Week 1 IR Introduction to International Relations PDF

Introduction to International Relations Module Leader: Prof. Yasmin Khodary Teaching Assistant: Ms. Aya Hisham  An Introduction  Introducing the module: rationale, aims and methods of assessment  Introducing International Relations &...

Introduction to International Relations Module Leader: Prof. Yasmin Khodary Teaching Assistant: Ms. Aya Hisham  An Introduction  Introducing the module: rationale, aims and methods of assessment  Introducing International Relations & Theory  Aim of the Module  This module aims to introduce you to the study of international relations (IR) through mapping the main concepts, issues and debates in IR.  The module seeks to enhance your ability to comprehend key theoretical terminology in the field of IR; understand the major trends and patterns of interactions among various international actors; and analyze the core issues and debates on the global agenda.  Intended Learning Objectives By the end of the module, you are expected to be able to:  Explainkey terminologies in contemporary international relations, including power, sovereignty, war, cooperation, integration.  Identify various patterns of international interactions in contemporary international relations  Compare and contrast different perspectives on the main issues in contemporary international relations, including globalization, security, sovereignty and intervention;  Assess and provide solutions from contending perspectives to a variety of international problems and issues.  Assess the roles played by various non-state actors such as NGOs, militant movements or multinational corporations.  Analyse political concepts, institutions and practices in the field  This module is particularly useful for: those of you who aims to be practitioners of international relations (IR): working in the Ministry or foreign affairs, diplomatic professions (in Arab League, UN, etc...), International organizations, embassies, or as foreign affairs analysts  Division of Syllabus/outline  An Introduction to International Relations  PART 1 & 2: Mainstream IR Theories (1) Realism (2) Liberalism  PART 3: The road to non-mainstream theories of IR  3) Constructivism PART 4: Application Week 11 &12: Understanding concepts and world events via the lens of different theories: Sovereignty, Security and Threats  TEXTBOOKS  Viotti, P. and Kauppi M. (2023), International Relations Theory. Pearsons.  Viotti,P. and Kauppi M. (2013), International Relations and World Politics (World Politics). Pearsons.  MODULE REQUIREMENTS Requirement Deadline Percentage (%) Class Test Week-7 (Thursday, 7 30 % November) Essay 19 November 2024 35% (2000 Words) (week 9) Unseen Exam TBA 35%  Essay/ Research Paper Word Limit: 2000 1. Critically assess an international crisis/incident in the post-Cold War era, by investigating its dynamics, the main actors involved and their motivations, from a Realist or a Liberal IR perspective. Use a case study to support your answer. 2. Critically examine the impact of non-state actors, such as NGOs, militant groups, and multinational corporations, on international relations. Back up your analysis with relevant case studies. 3. Critically analyse the debate between intervention and sovereignty in international relations, particularly in the context of humanitarian intervention versus respect for state sovereignty. Provide examples that illustrate how the principle of non-intervention clashes with the moral obligation to protect human rights. International Relations In International Relations, we’re interested in knowing & studying:  Why do states behave the way they do?  How are states expected to behave in different occasions?  What is the shape of the current world order?  Why is it shaped like that?  What kind of world order will emerge?  Who are the actors behind scenes? These are only examples of what the module will help you understand and analyze Who/What are the major actors in IR? What are the main Actors in IR  States A geographical entity governed by a central authority States used to dominate conventional discourse, but:  International Organizations  include organizations with limited membership, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union (EU), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the African Union (AU). The most known universal IO is the United Nations (UN) which is open to all states.  Non Governmental Organizations  Transnational NGOs (such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace, etc…)  Humanitarian Nongovernmental Organizations  Private-Sector Economic Organizations (MNCs, TNCs)  Non-state Armed Groups Individuals Since we talked about IR … Let us talk about Theory A good theory in IR tells you:  How the world works?  Why things happen?  What is likely to happen in different circumstances?  WHAT IS A THEORY?  it is a way of making the world or part of it bette understood. E.g. the collapse of the Soviet Union in early 1990. This is what theories dealing with IR aim to do  It offers us a set of related statements or hypotheses or arguments which, together, to explain what we observe.  These hypotheses were tested, evidence gathered (qualitative- quantitative) or data from the real world.  Those statements can help us understand for  FOUR MAJOR COMPONENTS OF A THEORY 1) statements, hypotheses or arguments 2) Levels of analysis 3) The major actors in IR 4) WORLD IMAGES 1) statements, hypotheses or arguments  Specify mostly causal relation ship between two factors or variables: Dependent and independent variables.  Sometimes there are intervening variables that may facilitate or even block the effects of the independent variables.  These statements or hypotheses or causal relationships allows us to predict to some extent : whenever X is present, then Y can be expected to follow.  Examples  Let’s say the statement or hypothesis is: “If states engage in arms races, then the likelihood of war increases.”  If we applied this to the Pakistan-India case: If Pakistan and India increased their military spending, then the likelihood of war increases.  2) Levels of analysis  A way to organize thinking about world politics and hypotheses.  Individuals, groups, states and their societies, or the overall international system are points of focus. 1) The individual level of analysis: the role, personality, and understandings of an individual (e.g. Trump) 2) Group level of analysis (e.g. the private sector, Congress, or president’s advisers such as secretary of state, defense secretary, national security advisers who Levels of analysis cont’d 4) The system level of analysis or the broader international environment (agent-structure problem). The presence or absence of obstacles, threats or opportunities... For example, the challenges posed by Qaa’da in Afghanistan. Thus, the United States took the lead as the world’s sole superpower because it was in its national interest to increase troop levels in Afghanistan. The superpower saw no other states (or alliances) with the capabilities to stop this action , so they took it. the state is a rational, self-serving actor that we 3) The major actors in IR  States A geographical entity governed by a central authority States used to dominate conventional discourse, but:  International Organizations  include organizations with limited membership, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union (EU), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the African Union (AU). The most known universal IO is the United Nations (UN) which is open to all states.  Non Governmental Organizations  Transnational NGOs (such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace, etc…)  Humanitarian Nongovernmental Organizations  Private-Sector Economic Organizations (MNCs, TNCs)  Non-state Armed Groups Individuals  4) WORLD IMAGES  Everyone holds one and sometimes more than one image of the world depending on the issues or circumstances at hand.  Such sets of assumptions about international relations or world politics influence our understanding of the world around  Images help to orient our reading and research by highlighting certain actors or concepts and ignoring others  Images like wearing a pair of glasses to look at the world around us.  We may prefer a particular pair of glasses over others to use one we feel give us the most accurate view of how the world works.  Four images can be identified 1) Realism that focuses on power and a balance of power among states in international relations; (2) Liberalism has a pluralist perspective that includes states, but looks beyond them to observe the roles individuals play as well as the activities of both international and nongovernmental organizations in world politics; (3) Economic structuralism (structuralism, dependency and world system theory) emphasizes the importance of material factors or certain structures like capital-owning classes or capital-rich countries that explain much of what we observe in international relations or world politics. 4) A fourth perspective is that of English School “rationalists” who portray international or global society combining ideas from realism realist ideas of power and balance of power  Four other but Interpretive understanding (1) Constructivism that underscores the importance of ideas and ideational structures in establishing or constituting the world we understand around us; (2) Feminism that focuses on gender as key to our understandings not only of politics within state&society, but also of international relations & world politics; (3) Postmodernism that emphasizes the subjective dimension of what we think we see in the world around us—a view that leads us to deconstruct or unpack the text of spoken or Thank You 