The Yegiora Files

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 respon...

National interest is the force that drives states to interact with other states and non-state actors. Without national interest, a state will not show determination in pursuing a relationship with other actors in international relations. Oxford Concise dictionary of politics (2003, pp. 360-361) delineates national interest as the interest of the state as defined by its government. The dictionary also explains the two broad usages of national interest. “Use by politicians in seeking support for a particular course of action, especially in foreign policy. Given the widespread attachment to the nation as a social and political organization, national interest is a powerful device for invoking support. The term is used by politicians to seek support for domestic policy objectives, but here it is less persuasive given the normal extent of differences on domestic policy and hence employed less. In foreign policy in contrast, the term invokes an image of the nation, or the nat...

In IR204, we began the unit by defining foreign policy and identifying the common elements in the definition of foreign policy. One common element is the state; the state is just an abstract made concrete by the presence of human beings. Throughout history we have read about the many heroes or heroines who changed the course of their civilization. Almost all of them were and are human beings and not reptiles or amphibians. Thus, human beings are like fuel in a car that makes the car move or like flour in a cake. This understanding is the starting point for our discussion on foreign policy analysis. According to Hudson (2007, p. 4), foreign policy analysis is the study of human decision makers acting singly or in groups. Acting singly in a position of authority and power a human being like the President of the United States of America has the capability to make a decision that will change the world. To understand the factors that influence a single decision maker one must refer to the i...

Hudson, V. M. (2007). Foreign policy analysis: classics and contemporary theory (pp. 37 – 143). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Hallmark Description Example Multifactorial Involving or depending on several factors or causes Decision makers can be affected by; the colour of the room, level of understanding, death of a relative and other factors Multilevel Factors that influence decision making and decision makers are clustered in 3 different levels (Individual, state and system level of analysis) The colour of the rooms, level of understand and death of a relations are factors connected to the individual level of analysis. There are more factors in the 2 other levels of analysis to consider as well Multi-/interdisciplinarity Insights from many intellectual disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, organizational behavior, anthropology, economics and others useful for foreign policy analyst in efforts to explain foreign policy decision making Knowledge of psychology wi...

The program specification document explains that the vision of the Bachelor of Arts (PNG Studies and International Relations) program is to create global citizens who think creatively about the challenges facing PNG in the 21 st century. To be a global citizen, one has to know what is happening around the globe. Not only does one need to know but one has to be equipped with a systemic way to analyze what is happening. This is where international relations as a field of study fits into the program. International relations as outlined in the program specification document is one of the major streams in the program. The other streams are politics, culture studies and community development. All four streams form a lethal cocktail and are studied together. The curriculum is organized this way because the four streams complement each other. As a global citizen, one needs to firstly understand their own culture. Culture forms the basis of understanding politics and our community. From ...

Pillar 4 of Vision 2050 makes two very important statements about international relations. We can use to help us argue why it is vital for us to learn about the various international relations theories. Firstly, there is a need to ensure that PNG’s foreign policy reflects the national interest. Secondly, there is a need to increase bilateral relations with the rest of the world and relevant international organizations. Foreign policy is defined by Goldstein (2005) as strategies used by governments to guide their actions in the international arena. He stated that foreign policies spell out the objectives states leaders have decided to pursue in a given relationship or situation as well as the general means by which they intend to pursue those objectives. Day-to- day decisions made by various arms of government are guided by the goal of implementing foreign policy. The analogy of human beings and our personal interest helps us to understand that states behave like humans. All st...