Studying international relations

In the game of pool one’s objective is to sink his or her balls and the black ball before their opponent in order to win the game. One uses the white ball to hit all the other balls into the hole.

The collision and interaction between the different balls on the pool table determine the outcome of the game. The balls do not move themselves but are moved by people playing the game using a specially made stick.

The international system is like a pool table. According to Griffiths, O’Callaghan and Roach (2008); states, non-state actors and individuals are like the different balls. Through their political, economic and social interaction these actors shape the world we live in.

States like the United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Russia, India, China, Japan, Germany and Australia are very influential because of their economy. How a country manages its economy determine its military capacity and political power.

From one of the poorest nation to an economic powerhouse, China is now working on expanding its military capacity by building aircraft carriers. Once China builds up to 20 aircraft carriers then it will rival America.

China’s economic power has also given its leaders political power at the international level to influence the outcome of global talks pertaining to issues like international trade and the environment.

Powerful individuals feature prominently in international relations. Bill Gates and Bill Clinton are influential people with private organizations that play a role in addressing global issues like poverty and pandemics.

Non-state actors compose of various organizations from inter-governmental organizations to non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations. All of which play a vital role in addressing various global issues.

As expressed by Goldstein (2005), the historical narrative of the Greek city-states around 400 B.C. foretold by Thucydides provided the foundations for modern day interstate relations. His account of the Peloponnesian war between Athens and Sparta is used to understand power politics.

When one particular state grows in power then they try to exert their influence and control over a weaker state in order to gain more economically. This logic was derived from the conflict between Athens and Sparta.

Papua New Guineans practiced their own form of interaction between two distinct people groups. In the past the Motu people traded with the people from the Gulf province. They followed the trade winds on their lagatoi’s. Unfortunately, unlike the Peloponnesian account by Thucydides or Italian city-state power politics narrative by Machiavelli, there was no detailed account of what happened during that period before colonialism.

The Mailuans as stated by Waiko (1996) were a very powerful group of people with superior knowledge of the sea. They were able to fight and dominate other small people groups within their geographical reach. They also fought with the Spaniards in a bloody battle described as the ‘Mailu massacre’. However, their military strategies unlike that of Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’ about the warring states period in China were not documented.

Goldstein (2005) mentioned that the modern Western-oriented international system was created after the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. The treaty put an end to thirty years of war from 1618 to 1648 between the Hapsburg Empire who was predominately Catholic and Protestant countries in northern Europe namely France, Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands.

According to Wikipedia, the treaty outlined important principles like; legal equality, non-intervention, sovereignty and political determination which define the study of international relations today.

These principles over time have made it difficult for one particular state or a coalition of states to become too powerful and dominate others creating a universal empire in the process. This was done through the balance of power system where other states allied with each other to counter the threat posed by the other(s).

The main reason why students should study international relations is to help their respective countries benefit from the interaction with other states, powerful individuals and non-state actors. To benefit one has to have a well calculated and thoroughly thought out plan. This plan is known in international relations as foreign policy.

A foreign policy outlines the national interest of any state. National interest is known in Latin as ‘rasion d’Etat’ or ‘reason of state’ and is simply the economic, social, and political interest of a state and its citizens.

Understanding of international relations theories and concepts will empower students with the necessary theoretical tools to understand the interaction between the various actors in the international system.

References

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

Griffiths, M., O’Callaghan, T., & Roach, S. C. (2008). International relations the key concepts (2^nd ed.). New York: Routledge.

Waiko, J.D. (1996). A Short History of Papua New Guinea. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Wikipedia. (n.d.) Westphalian sovereignty. Retrieved March 2, 2015, from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westphalian_sovereignty