DHS 2025 International Relations P1

Dunman High School General Paper Department 2025 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Part 1: Consensus & Collaboration Essential Questions 1. What are they? What are the types of states and intergovernmental organisations? 2. Why? What for? What essential purposes do these states and intergovernmental organisations serve in the international arena? [Value/Importance] 3. What tools do states and intergovernmental organisations use to fulfill their goals and roles in the international arena? How effective are these tools? [Power] 4. How far? How are collective/global responsibilities distributed amongst states? [Control/Resp] 5. How far? How do the self-interests of states conflict with each other or with international organisations’ goals? How are conflicts resolved and consensus reached? [Conflict and Consensus] DEFINITIONS (A) International Relations (IR) is a scholarly discipline which seeks to understand events. On the other hand, ‘international relations’ (not capitalised) is used to describe interactions (eg. war, trade, diplomacy and foreign policy) between: ● Sovereign states and ● International actors such as - o Intergovernmental organisations (eg. UN, ASEAN, NATO) o International legal bodies (eg. ICC, ICJ) Other interchangeable terms are ‘global politics’, ‘world politics’ or ‘international politics’. Practically speaking, Multinational corporations and Non-governmental organisations (eg. Oxfam, Doctors without borders, Amnesty International) also have great influence in the international arena. Theories of International Relations: Realism Liberalism ● Gained momentum in WW2 ● States are seen to be insecure, __________ and power seeking ● States live in the context of ______________ -ie. absence of someone being in charge (often used analogy of there being ‘no one to call’ in an international emergency). ● Political leaders are attempting to survive in a competitive environment and would not take actions which would make the state weak or vulnerable, and are even willing to use ● Seen to be the ‘utopian’ theory and the current world order post WW2 ● Based on the moral argument that the right of the individual to life and liberty is the highest goal of the government, with powers being checked. ● Anarchic nature of the international system is mitigated by ________________ among the states via trade, and belief in the international system and norms ● Self-interest of states is managed by international ____________ and 1

Dunman High School General Paper Department 2025 violence to guarantee survival of their own state. ● Most common IR theory used in the world of policy making weighing of potential __________, such as the opportunity cost of missing out on peace (eg. gains from international trade, foreign aid) (B) Statehood: Accepted criteria of statehood is stated in the Montevideo Convention (1993), which stated that a state must possess (1) a permanent population, (2) a defined territory, (3) a government and (4) the capacity to conduct international relations. ● The criteria of statehood are contentious and individual states apply their own judgment based on international norms and perceptions of self-interest. ● The recognition of statehood is used as a form of foreign policy (Eg. contention in the recognition of Palestine, Kosovo and Taiwan as states.) (C) Nations : A nation is a group of people who see themselves as a ____________ and coherent unit based on shared cultural or historical criteria (Rock, 2020). Nations are “imagined communities” that are bound together by notions of unity that can pivot around religion, ethnic identity, language, cultural practice and so forth. ● States =/= Nations: ○ Nations are socially constructed units, not given by nature. Their existence, definition, and members can change dramatically based on circumstances. In contrast, a state is a political and legal entity. ○ The concept and practice of a nation ignores political boundaries such that a single nation may ‘spill over’ across multiple states. Some states may contain all or parts of multiple nations. ○ Also, not every nation has a state (e.g. Kurds; Roma; Palestine). ● Nationalism: Felt as individual perceptions of commonality (shared values, cultures, histories, even trauma). ● Is difficult to pin down. It cannot be prescribed (for instance by giving a new citizen an identification card) but is fostered through song, commemorative events, symbols and figureheads. Writer George Eliot says, "Still the historian guides us rightly in urging us to dwell on the virtues of our ancestors with emulation, and to cherish our sense of a common descent as a bond of obligation. The eminence, the nobleness of a people depends on its capability of being stirred by memories, and of striving for what we call spiritual ends—ends which consist not in immediate material possession, but in the satisfaction of a great feeling that animates the collective body as with one soul. A people having the seed of worthiness in it must feel an answering thrill when it is adjourned by the deaths of its heroes who died to preserve its national existence; when it is reminded of its small beginning and gradual growth through past labours and struggles ... It is this living force of sentiment in common which makes a national consciousness " 2

Dunman High School General Paper Department 2025 ● Nationalism is prominently displayed during consequential events, such as the passing of a beloved figurehead. ● Despite this seeming indistinctness, nationalism can compel _____________ action, such as national physical security. Citizens fight to defend their compatriots and way of life rather than the preservation of the states as a political entity. ○ Eg. Nationalism can explain (one of) the causes of the Ukraine Invasion, as well as why the Ukrainians have managed to mount such a heroic defense. Renowned political scientist Francis Fukuyama observed: "Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukraine did not have an identity separate from that of Russia and that the country would collapse immediately once his invasion began. Instead, Ukraine has resisted Russia tenaciously precisely because its citizens are loyal to the idea of an independent, liberal democratic Ukraine and do not want to live in a corrupt dictatorship imposed from without". ● Nationalism vs Patriotism : Nationalism and patriotism are related but distinct concepts which both involve love for and loyalty to one’s country. Nationalism can be a more extreme form of patriotism, involving a strong be