International Relations

International Relations is a branch of Political Science dealing with interactions between actors (typically states) in the international system. There are several schools of thought which claim to provide a theoretical model for International Relations, and therefore understand or even predict the behavior of actors on the world stage. However, the phenomenon of actors has made the position of International Relations, as a Political Science, quite hazy. The immense role played by private sector, civil society and individuals; that goes beyond state boundaries and regulations, has forced the scholars of International Relations to consider it as a holistic stand-alone discipline, which can inculcate various branches of Social Sciences and not only Politics in its domain. Such characteristics make International Relations as one of the most dynamic courses for study and research.

## Overview

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International Relations traditionally maps its knowledge with state-centric point of view, proven by the dominance of classic state-centric theories in the field. However, the contemporary International Relations has experienced a large shift of focus, particularly on the emphasize of alternative theories and the prominence of non-state actors. Some scholars even argued that this field of study is no longer an 'International Relations Studies', but instead a 'Global Studies', which indicates the containment of actors and subjects beyond states in the international system.

## Course Outline and Objectives

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* Introduction to International Relations
* Theories in International Relations
* Introduction to World Politics
* Introduction to International Law
* Introduction to International Political Economy

## Unit 1: Introduction to International Relations

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### Key Learning Themes

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* International Relations: Definition and Scope
* History & Epistemology of International Relations
* Perspectives in IR
* Level of Analysis
* State as Actor in IR
* International Security & War
* International Political Economy
* International Law and Cooperation
* Contemporary Issues in IR

### Reading List

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* Christian Reus-Smit and Duncan Snidal (eds.),The Oxford Handbook of International Relations
* Karen A. Mingst and Heather Elko McKibben, Essentials of International Relations
* John Baylis, Steve Smith, and Patricia Owens,The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations
* Felipe Fernández-Armesto, The World: A Brief History

## Unit 2: Theories in International Relations

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### Key Learning Themes

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* Classical Theories in International Relations
* Realism
* Liberalism
* Constructivism
* Alternative Theories in International Relations
* Critical Theory
* Feminism in IR
* Environmentalism in IR

#### Classical Theories of International Relations

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There are traditionally three classic theories of International Relations, which are Realism, Liberalism, and Constructivism.

##### Realism

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###### Classical Realism

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Classical Realism derives from the thought of Thucydides, Niccolò Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, Sun Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, Edward H. Carr, Nicolas Spykman, Hans J. Morgenthau, Henry Kissinger, Z. Brzezinski, S. Huntington.

Key assumptions:

* The international system is anarchic, no true authoritative world government exists.
* Sovereign states are the principal actors in the international system.
* International institutions, non-governmental organizations, multinational corporations and other sub-state or trans-state actors are viewed as having little and mostly not independent influence.
* International Law reflects the current balance of power.
* States are rational unitary actors each moving towards their own national interest. They move on a cost- gain axis trying to maximise their gains
* Because of the anarchy of the international system there is a general distrust of long-term cooperation or alliance.
* The overriding 'national interest' of each state is its national security and survival.
* In pursuit of national security, states strive to amass resources.
* States resolve to war on order to achieve high levels of security
* Relations between states are determined by their comparative level of power derived primarily from their military and economic capabilities.

Both Classical Realism and Structural Realism agree on the key assumption that the states are rational actors moving towards their own national interests. The difference between these two theories is that Structural Realism emphasizes on the function and the role of the international system and the way that states interact in it.

###### Structural Realism

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Structural Realism usually begins with the following assumptions:

* that the international system is anarchic; that is, there is no credible power above the states that compromise the system.
* that states cannot be certain of the intentions of other states
* that at least some states have offensive capabilities
* that states have preferences which they seek to realize, and that survival is a prerequisite for realizing such a preference

From these premises, Structural Realism concludes the following: because states require survival in order to seek their preferences, they seek to survive. Because they cannot be certain of the intentions of other states, which may have offensive capabilities, and because there is no higher authority which can protect them from those other states, it is rational for states to seek some optimal level of power relative to all other states in the system. Relative power can then be used as a means to survival, and therefore a means to the state's true preferences.

The result is an international system in which each state competes with every other state for relative power. While power is an unlimited resource, the competition is, in effect, zero sum, because what is important is how powerful a state is relative to all other states. An increase in absolute power for one state and no change in absolute power for all other states will mean a decrease in relative power for all other states.

Note that, in Structural Realism, states must seek power before being able to realize their preferences. Therefore, the structural imperative to seek power will, in Structural Realism, tend to override any contrary preferences that the state has, at least for a rational state. In this way, Structural Realism posits that the driving factor behind a rational state's foreign policy is not internal politics or preferences, but an externally-determined set of structural imperatives. For this reason, Structural Realists can be very dismissive of a state's domestic politics.

Structural Realists can be further divided into Offensive and Defensive Realists, based on how much power they believe is optimal. Defense Realists posit that there is some ideal level of power which a state should seek; below that level, it cannot be guaranteed of its own security, but above that level, other states will begin to see it as a threat and counter-balance it. Offensive Realists hold that states should maximize their power, since the collective action problem will impede counter-balancing.

##### Liberalism

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While Structural Realism posits an international system where it is rational for each state to compete with every other state, Liberalism posits a system in which cooperation is the rational choice. Liberalism seeks to defend and protect individuals' personal, civil, social, and economic rights and freedoms. Often, it is categorized by a laissez-faire style of government. There are two different branches of Liberalism: reform liberalism and classical liberalism.

#### Classical Liberalism

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#### Laissez-faire Liberalism

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#### Liberal Institutionalism

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### Constructivism

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#### Conventional Constructivism

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#### Critical Constructivism

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### Learning Materials

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* Structural Realism
* Liberalism
* Classical Realism

### Reading List

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* Arash Heydarian Pashakhanlou, Comparing and Contrasting Classical Realism and Neorealism
* Edward H. Carr; The Twenty Years' Crisis 1919-1939 - An Introduction to the Study of International Relations.
* Adler E., Seizing the middle ground: Constructivism in World Politics.
* Checkel J.,The Constructivism turn in International Relations Theory.
* Hopf T., The promise of Constructivism in International Relations Theory.
* Price R. Reus-Smith C., Dangerous liaisons? Critical international theory and Constructivism.
* Wendt A., Social Theory of International Politics.

* Hans Morgenthau, Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace.

## Unit 3: World Politics since 1945

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### Learning Materials

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* The Cold War
* Israel-Palestine
* The Gulf War
* International relations in WW2

### Reading List

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* Calvocoressi, Peter; World Politics since 1945. Addison Wesley Longman, 1996.
* Gaddis, John Lewis; The Cold War. Penguin, 2005.

### Assignments

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## Unit 4: International Political Economy

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### Learning Materials

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THE WORLD BANK & THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF)

### Reading List

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* Gilpin, Robert; The Political Economy of International Relations. Princeton N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1987.
* Gilpin, Robert; Global Political Economy - Understanding the International Economy Order. Princeton N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2001.
* Gilpin, Robert; The Challenge of Global Capitalism - The World Economy in the 21th Century. Princeton N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2000.

### Assignments

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## Unit 5: Security Studies

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### Learning Materials

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* Humanitarian Intervention
* International System and Strategic Weapons
* Weapons Proliferation

### Reading List

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* Collins A. (ed.), Contemporary Security Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
* Kolodziej E., Security and International Relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
* Terriff T., Croft S., James L., Morgan P., Security Studies Today. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1999.