International system as a common element

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International is defined by WordWeb as; “concerning or belonging to all or at least two or more nations.” While system is “an organize structure for arranging and classifying or a combination of methods or rules governing behaviour”. When merged together, we can say a combination of rules governing the behavior of states and non-state actors.

In support of this definition, Buzan and Little (2000) stated that states interact within a set of well-defined and long-established “rules of the game” governing what is considered a state and how states treat each other.

Their interpretation of the international system complements Goldstein’s definition. According to Goldstein (2005, p. 10), “the international system is a set of relationships among the world’s states, structured according to certain rules and patterns of interaction.” 

The rules of the game are either implicit or explicit. They determine who is considered a member of the system, what rights and responsibilities the members have and what kind of actions and responses normally occur between states.

The absence of a central authority makes it very hard to enforce rules. States rely on self-help and also the assistance of their allies. Not forgetting the constraining power of international norms.

According to Goldstein (2005) one of the best known norm is sovereignty. Governments have the right in principle to do whatever they want in their own territory. Due to anarchy states are the highest power, they are autonomous and separate. That means all states are equal in principle and therefore it is not right to interfere in the internal affairs of another state.

The international system places high value on respect for internationally recognized borders. Land and sea borders define a nation-state. The case of the South China Sea is an ongoing issue that might lead to a possible war between Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines and China. China claims that it owns the group of islands with enormous amounts of oil. Their claim is disputed by the other countries in the region causing tension.

States develop norms of diplomacy to facilitate their interaction. These norms have become international law in the form of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The Vienna Convention (Article 22.3) stipulates that; “the premises of the mission, their furnishings and other property thereon and the means of transport of the mission shall be immune from search, requisition or execution.” Diplomatic immunity enjoyed by diplomats is an intricate part of the system.

I like this statement by Goldstein (2005, p.77); “in the anarchy of the international system, the most reliable brake on the power of one state is the power of other states”. During the Cold War, America’s power was balanced by the power of the USSR. Either acting singly or in an alliance the act of counter balancing occurs regularly and maintains the stability of the international system.

According to Goldstein (2005, p. 81); “with each state’s power balanced by other states, the most important characteristic of an international system in the view of many realist is the distribution of power among states in an international system.” We have different power distribution patterns from a unipolar system to a bipolar or a tri polar and a multi polar system. All these systems shape what happens in international politics.

Our attempt to understand foreign policy went beyond looking at foreign policy at face value. We compared and contrasted various definitions of foreign policy. From this comparative analysis we isolated elements we saw as being common. These common elements (state actors, non-state actors, national interest and international system) were then analyzed one by one to justify why we think they are common elements.

Foreign policy

We defined international system as per the context of our discussion to be a combination of rules governing the behavior of states and non-state actors. In addition, we categorized it as a common element because the international system is made up of rules and norms that define the interaction of state and non-state actors.

Reference

WordWeb Software. (2006). WordWeb 7. USA: Princeton University.

Buzan, B. & Little, R. (2000). International systems in world history: remaking the study of international relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Goldstein, J. (2005). International relations (6th ed.). Beijing: Peking University Press. 

McLean, I., & McMillan, A. (2003). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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