11/8/2018 Essential of International Relations | Polarity (International Relations) | International Politics

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o   History invites students to acquire detailed knowledge of specific events, but

also to use these events to test generalizations.
  We can also deduce answers from classical and modern philosophy.
o  The philosopher Plato explored ideas about the perfect state.
o  Thomas Hobbes imagined a state of nature when men ruled by passions, living
in constant uncertainty.
o  Kant envisioned a federation of states as a means to universal peace.
  History and philosophy permit us to delve into the foundational questions and to
speculate on normative elements in political life.
  Behavioralism proposes that individuals act in patterned ways and seek to empirically
test plausible hypotheses about individual behavior.
o  The methods of behavioralism are not an end unto themselves, only a means to
improve explanation.
  Some international relations scholars are dissatisfied with these approaches.
o  Postmodernists seek to deconstruct the basic concepts of the field such as
state, nation, rationality, and so on.
o  Constructivists have used discourse analysis to answer the questions that are
 posed.
   No question can be answered with reliance on only one method

III. In Sum: Making Sense of International Relations

  International relations is a pluralistic discipline, turning to disciplines such as history,

 philosophy, behavioral psychology, and so on.

Chapter 2

Historical Context of Contemporary

International Relations
I. Introduction

  The purpose of this historical overview is to trace important trends over time — the
emergence of the state and the notion of sovereignty, the development of the
international state system, and the changes in the distribution of power among states
  Contemporary international relations, in both theory and practice, is rooted in the
European experience, for better or worse.

II. The Pre-Westphalian World

  Many international relations theorists date the contemporary system from 1648, the
year of the Treaty of Westphalia, ending the Thirty Years War. This treaty marks the
end of rule by religious authority in Europe. The Greek city-state system, the Roman
Empire, and the Middle Ages are each key developments leading to the Westphalian
order 

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