What is the study of International Politics? How do we decide what to study? What do you think the study of IP should accomplish?

IP is the pinnacle of Political Relations & State is central actor. Strongest actors but weakest rules The modern state is the strongest amasser, mobilizer and deployer of political, economic and military power The state is durable: secession leads to states, integration leads to state-like structures. Of all types of organization, the state is the strongest Best state? based on moral law, by consent of the people.

What will we study? How states act Why they act The role of power, just principle, pursuit of economic wealth How foreign policy is made How IL and IO mitigate/channel state behavior Prospects of change in IP

What criteria, what concerns? Causes of war, conditions for Peace National Interest and human interest Justice, equality, development, well-being, etc Politics as only one part of the condition and solution, and only one time frame.

History and journalism philosophy, religion, and ethics economics and trade psychology, sociology administration and law diplomacy, war strategy and military science. behaviouralism and statistics; define relations in scientific terms What subjects to include?

You must constantly make normative decisions: Human life is sacred, but are negotiations always better than war? Can the rule of law be imposed as the best form of government on all peoples? What goals are legitimate? What groupings and belongings are legitimate? Taliban? What is the role and purpose of weapons?

Focus, levels of analysis, and method: how, what, in what way.

Focus (the range of the question) 1. single case study 2. class of events (middle range) 3. theory

Level of Analysis: the range of the answer 1. Individual level 2. State, society level 3. International system level Examples: WWII, end of USSR, Gulf War

Examples of ‘grand theory’ H. Morgenthau: IP is the pursuit of national interest defined in terms of power K. Holsti: IP is the problem of the causes of war and the conditions for peace Marxists: IP is part of the causes of inequality and exploitation, and the struggle for justice

Method 1. Historical/traditional (qualitative) 2. Behavioral/scientific (quantitative) IP: meaningful human behaviour is rule governed, but understood better by means of good judgment, experience and historical knowledge than by scientific testing.

Three normative traditions are the framework of the study Realism—Machiavellian (Nicoló Machiavelli) (blood and iron) Liberalism—Rationalism (Hugo Grotius) (law and order) Revolutionism---Radical approaches. Soft (Idealism) and hard varieties (liberation and doctrine)

Change or Continuity? Solomon (Eccl. 1:9) “The thing that has been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” The constancy of fallen human nature vs. the optimism of unending progress. Economic issues have not replaced security problems as the main subject in IP, and security problems have never in the history of humankind been more important than socio- economic issues.