History of theoretical thought on inter-state relations and the formation of “International Relations” as an academic discipline

The relationship between political theory, including the history of political thought, and International Relations theory, including the history of international thought, has been, and to some extent remains, complex and troubled. On both sides of the Atlantic, the mid-twentieth century founders of International Relations as an academic discipline drew extensively on the canon of political thought, but approached the subject in an uncritical way, while political philosophers largely disdained the international as a focus. This changed in the 1970s and 1980s, with the emergence of the ‘justice industry’ based on critiques of Rawls’ A Theory of Justice and a consequent recovering of the past history of cosmopolitan and communitarian thought. A new discourse emerged in this period – International Political Theory – bridging the gap between political thought and international relations and stimulating a far more creative and scholarly approach to the history of international thought. However, in a social science environment dominated by the methods of economics, that is, formal theory and quantification, the new discourse of International Political Theory occupies a niche rather than existing at the centre of the discipline.

Download Full-text

Development of International Relations at the Periphery: The Case of Bangladesh

Vestnik RUDN International Relations ◽

10.22363/2313-0660-2019-19-2-247-255 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 247-255

Author(s):

Lailufar Yasmin

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

Academic Discipline ◽

Western Country ◽

Great Powers ◽

Major Powers ◽

Ir Studies ◽

Significant Area ◽

History Of ◽

To Come ◽

The University

International Relations (IR) is no longer considered as an academic discipline that analyzes the major powers or great powers’ activities only. From its Cold War content of emphasizing on traditional state-centric security, it has traversed a long way to expand its subject matter. Similarly, smaller nations and their imprints on international politics are also emerging as a significant area of inquiry in IR. This article seeks to contribute to this inquiry by discussing Bangladesh’s rising significance and how academic IR addresses this issue. It traces the history of IR in Bangladesh as well as its gradual expansion. It discusses the growth of IR as an academic discipline at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, that gradually led to the development of IR studies in other parts of the country. The article documents this growth, which is the first of its kind to trace the rise and development of IR in Bangladesh. It therefore fulfils the lacuna in understanding how and where the growth of IR took place in a non-western country. One might contend what is the relevance of studying IR in Bangladesh. The article argues that despite being physically small , academic IR has generated interest in Bangladesh due to the changing geostrategic significance of the country. The article outlines the rising geopolitical significance of Bangladesh where great powers are interested to come and be a part of Bangladesh’s development. It is in this context, the study of IR becomes more pertinent in Bangladesh.

Download Full-text

The Political Contexts of Religious Exchanges: A Study on Chinese Protestants’ International Relations

Journal of Current Chinese Affairs ◽

10.1177/186810261304200308 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 149-179 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tobias Brandner

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

The Political ◽

The West ◽

Political Relationships ◽

Protestant Christians ◽

State Relations ◽

Inter State

This article surveys the complex ecumenical, missionary and international church relations of Chinese Protestant Christians. It argues that the inter-church relations to other parts of Asia are overshadowed by relations to Christians in the West, thus reflecting a political preoccupation with relationships to the West. This is evidenced by an analysis of worldwide and Asian ecumenism as well as bilateral church and missionary relationships. The dominance of contacts with the West not only contradicts the idea of a multipolar world and increased South-South contacts, it also stands in contrast to the reality of growing and increasingly important Christianity in Asia. Methodologically, this paper analyses different kinds of international relations (multilateral and bilateral, inter-church and missionary) and develops a typology of different inter-church and inter-state relations to assess international church relations in Asia today. The typology shows how China's international church relations support its political relationships with its neighbours and beyond.

Download Full-text

The Role of Negotiations in International Relations: دور المفاوضات في العلاقات الدولية

المجلة العربية للعلوم ونشر الأبحاث مجلة العلوم الاقتصادية والإدارية والقانونية ◽

10.26389/ajsrp.t051218 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Thamer Abdullah Eid Alsubaie

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Negotiation Process ◽

War And Peace ◽

International Consensus ◽

State Relations ◽

The Relationship ◽

Inter State

What was the sporadic intercourse to facilitate contacts among various ancient political entities in different parts of the world became organized inter-state relations between nations and states, supported diplomacy as the art of settling disputes by negotiations. Negotiations have become the essential instrument at the core of contemporary international relations that are constantly changing in time and space. The negotiations brought the shift of major importance and had direct impact on international relations. The international organizations have been empowered to assist governments of its member states in progressive liberalization of trade in all areas. Negotiations have intensified the inter-state relations contacts collection of information about the ways other societies are organized and act. Negotiations have become primary tools in building international consensus on most important issues of security, war and peace. This research aimed to assess the role of negotiations in international relations. In order to achieve this aim, the researcher reviewed articles and research that dealt with examining the origin of the research variables, and also aimed to identify the relationship between these variables. In addition to that, the researcher conducted in depth interviews with 15 key officials in Saudi Arabia. The results of the study found that effective negotiations have a positive impact on the quality of international relations. Of the main recommendations of the study is that it is essential that the negotiator have the required sets of skills to ensure an effective negotiation process.

Download Full-text

Women in international history

Review of International Studies ◽

10.1017/s0260210500118650 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 431-437 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

D. Cameron Watt

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

Political Culture ◽

Western Europe ◽

Graduate Courses ◽

International History ◽

History Of ◽

And Gender ◽

State Relations ◽

Peace And War ◽

Relevant Material

By now there is a very considerable volume of work on the general subject of women, women's rights, feminism and gender in international relations. This has both engendered and been engendered by the development of undergraduate and graduate courses and seminars on these themes. By contrast the allied discipline of international history has been slow to develop a parallel literature or courses. Courses in women's history per se have multiplied; there is a respectable literature and a number of equally respectable learned journals, not only in the Englishspeaking countries, but also in Western Europe. But their concern has been very much focused on the issues of women in each particular society; they have tended, that is, to develop the study of women within the study of the history of a particular country, political culture or linguistic region. Confronted with questions about the lack of similar courses in the history of international relations, historians drawn from both sexes have tended either to take them as a comic act or to indicate that in their view there is a lack of relevant material or issues adequate to justify any isolation of the topic from the more general themes of inter-state relations, with the great issues of peace and war with which as members of the discipline they are chiefly concerned.

Download Full-text

Puffendorf–Crull and the Afro–Asian World (1968–69)

10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198766070.003.0012 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

C. H. Alexandrowicz

Keyword(s):

State Formation ◽

Original Text ◽

Law Of Nature ◽

Main Work ◽

Law Of Nations ◽

The Family ◽

History Of ◽

State Relations ◽

Inter State

This chapter discusses the work of Samuel Puffendorf (1632–94) and Jodocus Crull. Puffendorf, a professor at the Universities of Heidelberg and Lund, completed his main work on the Law of Nature and Nations in 1672. Ten years later he released the first volume of the Introduction to the History of the Principal States of Europe and volumes (II–III) appeared in the next few years. This treatise on European affairs was later extended to other continents constituting an Introduction to the History of Asia, Africa, and America. Evidence suggests that the original text of volume IV was written by Jodocus Crull. This is of particular interest to historians of the family and law of nations, as it was the first work on the history of universal inter-state relations covering all continents, civilizations, and various types of state formation, making its appearance within the framework of Puffendorf’s treatise.

Download Full-text

USA in Modern Times: society, State and law. Part 2. 1800-1877 years

10.12737/992890 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Tat'yana Alent'eva ◽

Mariya Filimonova

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

International Relations ◽

Academic Discipline ◽

Political Activities ◽

Modern Times ◽

Foreign Countries ◽

The Usa ◽

History Of ◽

Jacksonian Democracy ◽

Xix Century

The textbook examines the processes of development of American civilization in the XIX century, assesses various aspects of the life and activities of the American state. Special attention is paid to the most important periods, such as "Jeffersonian democracy", "the era of good consent", "Jacksonian democracy", "the brewing of inevitable conflict", the Civil War and Reconstruction. The political activities of American presidents, various parties and movements are analyzed. A separate chapter is devoted to the development of law in the XIX century . It is intended for students of historical faculties studying the academic discipline "History of regions (on the example of the USA)", students of historical and law faculties studying the history of the USA in Modern times, the history of international relations, the development of the state and law of this country, the constitutional law of foreign countries, as well as for students of cultural studies, students of foreign language faculties and anyone interested in the history of the USA.

Download Full-text

Normer, intervention og kon ikt på Afrikas Horn – betydningen for Somalia

Politik ◽

10.7146/politik.v16i1.27536 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Martin Enevig

Keyword(s):

Special Role ◽

African History ◽

Colonial History ◽

Horn Of Africa ◽

Fair Share ◽

Central State ◽

The World ◽

History Of ◽

State Relations ◽

Inter State

Inter-state con ict in Africa is rare. ough the continent has seen more than its fair share of con icts, the majority of these have been internal rather than inter-state. A notable exception is the Horn of Africa, where inter-state con ict is more common than in Africa as a whole. An important factor in explaining this is the region’s colonial history, which di ers from the general African history of colonization in that the region’s central state, Ethiopia, was never colonized. is article argues that Africa has a stronger non-intervention norm than the rest of the world, because it is underlined by a strong anti-colonialism norm. Due to Ethiopia’s special role in the region, the two norms run counter on the Horn resulting in a weaker non-intervention norm. e article analyses how the weaker non-intervention norm a ects inter-state relations on the Horn and what this means for the current political developments in Somalia.

Download Full-text

Germany as a contract partner of Serbia and Yugoslavia 1882-1992

Zbornik Matice srpske za drustvene nauke ◽

10.2298/zmsdn0213287p ◽

2002 ◽

pp. 287-318

Author(s):

Branko Pavlica

Keyword(s):

19Th Century ◽

Former Yugoslavia ◽

Diplomatic Relations ◽

Bilateral Contracts ◽

History Of ◽

Trade War ◽

State Relations ◽

Kingdom Of Yugoslavia ◽

The 19Th Century ◽

Inter State

Continuously from 1882 to 1992 (till the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia), Germany was the contract partner of Serbia, that is The Kingdom of Yugoslavia, that is the SFR of Yugoslavia. In spite of belligerent relations (disruption of diplomatic relations, discontinuity of contract practice) Germany occupied an extremely significant place within the international contract capacity of Serbia in the 19th century, that is of The Kingdom of Yugoslavia between the two wars, and specially in the period from 1934. to 1941, that is of Yugoslavia in the period from 1949 to 1990. Precisely the history of international contracts - bilateral Serbian/Yugoslav-German contracts - is also the "history of (their) inter-state relations". Diplomatic political, trade, war or any other relations - one could always find their traces in bilateral contracts; the contracts regulated these relations and it could be said that the bilateral contracts are today the most important source of comprehensive and developed relations between the two countries. Actually bilateral contracts are the legal instruments for the regulation of relations between states.

Download Full-text

The Use and Misuse of Religious Language: Zionism and the Palestinians

Holy Land Studies ◽

10.3366/hls.2005.4.1.73 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 73-86 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

David Wetherell

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

Figurative Language ◽

Religious Language ◽

The Political ◽

Political Scientist ◽

Late 19Th Century ◽

The Bible ◽

Title Deed ◽

History Of ◽

Land Question

Every discipline which deals with the land question in Canaan-Palestine-Israel is afflicted by the problem of specialisation. The political scientist and historian usually discuss the issue of land in Israel purely in terms of interethnic and international relations, biblical scholars concentrate on the historical and archaeological question with virtually no reference to ethics, and scholars of human rights usually evade the question of God. What follows is an attempt, through theology and political history, to understand the history of the Israel-Palestine land question in a way which respects the complexity of the question. From a scrutiny of the language used in the Bible to the development of political Zionism from the late 19th century it is possible to see the way in which a secular movement mobilised the figurative language of religion into a literal ‘title deed’ to the land of Palestine signed by God.

Download Full-text