INTERNATIONAL

RELATIONS
‘States are complex
and interdependent’
 History of IR
Civilizations were in contact with one another
but there were no formal system to govern
their behavior. Most of the time they were
guided by:
Aggression and limit exchanged between
them.
Greek civilization later introduced
1) Recognition to the independence of other
states
2) Procedures for declaring war
3) arbitration and reconciliation through 3rd
party.
Brief History of IR

 Modern IR can be traced back to the

Peace of Westphalia - 1648
Brief History of IR

 In Peace [Treaty] of Westphalia [between

the Holy Roman Emperor, German
princes, France and Sweden], the
monarchs agreed that:
 They would not interfere in the affairs of
others
 They would be co-equal
 They would settle their disputes by peaceful
means.
Brief History of IR

 Peace of Westphalia continued until 1789

[French Revolution].
 Westphalian system was replaced with
the Concert of Europe [1856], through
the Congress of Vienna.
 Concert of Europe only continued until
1876, when small states seceded from
large dynastic empires.
 Brief History of IR

 World War I, 1914-1918 [Allied Powers —

Serbia, Russia, France, Belgium, Britain,
Japan, Montenegro, Italy vs. Central
Powers—Germany, Austro-Hungary,
Ottoman, Bulgaria]
 League of Nations 1919.
 World War II, 1939-1945 [Allied Powers—
USSR, USA, UK, France, China vs. Axis
Powers—Germany, Japan, Italy, Romania,
Hungary].
 United Nations, 1945.
 Key Concept 1:
National Interest
 States pursue what is good for their
nations as a whole in world affairs.
 Categories:
 Vital (urgent) vs. secondary (not urgent)
 Temporary (fix period of time vs.
permanent (last for centuries)
 Specific (sanction) vs. general
(declaration of human rights)
 Complementary (war against terrorism)
vs. conflicting.
Key Concept 2:
National Power
 Power as the possession of strength.
and (power relations A B)
 National power: the capacity of a state
to exert coercive influence upon other
states and to be able to resist such
influence exerted by other states upon
it.
 National power: sum total of strength
and capabilities to advance interest
and national objectives.
Key Concept 2:
National Power
 Elements of power—tangible and intangible.
 Tangible elements:
 Geography, population, natural resources,
industrial capacity, military organization.
 Intangible elements:
 Leadership, political stability, economic plan,
social cohesiveness, strategic position,
diplomatic efficiency.
Key Concept 3:
Foreign Policy
 FP is a set of administrative decisions
taken in the name of the state that are
intended to achieve certain goals in
international arena.
 In other words, foreign in FP applies to
anything beyond the legal boundaries
of a particular state, and policy is
defined as a guide to action intended
to realize the goals a state has set for
itself.
Key Concept 3:
Foreign Policy
 Objectives/goals of FP: in contemporary IR,
states often have three categories of
objectives—core (preservation of political unit),
middle-range (improve economic, political and
other) and long-range (ideological solidarity,
support arm control).
 Factors determining choice of FP: (isolation, non
–alignment, coalition and alliance)
 International system structure
 Economic needs of the state
 Perceived threat
 Geographic location
 Leadership.
 Key Concept 3:
Foreign Policy
 Types of FP decisions:
 Pragmatic—based on long range info.
 Crisis—decisions made during threats.
 Tactical—change in pragmatic decisions.
 Five variables that determine FP decisions:
 Idiosyncratic.
 Role. (office bearer, government and allying
forces)
 Bureaucratic.(intelligence department)
 National.
 Systemic. ( decision of other states)
 It would later translated into
 1. political-diplomacy, treaties and
pacts
 2. economics- tariff control,
embargo,
 3. Propaganda-media
 4. Military- force and armed force.
 Key Concept 4:
Diplomacy
 Diplomacy is the application of
intelligence and tact to the conduct of
official relations between the government
of independent states.
 Development: bilateralmultilateral
conference (International Red Cross, UN
conference, Hague)personal.
 Heads of diplomatic mission:
ambassadors/high commissioners and
ministers accredited to the head of state;
and charges d’affaires accredited to
minister of foreign affairs.
Key Concept 4:
Diplomacy
 Diplomats enjoy certain privileges [e.g.:
exemption from taxes] and immunities
[e.g. immunity from prosecution].
 However they are expected to obey the
host’s rules and regulations.
 Functions of diplomats: representation,
reporting, negotiation, protection of
nationals.
Economic Instruments of
National Policy

1. Tariffs 6. Licensing
2. Quotas 7. Freezing assets

3. Boycott 8. Dumping

4. Embargo 9. Pre-emptive buying.

5. Blacklists 10. Suspending aid.

Propaganda

 A process of persuasion, not

necessarily true. Relies on selection of
facts, partial explanation and
predetermined answers.
* Name-calling *
Selection
* Glittering generality * Bandwagon
* Transfer * Fear
* Frustration scapegoat * Plain
folks
National Security
and War
 National security: the guarantee of
territorial integrity and sovereignty of a
state.
 All states maintain military forces, so that
the state could deal with any future
threats.
 Types of threats: crimes, rebellions,
secessions, revolutions, terrorism, war.
National Security
and War
 TERRORISM:
 The use or threatened use of force designed
to bring about political change.
 The illegitimate use of force to achieve an
objective when innocent people are targeted.
 The premeditated, deliberate, systematic
murder, and threatening of the innocent to
create fear and intimidation in order to gain
political or tactical advantage, usually to
influence an audience.
National Security
and War
 Objectives of terrorism:
 Attention
 Acknowledgement
 Recognition
 Authority
 Governance
 Countering terrorism
 Encouraging ‘in-group’ policing
 Winning over moderates
 Empowering the ethnic community.
National Security
and War
 Causes of War:
1. Human aggression
2. Elite and popular fatalism and
misperceptions
3. Small group conspiracy
4. Economic imperialism
5. Nationalist expansionism and irredentism
6. Systemic inadequacy
7. General cycles of history
International Peace
 Peaceful settlement of disputes
1. Negotiation—direct contact
2. Good office—open channel of
communication
3. Mediation—third party involvement
4. Conciliation—legal, help sought by
disputing parties
5. Arbitration—applying legal principles
6. Adjudication/judicial settlement—
international tribunal, e.g., ICJ
 Islamic Framework of
International Relations
 Islamic framework of world order:
1. Pax Islamica. No war. Permanent,
absolute, universal peace. Every
international dispute to be settled through
peaceful means. All nations, peoples must
enter into the realm of peace. Millah
[religious society] is the basis of
membership of the Islamic world order.
Main goal of Islamic world order: peace
and order for people to live in harmony.
Constitution of Medina recognized Jews,
Christians and Sabeans as members of
Islamic state.
Islamic Framework of
International Relations
2. Liberty
3. Openness
4. Egalitarianism
5. Universalism
 Basic principles in Islamic Framework
1. Tawhid
2. Justice
3. Peace and Cooperation
4. Jihad
Islamic Framework of
International Relations
 Basic Values in International
Relations
1. No aggression [`udwan]
2. No tyranny [tughyan]
3. No corruption [fasad]
4. No excesses [israf]