International Relations

TOPIC:

 What are your understandings about International Relations?

Assignment-01

Submitted to:
Prof. Muhammad Tauseef Ejaz
By:
Arfa Malik 0024
Ramaisa Khawaja 0053

BSCS – V
28TH Nov , 2020
Contents
Q: What are your understandings about International Relations?................................................................3
Introduction:............................................................................................................................................3
Meaning of International Relations.........................................................................................................3
Importance of International Relations......................................................................................................3
Peace...................................................................................................................................................4
Economy..............................................................................................................................................4
Immigration.........................................................................................................................................4
Global concerns...................................................................................................................................4
Culture.................................................................................................................................................4
SCOPE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.......................................................................................4
Theories of International Relations..........................................................................................................5
Realism................................................................................................................................................5
Liberalism (Idealism)..........................................................................................................................5
Neoliberalism......................................................................................................................................6
Marxism..............................................................................................................................................6
Concepts in international relations...........................................................................................................6
Sovereignty..........................................................................................................................................6
Power...................................................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................................7
Q: What are your understandings about International Relations?

Introduction:
International relations (IR) is a continuously popular subject. It concerns peoples and cultures all
over the world. The scope and complexity of the interactions between the various groups makes
IR a challenging subject to master.IR is new and dynamic and has a special appeal to everybody.

Meaning of International Relations

International Relations is the study of conflict and cooperation by international actors, as
furthered by the development and testing of hypotheses about international outcomes. The field
of international relations concerns the relationships among the various governments of the world.
These relationships linked with other actors such as international organizations (IOs),non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), transnational corporations (TNCs) and not able individuals
make them interdependent. Owing to the fact, it has become difficult arriving at a universally
acceptable definition of the subject.

However, scholars have persisted in their attempt to define international relations.

 In the words of Karl Deutsch, “international relations is that area of human action where
inescapable interdependence meets with inadequate control.”
  Trevor Taylor defines IR “as a discipline that tries to explain political activities across
states boundaries.”
 Another scholar, Seymon Brown postulates that international relations is the investigating
and study of patterns of actions and reactions among sovereign states as represented by
their governing elites.
Quite often, IR scholars view international relations as a mix of conflict and cooperation in
relationships among nations. There is no escaping from world affairs, yet we cannot shape them
totally to our will. The discipline of international relations is concerned with the factors and the
activities which affect the external policies and power of the basic units into which the world is
divided.

Importance of International Relations

International relations are an exceptionally important aspect of citizenship in a global society. As
our world becomes smaller and smaller through communication technology, rapid air
transportation and a complex international economy, the value of peaceful and cooperative
relationships between nations is increasingly important.

 Peace
Historically, one of the oldest expressions of international relations was the establishment
of treaties and agreements between nations. Maintenance of these treaties ensured that
ordinary people could go about their everyday tasks of earning a living and raising their
families rather than dedicating themselves to armed conflict with neighbors. This function
of international relations remains just as relevant today.

 Economy
Positive international relations also promotes effective trade policies between nations,
both in terms of importing natural resources and finished products not available in one
country and in terms of gaining access to the larger market afforded by exports to foreign
countries. International relations define the requirements and limitations of cross-border
trade.

 Immigration
Besides the transport of goods over international borders, people also frequently migrate
between countries, looking for opportunities to enhance their lives. This travel may be
temporary or permanent, but in either case it must be regulated to ensure the rule of law--
criminals must be kept out of the country while legitimate business, tourist and immigrant
travel is preserved. International relations plays a key role in determining border control
policies.
  Global concerns
Nations often face global issues that are larger than any specific country or even continent,
such as concerns over the environment, pandemics and terrorism. Sound international
relations are required for nations to cooperate effectively to meet these challenges,
allowing nations to share relevant information quickly and pool resources.

 Culture
International relations are not only about regulating and controlling the flow of goods and
information. They are also advantageous for promoting the advancement of human culture
in a general way. The diversity of world cultures can be promoted and shared through
enlightened international relations policies, allowing programs such as student exchanges
and cultural exhibitions to enhance our understanding of the variety of human expression
worldwide.

SCOPE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

The study of IR involves the mastery of some basic concepts. Some of these concepts are
international politics, international system, foreign policy, domestic politics, policy, defense,
national interest, sovereignty, diplomacy, international law, international order, security, conflict
and conflict resolution and so forth. As a field of study, IR has elastic boundaries. The sub-fields
it encompasses define its scope. Since it contains a myriads of disciplines, attempts to
intellectualize it have often been thematically and analytically confined to boundaries determine
by the available data and facts. The core concepts of international relations are foreign policy,
international law, international organization, international conflicts, international economic
relations, military thought and strategy. IR also covers such areas as state sovereignty, ecological
sustainability, biodiversity, nuclear proliferation, nationalism, terrorism, economic development,
organized crime, foreign interventionism, human security and human rights. Similarly, IR covers
other areas like gender studies, peace studies, postmodernism, globalization, feminism, collective
security, diplomacy, crisis management, democracy, integration, international development, and
interdependence.

Theories of International Relations

The study of international relations involves theoretical approaches based on solid evidence.
Theories of international relations are essentially a set of ideas aimed at explaining how the
international system works.

The three, major theories of international relations are realism and liberalism:
 Realism
Realism focuses on the notion that states work to increase their own 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 (the most important and reliable form of power)

Will always be able to out last 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 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. The theory of realism began to
take shape in the1970s as increasing globalization, communications technology, and
international trade made some scholars argue that realism was outdated. Liberal
approaches to the study of international relations, also referred to as

theories of complex interdependence claim that the consequences of military power

outweigh the benefits and that international cooperation is in the interest of every state. 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.

 Neoliberalism
Neo-liberalism seeks to update liberalism by accepting the neorealist presumption that
states are the key actors in international relations, but still maintains that non-state actors
(NSAs) and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) matter. Proponents such as Maria
Chattha argue that states will cooperate irrespective of relative gains, and are thus
concerned with absolute gains. Neoliberalism also contains an economic theory that is
based on the use of open and free markets with little, if any, government intervention to
prevent monopolies and other conglomerates from forming.
  Marxism
Marxist and Neo-Marxist theories of IR reject the realist/liberal view of state conflict or
cooperation; instead focusing on the economic and material aspects. It makes the
assumption that the economy trumps other concerns; allowing for the elevation of class
as the focus of study. Marxists view the international system as an integrated capitalist
system in pursuit of capital accumulation. Thus, the period of colonialism brought in
sources for raw materials and captive markets for exports, while decolonialization
brought new opportunities in the form of dependence.

Concepts in international relations

Sovereignty
Preceding the concepts of interdependence and dependence, International Relations relies on the
idea of sovereignty. Sovereignty as being a state, that the sovereign power(s) have absolute
power over their territories, and that such a power is only limited by the sovereign's "own
obligations towards other sovereigns and individuals."

Power
The concept of power in international relations can be described as the degree of resources,
capabilities, and influence in international affairs. It is often divided up into the concepts of hard
power and soft power, hard power relating primarily to coercive power, such as the use of force,
and soft power commonly covering economics, diplomacy and cultural influence. However,
there is no clear dividing line between the two forms of power.

CONCLUSION
Our world is large and complex. International relations is an interesting topic because it concerns
peoples and cultures all over the world. The scope and complexity of the interactions among
these groups make international relations a challenging subject to master. Indeed, there is always
more to learn. Largely, the field is interdisciplinary relating international politics to economics,
sociology history and other disciplines.