What makes International Relations a discipline, and why did the discipline not develop in the 17th Century rather than in the early 20th Century?
Q1. What makes International Relations a discipline, and why did the discipline not develop in the 17th Century rather than in the early 20th Century? Introduction The journey of the modern man, which began in Africa, with a small band of hunter-gatherers, has come full circles, after nearly 80,000 years1 and a population of 6 billion, covering the earth in diverse races, ethnicities and nationalities. Man has been divided along these ethnic and social lines even before the advent of the modern state system. Though they have been living in relative isolation, in a less populated world, they were connected through the advent of trade, journeying2, and the darker means of war and conquest. There had been relations between these ancient societies, which are the precursors to the modern day nation states. This relationship was evident during the times of the Egyptian Pharaohs, who established ties with parallel rulers elsewhere, formed alliances and pacts that would protect them from the marauding nomads of the steppes of Caucasian heartland.3The Free city states of Greece practiced the art of diplomacy and international cooperation during time of war and strife. The Homeric tales of Iliad is one classic example, when the rulers of the Greek States rallied around the mighty Achilles and his Myrmidon army to win the battle for them4. Thucydides gives an account of alliances
Security & Policy Issues for the Former USSR
Security & Policy Issues for the Former USSR On the 26th of December 1991, the Soviet parliament voted itself, and the USSR, out of existence. The hastily formed Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), an association with neither constitution nor statutes, took its place. At its inception, Russia hoped the CIS would maintain a 'common space' concerning strategy, economics, law, communications, and so forth. However, many of the successor states, most notably the Ukraine, view the CIS as an emergency organisation; only a useful vehicle for handling the Soviet inheritance and dismembering the old structures in a rational and peaceful manner. Given historical the history of the region, there remains great suspicion among the former Soviet republics that Russia will once again seek to control the disparate states which constituted the USSR. It is against this complex background of distrust, economic dislocation, and rising ethnic tensions, that foreign policy and security issues have to be formed. Policy formation and implementation is influenced by two distinct factors: relations with the outside world, primarily the industrialised nations of the West, and relations among members of the CIS. In this respect we will first assess the salient issues pertaining to the CIS's 'foreign' contacts, and then examine the delicate political relationships between Russia and the rest of the
GLOBALISATION HAS MADE THE MODERN NATION STATE IRRELEVANT. EVALUATE THIS POINT.
Bethan Sutton 13t GLOBALISATION HAS MADE THE MODERN NATION STATE IRRELEVANT. EVALUATE THIS POINT. (40 MARKS) Globalisation challenges the state centred set of theories that assume that the nation state is the most powerful organisation in society, and can therefore be used to challenge the idea that there is a single ruling elite because there is no power in society to force the state in a particular direction. A state is a central authority exercising legitimate control over a given territory and which can use political violence against either its own citizens or other states to enforce that control. A nation state is constantly under scrutiny because it has not yet been defined but sociologists are still happy to use the term nation state. However, most sociologists agree that the term nation state refers to any country that can make its own laws, operate its own economy and maintain economic power within its own territory. Nation states also wish to determine their own foreign policy, having their on defence and military capabilities. James Fulcher defines globalisation as the growing integration between of people across the world. There are four main forms that globalisation takes; global communication, global interdependence, global awareness and global organisation. Global communication is used to express the increasing speed of which information, goods and people
To what extent is it correct to argue that globalisation is a threat to the state and to the unique entity that is the European Union?
To what extent is it correct to argue that globalisation is a threat to the state and to the unique entity that is the European Union? Name: Allistair Short Course: BA Politics and Government Module: PO 2116 Tutor: Peter Anderson To what extent is it correct to argue that globalisation is a threat to the state and to the unique entity that is the European Union? In assessing whether or not globalisation is a threat to the state and unique entity that is the European Union, it is important to define firstly what is meant by the terms globalisation and European Union. It is also important to decide whether or not the European Union is a unique entity and a state. Globalisation has been defined by John Benyon and David Dunkerley as; "the process through which sovereign national states are criss-crossed and undermined by trans-national actors with varying prospects of power, orientations, identities and networks."(1) The European Union has been in existence since the signing of the 1957 Treaty of Rome with six original members of Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The EU has now grown to fifteen member states including the UK and has others including former Eastern Bloc countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic waiting to join. Over the next ten years the EU is expected to expand to twenty-five member states. As to the EU being a unique
In your opinion, how many capitalisms are there in the global system?
When is, according to Clausewitz, a war victoriously concluded? Discuss with reference to contemporary examples. Since the dawn of mankind, wars have been fought. And since the beginning of history, they have been chronicled and analysed. Man has always sought to understand this most destructive of his endeavours. From Tacticus to Liddell-Hart, war has been the focus of many a theoretical study. Carl von Clausewitz was a Prussian officer during and after the wars of the Republic and the Empire and wrote On War, in one way or another, over the course of his adult life. He fought against the French throughout the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, from the early campaigns in Germany in 1793 as a mere child, to acting as Chief-Of-Staff of a Prussian Corps on the allied left in the Waterloo campaign. The new warfare of the French at this time made a profound impression on him and shaped On War. It was finally published after his death in 18321. Victory in war is every soldier's raison d'etre. Yet defining a victory is less simple. Fundamentally, victory can be seen as the fulfilment of one's object in war. So in order to define victory, we must define our aims. In this essay, I shall attempt to show what Clausewitz thought of as victory, or more precisely, what Clausewitz thought of as the nature of the object of war, the fulfilment of which would lead to victory. Clausewitz's
Intelligence does not win wars. It does not shape foreign policy. Intelligence does not operate in a vacuum. But nonetheless, intelligence activities are an inseparable part of the process of the making and application of policies. Discuss.
Intelligence does not win wars. It does not shape foreign policy. Intelligence does not operate in a vacuum. But nonetheless, intelligence activities are an inseparable part of the process of the making and application of policies. Discuss. Intelligence could be simply described as the covert collection and analysis of information. Since knowledge is power, the gathering of information about another's capabilities and intentions is a vital aspect of state behaviour, both internally and externally. It can be open or covert, strategic or non strategic. In all cases, its purpose is to acquire, analyse and appreciate data in order to facilitate policy-making. While the acquisition of confidential information is the prime function of the intelligence community, other roles associated with are, counter-intelligence, which is to prevent others acquiring information on your state, deception, which is to spread disinformation, and covert action which means implicating political warfare or subversion. Intelligence is gathered in two ways, technical and human. Human intelligence primarily refers to espionage and spies, like that are seen in fictional works such as in James Bond. Intelligence is often referred to as the 'missing dimension' of the diplomatic history and international relations. Apart from the very nature of the enterprise, one of the reasons for this is that
An exploration of globalisation and its influence upon the essences of identity
Globalisation An exploration of globalisation and its influence upon the essences of identity Globalisation refers to the process whereby the world is said to be transformed / transforming into a single global system. It became an issue of great significance in the 1990s. Aspects of what is now called globalisation were first seriously discussed by sociologists during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1960, Mcluhan introduced into the analysis of culture and the mass media the phrase: "the global village." In order to describe how in his view, the world was shrinking as a result of new technologies of communication. In the same period, changes in the global economy, notably the growth of multinational companies, the expansion of international trade, the international division of labour, promoted the development of world system theory as a model of the global economy. In current discussions, globalisation has three dimensions of manifestations: economic, cultural and political. There has been a pessimistic light over the term globalisation. It has been looked upon as a threat to the masses as it suggests that the dividing lines of cultures, traditions, national and cultural identities are dissolving. Globalisation isn't a fact or fait accumpli. Both in reality and as a concept it is highly contested (Foster-Carter). Not everyone agrees "globalisation" is happening or that it is not
United Nations : An Adovcate of Peace and International Development?
United Nations : An Adovcate of Peace and International Development? Introduction 316 "The purposes of the United Nations are...to maintain international peace and security...[and] To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic...character" (UN Charter, 1945) The United Nations has, since it's inception in 1945, been working tirelessly to promote international peace, socio-economic progress and international development (Allen, Thomas, 2000). This is a rather hefty mandate for even a organisation as large as the United Nations with its 184 nation state members, and its copious organs. Inevitably the organization has come under a great deal of criticism within these areas. This has lead to many contemporary authors calling for, "structural change and reform", for they find that the United Nations has failed to provide this world "with lasting peace" [and] "international development" (Hajnal, 1997). It has also led many to brandish the organisation as 'imperialistic', 'dogmatic' and 'autocratic', but it is also widely agreed that there is a vested need and a purpose for the United Nations in our world today. As the authors of The United Nations: A concise Guide state, this world does need such a body; "If the UN did not exist, it would be necessary to invent it" and the debate "..is not whether the UN has a future, but rather
How important are international institutions for the operation of todays globalized economy?
How important are international institutions for the operation of today's globalized economy? By: Anna Leijonhuvud IR 1001 - Introduction to International Relations Tutor: Jeremy Kleidosty, Thursdays 11 am Due date: 5 December 2011 Introduction The process of globalization is recurrent and vastly discussed amongst scholars and students of the international political economy, however: "We can't speak day after day about globalization without at the same time having in mind that... we need multilateral solutions" - Dominique Strauss Khan, former IMF Managing Direction Mindful globalization is an ambiguous phenomenon open to a multiple of interpretations. This paper will be referring to it as an increased sense of interconnectedness, driven by various economic factors, technological innovation, changes in policy and cultural preferences (McGrew, 2006:22). Hence, the globalizing economy is only one aspect of globalization, characterized by increased economic integration and interdependency (Cohn 2010: 6). Recalling the quote by Strauss Khan, international institutions have been established to serve as multilateral solutions to an increasingly global economy. Forthcoming discussion will be referring to such institutions defined by Rittberg and Zangle as "international social institutions characterized by behavioral roles in recurring situations that lead to a convergence
What do you understand by the term globalization? Has the recent economic recession led to de-globalization?
Globalization is modernization, urbanization, unification, polarization, manipulation, and homogenization. Who wouldn't want a Starbucks coffee, a Big Mac sandwich with Cola-Cola, a Nokia mobile phone, a Hewlett-Packard personal computer, an Apple product? Who will refuse using Google, eBay or Amazon? Aren't 'Myspace' and 'Facebook' the new 'get-around' virtual places? Those are just few examples of a world's new globalized image that may have started with Alexander Bell. Some believe this process is coming to an end. Some believe that recently transnational relations seem not that helpful to the world economy. Recently some people have started missing the villages they used to live in peacefully and like not the 'big city lights'. Even more recently some came up with another term - de-globalization. It may be described with the words degeneration, deflation, de-homogenization, de-centralization of global power. Is it really happening? Globalization has given the raging recession very good grounds - spreading fast on a large scale, getting involved the movement of goods, capital, jobs. How far can it get? It is a matter of time, time is money and money nowadays seems to be at a standstill. The term globalization first appeared in 1961 in an article of The Economist associated with the need of economic reform in Spain. However, it has not been known under its definitions