Nature and scope of international relations

Aditi Agrawal

BBA(H)-B
19212485
- International relations or affairs is the in-depth study of the interconnectedness of
politics, economics and law on a global scale. In today’s modern world, this has become
an increasingly important field due to the high level of globalisation taking place via
technology. Being both an academic as well as a public policy field, it plays a major
role in determining the foreign policy of any given state. It can thus be both, positive
and normative. This field of study mainly deals with the interaction amongst the global
polities including multi-national corporations, sovereign states, international non-
governmental organisations, etc. Due to the various complexities of such political
entities it is a purely academic field and is highly interdisciplinary. The scope in this
field is wide and encompasses global issues such as globalization, diplomatic
relations, state sovereignty, international security, ecological sustainability, nuclear
proliferation, nationalism, economic development, global finance, terrorism,
and human rights.

- International relations has been a prevalent concept in history; its origin dating back to
almost 3500 BC. Academicians recognise the interaction amongst the first Sumerian
city-states to be a form of globalisation and consequently, the formation and
development of an international system. To truly comprehend the concept of
International relations, one must understand that they are based on sovereign states. As
a result, the signing of various treaties due to the ongoing clashes and wars (Peace of
Westphalia, Treaty of Utrecht) eventually became the stepping stones for the
development of a more modern, civilised and globalised world. However, the major IR
theories were developed well after the world war I, since states recognised the rising
need of a more politically organised world.

- There are various theories formulated by academicians and theorists worldwide. The
main theory recognised and followed globally is the Normative Theory. This theory
proposes that the main aim of IR is to make the world a better place, by being aware
and conscious of the implicit and explicit assumptions that usually constitute a non-
normative theory. This theory forms the basis of other socio-political theories.

- Another major theory is Epistemological theory. This has roughly been divided into
two theories: positivist and post-positivist. The main aim of positivist theories is to
analyse the impact of material forces, thereby replicating the methods of natural
sciences. Their main domain in IR includes state interactions, size of military forces,
etc. The latter theory however rejects the idea that the social world can be studied in
an objective and value-free way. It rejects the central ideas of neo-realism/liberalism,
such as rational choice theory, on the grounds that the scientific method cannot be
applied to the social world and that a "science" of IR is impossible. A key difference
between the two positions is that while positivist theories, such as neo-realism, offer
causal explanations (such as why and how power is exercised), post-positivist theories
focus instead on constitutive questions, for instance, what is meant by "power"; what
makes it up, how it is experienced and how it is reproduced. The post-positivist theory
aims to promote ethics while approaching IR. This is something which has regularly
been overlooked under "traditional" IR as positivist speculations make a
differentiation among "facts” and standardizing decisions, or "values".

- The positivist theories further constitute several other theories and assumptions. The
first one is Realism. This prioritises security and power above all else. As opposed to
idealistic reasons, proponents of this theory believe that Cooperation between states is
 a way to maximize each individual state's security and that act of war should be based
on self-interest rather than idealism. The real validation for this theory can be credited
to World War II. Realism taught American leaders to focus on interests rather than on
ideology, to seek peace through strength, and to recognize that great powers can
coexist even if they have antithetical values and beliefs.

- Liberalism: According to this approach, public is essentially great and fit for
significant participation to advance constructive change in the system. Liberal theory
stresses interdependence among states, multinational corporations, and international
institutions. This theory arose post world war I in response to the pathetic state of
international relations.

- Neoliberalism: Proponents of this theory contend that states will participate regardless
of relative gains, and are hence worried about total increases. This additionally
implies countries are, basically, allowed to settle on their own decisions regarding
how they will approach directing arrangement with no worldwide associations
obstructing a country's entitlement to power.

- Regime theory: This theory argues that the behaviour of states and other international
actors can be highly influenced by international institutions or regimes. It suggests
that cooperation in a system of States is possible only if there is international
cooperation.

- The post-positivist theory also demonstrates various other approaches under it. The
first of these being social constructivism. It can be better. Defined as a social theory
which is used to better explain the actions taken by states and other major actors as
well as the identities that guide these states and actors.

- Marxist: This theory clearly dismisses the pragmatist/liberal perspective on state

struggle or participation; rather concentrating on the monetary and material viewpoints.
It makes the suspicion that the economy bests different concerns; taking into account
the rise of class as the focal point of study. Marxists see the global framework as a
coordinated industrialist framework in quest for capital amassing.

- Feminist: Feminist IR considers the ways that international politics affects and is
affected by both men and women and also at how the core concepts that are employed
within the discipline of IR (e.g. war, security, etc.) are themselves gendered. Feminist
IR has not only concerned itself with the traditional focus of IR on states, wars,
diplomacy and security, but feminist IR scholars have also emphasized the
importance of looking at how gender shapes the current global political economy.

- International Society Theory: Additionally called the English School, centres around
the mutual standards and estimations of states and how they manage worldwide
relations. Instances of such standards incorporate tact, request, and global law. In
contrast to neo-authenticity, it isn't really positivist. Scholars have concentrated
especially on compassionate mediation, and are subdivided between solidarists, who
will in general advocate it more, and pluralists, who spot more prominent incentive all
together and power.