1 This paper initially left blank 2 Contents Chapter one International relations as activity and academic field The Evaluation of the field of International relations International relations as field of activity Ancient Greece Peloponnesian War The Thirty Years War Followed by the Treaty of Westphalia First World War Second world war Cold war era Conclusion Chapter two Theoretical traditions Political realism in International relations. Realism and Neo realism. Liberalism and Neo Liberalism. Constructivism, the role of Ideas, Norms, and Identity Introducing Feminism in International Relations Theory 3 Chapter three International institutions The failure of the league of nations Chapter four Post-cold war thinking on International Relations Globalization Twenty Years after Huntington’s ‘Clash of Civilizations End of History by Francis Fukuyama This paper initially left blank 4 Unit One INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AS ACTIVITY AND ACADEMIC FIELD Introduction The international analysts and the political scientists have turned their attention to the field of international relations, concepts and theories of analysis especially in the post- First World War period, which represented a turning point in world history. Conflicts and wars have been transferred to a scientific nature that goes beyond conventional conflicts. This concern comes from the importance of politics itself. Politics is a reality of human existence and is intertwined in all aspects of human life in a way that cannot be avoided or ignored. Global Environment policy is intertwined with international policies. the international agreements seriously diversify and take measures to reduce climate change. Human, as Aristotle said, is a political animal. Everyone finds himself at some point in some way part of a political system that affects him. we all participate in and contribute to International Relations on a daily basis. Every time we watch the news, vote in an election, buy or boycott goods from the supermarket, we are participating in International Relations. The decisions we make in our daily lives have an effect, however small, on the world in which we live. In the emergence of the political society (state), the importance of scientific knowledge for the study of political phenomena and the end of the transition from the sight of the state as a legal and constitutional entity as a political entity 5 as the authoritarian division of values and resources within the human society as social relations including power, power and influence in degrees At the national, regional or global level, as mentioned above, the evolution of the nature of the international conflict after World War I and II has increased international cooperation and additional dimension to conflict patterns and internal cooperation. Our interest in politics based on the truth of what we want to learn in addition to participate our political life, some study politics due to self-curiosity or motivated to realize what are the causes of wars and how to provide accurate alternatives. The following factors contributed to the importance of studying the international relations systematically after the First World War and the supremacy of the ideal doctrine of the necessity of a union of countries to impose the foundations of world peace. After the outbreak of World War II, to know how to reduce the possibility of another world wars. International relations were initially taught within other fields of knowledge such as diplomatic history, international law and international organizations. As Independent major, International relations was known in the United States of America in particular as a modern state entering the international theater. Before World War II, the Westphalia Agreement was signed 1648, ending the European wars of religion, including the Thirty Years' War. The treaties of Westphalia brought to an end a calamitous period of European history which caused the deaths of approximately eight million people. , based on the concept of Westphalian sovereignty, though this interpretation has been seriously challenged. Announcing the beginning of the nation-state system, followed by the Vienna Convention. U.S after the Second World War increased the need of thinking about the policy after the war, all of this led to the mobilization of scientific expertise in America and allocated funds for scientific research from what led to the emergence of many research centers and institutes and universities. Generally, there is many factors have contributed to the importance of studying modern international relations: The enormous and continuous increase in communication among countries at all levels as a result of the technological revolution. The various forms of connections and new models changed the international environment dynamic. This communication has divided the barriers and restrictions between the internal and external issues therefor it produced a kind of complexity, and similarity in the nature of the national interests of the countries and groups. Nations increased their dependence on each other in protecting their national security or economic entity or defending their political and ideological or beliefs, due to technological revolution. 6 According to the interdependence nature there is no longer a state that can isolate itself from world events and different interactions outside its borders. It must be recognized that the contemporary international situation is dynamic, we cannot study it within statically rigid frames. The Evaluation of the field of International relations International relations, on a traditional account, can be Identified as actual relations between and among states. however, with the advancement of human civilization and the development of states, International relations gained a great significance in human lives and became an essential aspect for survival of individuals and states. Although in the beginning of human history, International relation were limited only to a field of activity, it gradually developed into an academic discipline gaining worldwide recognition. International relations were subject to many changes in its evolvement process, various scholars and intellectuals have defined international relations differently and have come up with diverse theories and approaches for further understanding. we shall discuss the historical events which marker a great importance in international relations and demonstrate the gradual progression of international relations into an academic filed. International relations as field of activity International relations, in simpler term, could be defined as any kind of a relationship among and between the states in the world. As an activity, International relations are as old as the recorded history itself. when looking back to history, it becomes clear that humans are social beings and they cannot live in isolation, from the day states were formed, those states have built and maintained relationships with external states. Those relationships, at times, have been militant and at other times peaceful. convention identifies states as the major actors of international relations and as the nature of states evolved through time so has the international relations. Before the emergence of nation-states which exist today, the pre-national forms of governments or constitutions which ruled the different parts of the world were personal states, theocracy, oligarchy, city-states, territorial empires and trading empires. With time the nature of relationships which states form with each other has changed based on the form of government, nature of the rulers and their attitudes (form of government). 7 Ancient Greece As an activity, one of earliest examples for international relations among states can be found in ancient Greece. Written evidence has been found that Greek city states have kept relationships between each other. These relationships have mostly been militant. The ancient Greece was much troubled and influences by politics. Although the city states were constantly at war with each other, in many instances they formed alliances in the name of their security to fight and eliminate threats. And also, In Greece, at the time of Olympics all city states called for a true and sized fighting until the games are over. These Instances witness the existences of diplomacy in that period. However, the constant fighting of states makes it clear that the international relations at the time were not strong enough to hold peace for long period because rulers at that time did not focus on avoiding conflict in future. Greek city states had many differences from each other. Sparta, for example, had a unique classification with helots, Peri koi and spartiates sharing different citizen privileges, while in democratic cities like Athens, the citizens usually shared equal privileges. Some cities had restrictions in trading with other cities, while others were economically dependent mostly on trading. These differences are the reason why Greeks preferred to be independent. Moreover, for powerful cities, join an alliance meant losing their dominance, In many cases, for example, disputes arose as to who should lead the alliance and take decisions, and whether the others should obey someone who they might consider inferior. However, despite of many differences, Athens and Sparta joined alliances in the war against Persians between 499 and 449 B.C The formation of the Hellenic League when the Persians started moving toward mainland Greece was an early example