain scope and duration began in 2001 after terrorist attacks on the
United States.
4 levels of analysis:
1. Individual
2. Domestic
3. Interstate
4. Global
The U.S. military campaign in Iraq overthrew a dictator, but divided the great powers, heightened
anti‐Americanism worldwide, and led to years of insurgency and sectarian violence.
Afghanistan Still a Problem / Buffer Zone for US and Allied Forces.
Trends in IR – Notes
International banks, transnational corporations are anxious to play a direct role in shaping
financial structures and economic reforms. (Non‐State Actors)
The dynamic transfer of people, information, capital and goods is progressing on a worldwide
scale. Globalization and an expansion of IT have given rise changes in international relations.
The ideas of market democracy, civil society, transparency and accountability of government, and
market economy are becoming universalized.
The concept of security is now broadening to encompass issues, such as national development
and economic interdependency, environmental protection and the promotion of democracy and
human rights.
On the economic front, there is a continuing trend toward tri‐polarity, with the European Union
(EU), North America, and East Asia as the major poles.
The importance of economic factors in defining international relationships has grown relative to
politico‐security factors.