Lecture 1: Introduction I will start by Robert Frost ‘Most of change we thing we see in life is due to truths being in and out of flavour’ International relations (its overall-economic, political, socio-cultural) International politics/world politics (deals with specific field-POLITICS-POLITICAL ECONOMY) It is not a history course- it studies NOT what happened but why things happened, or why do they happen.It EXPLAINS rather than DESCRIBE

Lecture 1.1 Two issues are clear in IR: 1. CHANGE in IR   1.       CHANGE in IR 1.       CONTINUITY IR

Lecture 1.2 1.       CHANGE in IR   Politically –towards integration (EU, AU) /towards disintegration (USSR, Yugoslavia) Militarily –end of cold war, new nuclear powers, and small arms Environmentally- ozone depletion, Kyoto treaty, deforestation, desertification, tsunami

Lecture 1.3 Economically-globalization, regional blocks, MNCs – nandos, chicken in, pizza in Human rights and social welfare-colonization revisited, Tianamen square, taliban, riots WTO.   Robert Frost 1911 “ most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of flavor”

Lectture 1.4 1. CONTINUITY IR   Militarily- war- Kosovo, Congo, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq etc Politically – failure to have world government, disintegration of some states Economically – exploitation continues, extraction of resources Environmentally- degradation continues- land, air, ocean s

Lecture 1.5 Human rights- poverty and degradation of human life continues Health- millions die of diseases, life expectances much shorter. HENCE a quote from Keegley and Wittkompf 1997 “WORLD AFFAIRS TODAY CAN BE LIKENED TO A DISASSEMBLED JIGSAW PUZZLE SCATTERED ON THE TABLE BEFORE US” Some depicts resurgent nationalism, Other spreading of democracy, Some picture genocide

Lecture 1.6 Portray prosperity through trade and investment Other picture nuclear proliferation Other picture disarmament Some indicate reinvigorated United Nations Others see UN as enfeebled and ineffective Some describe actual globalisation Some depict clash of civilization

Lecture 1.7 NB take a NEWSPAPER/ international news/ ask WHY?   NB take a NEWSPAPER/ international news/ ask WHY? Why did Sept 11 take place? Why is North Korea embarking on nuclear weapons programme Why demonstration did took place-Davos, Seattle Why US refused to sign Kyoto treaty.

Lecture 1.8 “so in our theoretical exploration of world politics, we must critically assess the accuracy our impressions, avoiding the temptation to embrace one world view and abandon another without any assurance that their relative worth is permanently fixed” Keegley and Witkompf.

Lecture 1.9 The central question often to be asked is: What is Politics? There are very few political structures in the international system that exercise power over states (supranational power); As a result, some scholars believe that the international system is best described as an anarchical society (anarchy); Does the absence of political structures mean that the international system is not a political system?

Lecture 1.10 What is Science? -- Comparing Science with Non-Science."You will know the truth and the truth will make you free." (John 8:32) There are both "scientific "and "non-scientific" methods of truth-seeking. What is Science? -- Comparing Science with Non-Science Science... ... is empirical. uses a methodology. . is objective.

Lecture 1.11 What is Science? -- Comparing Science with Non-Science ... is normative. ... is not methodological. ... is subjective.

Lecture 1.12 What is Science? -- Comparing Science with Non-Science Two Questions: Which of these two broad approaches is better suited to discovering the truth? Is political science a real science?

Lecture 1.13 International Relations as a Field of Study. International Relations (IR) is one of several subfields of political science. IR itself is broken down into at least two broad subfields: International security: Focuses on questions of war and peace. International political economy: the study of the politics of trade, monetary, and other economic relations among nations, and their connection to other transnational forces.

Lecture 1.14 Theories and Methods in IR       Differences in scholarly ways of knowing what is known Description: Some IR scholars are interested in describing events in the international system. Theory: Some IR scholars are interested in developing theories that can be used by others to understand patterns of behavior in the international system. Traditionalists: Use individual insight and philosophy (normative). Behavioralists: Use mathematical models and statistics (empirical).

Lecture 1.15 Conservative, Liberal, and Revolutionary World Views Goldstein suggests that these different theories and methods have produced three broad perspectives among scholars and students of IR: Conservative: Values maintenance of the status quo and discounts the element of change in IR. Liberal: Values reform of the status quo as an evolutionary process. Revolutionary: Values transformation of the status quo through revolutionary and rapid change.

Lecture 1.16 Conservative World View Emphasizes power politics (realpolitik) and international security issues; States are the most important actors in the international system; Values order (stability) as an international norm; War and conflict are seen as part of the natural order of the international system; Economics is an extension of state power - mercantilism or realeconomik.

Lecture 1.17 Liberal World View Emphasizes the mutual benefits to be gained by interdependence and reciprocity; Some nonstate actors rival states as important actors in the international system; Values freedom as an international norm; War is not a natural tendency that can be minimalized through international agreements; Economic interactions should benefit all nations and should be based on the principle of free trade.

Lecture 1.18 Revolutionary World View Emphasizes the unfair and exploitive aspects of the international system; States are not as important as class divisions in international system; Values justice as an international norm; Focuses on the injustice of North-South relationships; War is a product of underlying exploitive economic relationships.

Lecture 1.19 Revolutionary World View Emphasizes the unfair and exploitive aspects of the international system; States are not as important as class divisions in international system; Values justice as an international norm; Focuses on the injustice of North-South relationships; War is a product of underlying exploitive economic relationships.

Lecture 1.20 The Connection Between World Views and Paradigms The Conservative World View: Uses the realist and neorealist paradigms  The Liberal World View Uses the idealist and neoliberal paradigms  The Revolutionary World View: Uses neo-Marxist world systems theory and dependency theory 

Lecture 1.21 Actors and Influences -- Who are the Actors in International Relations? The most important actors in IR are States States are territorial units controlled by a government and inhabited by a population; Sovereignty - states recognize no authority higher than themselves; Civil society - states are organized around some form of government; Nationality - the population shares a group identity; Democracy - the state's population practices self-determination (but not necessarily pluralism).

Lecture 1.22 Actors and Influences The international system has been organized around states since the signing of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. 193 are members of the UN; Goldstein estimates a total of 200 states or quasi-states in the international system; In terms of population, area, and wealth (GDP) states range in size and influence; All states have equality of sovereignty but inequality of power.

Lecture 1.23 Actors and Influences -- Nonstate Actors NSAs rival the state for power and influence. There are several types of NSAs: Substate actors (domestic influences on foreign policy) Transnational actors (interact with each other and states across international boundaries) Multinational Corporations (MNCs) Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)

Lecture 1.24 Levels of Analysis A method of organizing both description and theory in IR. Individual Level: The impact of the perceptions, choices, and actions of individual human beings. Domestic (State) Level: The impact of different forms of government or economic policies on foreign policy. Interstate (System) Level: The impact of the features of international system on outcomes. Global Level: The impact of influences that transcend the interactions of states themselves.

Lecture 1.25 Geography and World Regions In order to highlight the insights afforded by the Global Level, Goldstein divides the world into nine geographic regions; Later chapters will refer back to these regions: The South ("Third World") includes China, the Middle East, Latin America, South Asia, and Africa. The North includes North America, Western Europe, Japan/Pacific, and Russia/Eastern Europe.

Lecture 1.26 Geography and World Regions The most important division between these regions is the North-South gap;  This is the division that exists between the rich, economically developed, industrialized world and the poor, economically underdeveloped, non-industrialized world;  It is the most important geographical element at the Global Level of analysis;

Lecture 1.27 North-South Gap The North contains less than 20% of the world's population, but produces 60% of the world's GDP; Even in higher income areas in the South, income is unevenly distributed; IR scholars have no single explanation for the growing gap between the North and the South;