01 basic concepts in international relations

Lecture 01:Basic concepts in International

Relations

Who conducts International Relations?

• Almost 200 states• Intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), such as

the UN, NATO, the European Union and the Arab League

• Multinational corporations (MNCs) – also known as transnational companies

• Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)• Although not regarded as legitimate actors in the

system, terrorist groups can also play a role

States

• States are important because they have a monopoly on military power

• They also make all the relevant decisions about how relations with other states are conducted

Intergovernmental organisations (IGOs)

• Intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) are formal associations of states created by treaty or charter

• IGOs exist for various purposes, including cooperation and security, regulation, and economic, educational and cultural aims

• The most important IGO is the United Nations

Multinational corporations (MNCs)

• Multinational corporations are companies that have operations in more than one country

• MNCs are important because of their size and their ability to influence government policies, even in more powerful states

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)

• NGOs are legal entities that are independent of governments and are not businesses

• Most NGOs are operational (they deliver services such as welfare or relief) or campaigning

• NGOs can influence government policies, particularly in areas such as the environment and human rights

Terrorist groups

• Terrorist groups are not regarded as legitimate actors in IR, as they operate outside the law

• However, groups such as Al Qaeda have proved able to influence government policies

States and non-state actors

• Realism, one of the main approaches in International Relations, is concerned entirely with relations between states

• Pluralism, an alternative approach, claims that all types of actors – not just states – have a potential impact

Three concepts of the state

• There is some confusion between three concepts of the state:

• The state as a legal person, with sovereignty over a territory

• The state as a country• The state as a government

• We are concerned only with the first of these concepts

The diversity of states

• It is a convenient fiction to treat states as similar entities

• In reality, there are vast differences between states

• The 193 states that are members of the United Nations include the United States of America, the People’s Republic of China and Russia, but also 40 states with fewer than 1,000,000 inhabitants

Microstates

• Nauru, the least populous member of the UN, has fewer than 10,000 people

• It has no armed forces and is dependent on economic assistance from other states

States with limited recognition

• Several self-declared states have failed to achieve international recognition

• These are mostly breakaway states or territories involved in ethnic disputes, such as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

States with limited recognition (2)

• Palestine has been recognised by 131 members of the UN, but has no real power

• Palestine is not recognised by Israel, which exercises real power in the territory claimed by Palestine

States and sovereignty

• Simplest definition: the capacity of the state to control and determine events within its own territory

• This means that no other entity has authority over a sovereign state

• Sovereignty is a legal concept – a state still enjoys legal sovereignty even if it cannot exercise actual authority

Westphalian sovereignty

• Sovereignty as a modern concept has its roots in the Treaty of Westphalia (1648)

• This confirmed that states had no right to interfere in the internal affairs of other states

Sovereignty and IR• In all IR debates, Westphalian sovereignty is

regarded as the basis of the international system of states

• The principle of Westphalian sovereignty is still upheld: Article 2 of the United Nations Charter recognises the “sovereign equality of all member states”

• This article makes it illegal for one state to interfere in the internal affairs of another

Limits to sovereignty

• Despite the ongoing emphasis on sovereignty, there are several factors that limit a state’s sovereignty

• These can be voluntary limits from above or below

• In many IR debates, there are claims that globalisation is eroding state sovereignty

Limits from above

• Membership of supranational bodies (IGOs such as the United Nations, the European Union or NATO)

• Obligations under the terms of international treaties and agreements (nuclear weapons, human rights, trade, etc.)

Limits from below• In many countries, some

regions enjoy a large measure of autonomy, with many decisions made at the local rather than national level

• In the UK, many decisions are made by regional assemblies in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, rather than the government in London

Failed states• There is no single definition, but a failed state will

show at least some of the following characteristics:• A loss of control of its territory, or of the monopoly

on the legitimate use of physical force therein• The erosion of legitimate authority to make

collective decisions• An inability to provide public services• An inability to interact with other states as a full

member of the international community• Source: the Fund for Peace

Failed states and sovereignty

• Failed states have not lost legal sovereignty, but do not have the actual ability to exercise it

• Somalia, where the country has fragmented, is the most dramatic example of a failed state

• Many other states exert limited actual authority over parts of their territory

The Failed States Index, 2011(the countries in red have ‘alert’ status)

Polarity• A key concept in International Relations,

polarity is the various ways in which power is distributed throughout the world or regions

• There are several variants of polarity:• Unipolarity• Bipolarity• Multipolarity• Nonpolarity

Unipolarity

• A system in which one state possesses the most political influence

• Best example: the United States after the end of the Cold War – the end of the Soviet Union left the USA as the world’s only superpower

Bipolarity• A system in which two states possess

the most political influence• Best example: the USA and the USSR

during the Cold War

Multipolarity

• A system in which several states possess a considerable degree of political influence

• Best recent example: the world before World War I

Nonpolarity

• A system in which no state possesses the most political influence

• Some thinkers believe the world is heading towards this