Nomenclature of IR
Summary
TLDRThis lecture delves into the nomenclature of the field of international studies, exploring why various terms like 'International Politics', 'International Relations', 'International Studies', and 'Global Politics' are used. It discusses the contested nature of the discipline's name, the historical development of these terms, and their implications on the focus of study, ranging from state-centric views to broader global perspectives. The lecturer emphasizes the importance of incorporating a global viewpoint while acknowledging the enduring relevance of state-centric theories in understanding international dynamics.
Takeaways
- 📚 The script discusses the nomenclature of the discipline of International Relations, addressing why there are multiple terms and the reasons for their use.
- 🌐 It differentiates between 'International Politics', 'International Relations', 'International Studies', and 'Global Politics', explaining the nuances and historical context of each term.
- 🏛 The term 'International' was coined by Jeremy Bentham in 1780 to encapsulate relations among nations, emphasizing the state-centric nature of the system.
- 🏙️ 'International Politics' is often associated with post-World War II scholars and focuses on the political interactions between sovereign states, particularly the power dynamics and the struggle for power.
- 🎲 The Billard Ball model illustrates the anarchical state-centric approach of international politics, where states are viewed as independent and autonomous entities.
- 🕊️ 'International Relations' is a broader term that includes not only political but also economic, social, cultural, and scientific interactions between states and other actors.
- 🌟 'International Studies' broadens the scope further to include societies, cultures, languages, and systems of government, focusing on a planetary perspective and humanity issues.
- 🌍 'Global Politics' emerged with the recognition of increased globalization and interdependence, challenging the state-centric approach and incorporating non-state actors.
- 🔄 The script highlights the importance of incorporating a global perspective in International Relations to account for the influence of global issues and actors.
- 🏛️ Despite debates, the state remains a primary actor in international engagement, providing security, representation, and facilitating globalization.
- 🌏 The discipline of International Relations is still evolving and needs to include non-western forms of knowledge to become a truly global discipline.
Q & A
Why are there multiple nomenclatures for the discipline of international relations?
-There are multiple nomenclatures for the discipline of international relations because scholars and academics use terms like 'International Politics', 'International Relations', 'International Studies', and 'World Politics' to describe different aspects and focuses within the field. Each term emphasizes different elements, such as political, economic, social, or cultural interactions among nations.
What does the term 'International' originally mean and who coined it?
-The term 'International' was coined by the British political philosopher Jeremy Bentham in 1780 to capture relations among nations in a single word. It was used in his book 'The Principles of Morals and Legislation' to describe interstate or international politics.
What is the difference between a nation and a state?
-A nation may have a common history, culture, language, and geography, but it is not a state unless it has five elements: geography, population, government, sovereignty, and international recognition. Sovereignty is considered the most important element as it gives the status of a state.
Why is the term 'International Politics' often associated with the post-Cold War period?
-The term 'International Politics' was used mostly in the post-Cold War period because it emphasizes the politics between and among sovereign nation-states. Scholars like Morgenthau, known as the father of modern realism, focused on power as a key element in international politics, describing it as a struggle for power in an anarchic system.
What is the Billard Ball model and how does it illustrate the concept of international politics?
-The Billard Ball model is a visual representation of international politics where sovereign states are compared to billiard balls. They are independent, autonomous entities that operate under the condition of anarchy, colliding with each other due to their independent and sovereign nature. This model illustrates the anarchical state-centric approach in international politics.
How does the concept of 'Anarchy' in realism differ from the common understanding of chaos or disorder?
-In realism, 'Anarchy' does not mean chaos or disorder. Instead, it refers to the absence of any international authority that could control sovereign states. This anarchical state-centric approach is a key feature of the international system as understood by realist scholars.
What is the difference between 'International Politics' and 'International Relations' in terms of their scope?
-International Politics focuses mainly on the political aspects of interstate relations, emphasizing power, self-help, and survival. In contrast, International Relations is broader, encompassing all kinds of interactions between and among sovereign states, including political, economic, social, cultural, and scientific interactions.
What is the significance of the term 'International Studies' in the context of the discipline?
-International Studies focuses on a wider scope that includes societies, cultures, languages, and systems of government. It goes beyond state interactions to consider global and humanity issues, emphasizing a planetary perspective and the impact on the globe.
How does the concept of 'Global Politics' challenge the state-centric approach?
-Global Politics, as identified with the works of Joseph Nye and Robert Cohen, challenges the state-centric approach due to increased globalization and global interdependence. It argues for a borderless and transplanetary approach, recognizing the influence of transnational corporations and non-governmental organizations on international politics.
What are the key implications of the Billard Ball model for understanding international politics?
-The Billard Ball model implies a clear distinction between domestic politics (order) and international politics (anarchy). It also acknowledges that not all states are of the same size, reflecting the uneven distribution of power in international politics, which leads to political conflicts and resolutions within the purview of international politics.
Why is the term 'International Relations' still considered appropriate despite the debates and disputes?
-Despite the debates and disputes, the term 'International Relations' is still considered appropriate because it incorporates a global perspective and acknowledges the importance of states in the international system. It also recognizes the emerging issues and actors that influence international politics, making it a more comprehensive term for the discipline.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Nomenclature Debate
This paragraph introduces the topic of nomenclature within the discipline of international studies. It raises two key questions: why there are multiple nomenclatures for the discipline and what justifies these differences. The lecture will explore the contested nature of the term 'international relations', contrasting it with 'international politics', 'international studies', and 'global politics'. The historical use of the term 'international' by Jeremy Bentham and the state-centric focus of the discipline are highlighted, with a promise to delve into the evolution of these terms and their implications on the field.
🌍 Understanding International Politics and Anarchy
The second paragraph delves into the concept of 'International Politics', emphasizing its focus on the interactions between sovereign nation-states. It explains the realist perspective, where power and self-interest are central, and introduces the billiard ball model to illustrate the anarchical nature of international relations. The paragraph also discusses the role of states as the primary actors in international politics, their pursuit of self-help for national interest, and the significance of military, security, diplomacy, and balance of power in shaping state interactions.
🔍 Distinguishing International Relations from Politics
This paragraph contrasts 'International Politics' with 'International Relations', highlighting the broader scope of the latter. It explains that while 'International Politics' focuses on conflictual aspects of state interactions, 'International Relations' encompasses a wider range of interactions, including economic, social, cultural, and scientific exchanges. The paragraph also discusses the multi-disciplinary nature of 'International Relations', including different approaches to studying the field, such as disciplinary, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary.
🌏 Broadening the Scope: International Studies and Global Politics
The fourth paragraph introduces 'International Studies' and 'Global Politics' as broader concepts within the discipline. 'International Studies' is described as focusing on societies, cultures, languages, and systems of government, with an emphasis on planetary and humanity issues. 'Global Politics', on the other hand, is associated with the works of Joseph Nye and Robert Keohane, who argue for a move away from state-centric approaches due to globalization and interdependence. The paragraph also discusses the impact of transnational corporations and non-governmental organizations on world politics.
🏛 The Search for a Correct Nomenclature
In this paragraph, the discussion turns to the search for an appropriate term for the discipline. It argues against the notion that the state is obsolete in the face of globalization, emphasizing the continued relevance of states in facilitating globalization, providing military security, and representing national communities in international forums. The paragraph also acknowledges the importance of incorporating global perspectives into the study of international relations, while recognizing the limitations of the discipline in covering non-western forms of knowledge.
📘 Conclusion: Embracing Global Perspectives in International Relations
The final paragraph concludes the lecture by reiterating the importance of including global perspectives in the study of international relations. It acknowledges the debates and disputes within the discipline but posits that such contestations are essential for advancing human knowledge. The paragraph suggests that while the term 'international relations' will be used, it should be complemented by a global perspective to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the field.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Nomenclature
💡International Relations
💡International Politics
💡State-Centric
💡Anarchy
💡Billard Ball Model
💡Global Politics
💡Transnational Relations
💡International Studies
💡Global Governance
💡Contestation
Highlights
Introduction to the nomenclature of the discipline, focusing on why there are many nomenclatures and the reasons for their use.
Discussion on the contested nomenclature of international relations, highlighting the differences in terminology used by scholars.
Historical origin of the term 'International' by Jeremy Bentham in 1780 to describe relations among nations.
Explanation of the state-centric nature of international relations and the concept of sovereignty as a key element of a state.
Introduction of the term 'International politics' and its association with post-World War II period and realism in political thought.
Description of the billiard ball model illustrating the anarchical state-centric approach in international politics.
Emphasis on power, self-help, and survival as key concerns in international politics and the focus on war and peace issues.
Differentiation between 'International politics' and 'International relations' in terms of scope and focus on conflictual vs. cooperative interactions.
Introduction of the term 'International studies' and its broader scope beyond state interactions to include societies, cultures, and global issues.
Discussion on the emergence of 'Global politics' and the challenges to the state-centric approach due to globalization and interdependence.
Presentation of the CWAY model of complex interdependence as a framework for understanding global politics.
Critique of the idea that states are no longer relevant, arguing that they remain central to globalization, security, and economic exchanges.
Argument for the incorporation of a global perspective in international relations to address emerging issues and actors.
Acknowledgment of the importance of existing theories in international relations that focus on nation-states.
Call for international relations to be more inclusive of non-western forms of knowledge and perspectives from the global South.
Reflection on the value of contestation and debate in advancing knowledge within social science disciplines.
Conclusion advocating for the use of the term 'international relations' with a global perspective to encompass a wider understanding.
Transcripts
[Music]
hello students today we'll be talking
about the nomenclature of the discipline
which is the very first question of the
first unit while talking about the
nomenclature we will be basically
focusing on two important questions the
first is why there are so many
nomenclatures used for the discipline
and secondly what are the reasons we use
different nomenclatures for the
discipline we will be proceeding like
this first we will be talking of the
contested nomenclature for the
discipline second we'll be talking of
international politics and international
relations and then we'll be different
sitting between the two third we'll be
talking of international studies fourth
we will be covering of the emergence of
global politics and how that has
affected the earlier use of the term
International politics and international
relations then we'll be ending our
discussion with certain import and
concluding points let us now focus on
the contested nomenclature of the
discipline when you see the nomenclature
of any other social science discipline
you will find that the nomenclature of
international relations is highly
contested and even debated many
International Scholars call it
differently some call it as
International politics some call it as
international relations some call it as
international studies and even some call
it as world political
definitely there is a overlap in the
focus of all these nomenclatures and
that is the reason why many scholars
including academics use these
nomenclatures interchangeably but these
nomenclatures are different from each
other the objective International was C
by the British political philosopher
jery Bentham in the year 1780 to capture
relations among nations in a single word
and that he wrote In the book the
principles of morals and
legislation International in this sense
means
International so I'm using hyen in
between the two International or
Interstate Politics As a student of
political science you may be knowing the
difference between a nation and a
state a nation may have a common history
common culture common language common
geography but it is not a state unless
and until it has five elements of State
the first is geography the second is
population the third is government the
fourth is sovereignty and the fifth is
international
recognition out of these five elements
sovereignty is considered the most
important one because that gives you the
status of a state similarly when we say
international relations basically it
refers to the state Centric nature of
the system and that is the reason why we
call International System as a state
system when we say it as a state system
it basically refers to the composition
of various Sovereign and autonomous
States let me now focus on International
politics International politics term was
used mostly in the postc world period
for international Scholars like
maranto who is known as the father of
modern realism in international Politics
the core of international politics was
the politics between and among the
sovereign nation states and that is the
reason why he chose to write the title
of the book as politics among nations
for the realist and particularly for
maranto power is understood at the key
element in international politics and
that's why International politics was
described as a struggle for power
international system was divided into a
collection of states and functioning
under the condition of Anarchy when I'm
saying Anarchy or for the realist
Anarchy doesn't mean chaos or disorder
rather Anarchy means there was the
absence of any International Authority
that could control the sovereign states
this anarchical state centic approach
can be Illustrated through a model
called bilard B
model let me show you the Billard ball
model of international politics you can
see how these balls are there and they
can be equated with the working of the
sovereign state system they are
different from each other at the same
time you know they are operating in the
same principle under the international
politics states are compared with
billiard balls and are viewed as
independent
and autonomous entities sovereign states
behave like a collection of bil Worlds
moving over the table and colliding with
each other because you all are sovereign
states because you are all independent
states so you behave in a very different
kind and there is the possibility that
you may Collide you may class with the
other states so that is what the Bard
model says collusion linked basically to
the military and security matters you
know when your military issues and my
military issues are different and we
consider the same thing as important so
it is natural that we collide with each
other power self-help and survival are
the key concerns so as I said you know
nations are self-seeking entities and
the more you acquire power the more you
would be able to secure your National
interest and because all are independent
states all are sovereign states so the
only way you can secure your National
interest is through the policy of
self-help and you always fear that other
states May attack you other states May
occupy you that's why you always think
survival as your key concern
International politics is basically
oriented mainly around issues of War and
Peace so because there is a possibility
of collusion there is a possibility of
War so basically you know you as a
scholar of international politics
focused on these issues diplomacy
balance of power and possible military
action constituted the principal forms
of State interaction right so these were
considered as different foreign policy
tools by the realist particularly for
The Sovereign and Powerful Nation
States The Bard B model has two key
implications first it accepts that there
is a clear distinction between the
domestic politics and international
politics so when we talk of domestic
politics we are talking of order and
when we're talking of international
politics we are talking of Anarchy and
secondly not all Bard balls are of the
same size because of the uneven
distribution of power in International
politics political conflicts the reasons
behind those conflicts conflict
resolution fall within the perview of
international politics so these were the
main issues for which the scholars of
international politics worked and
researched focus on competition and
conflictual side of State interaction so
if you look at the issues like War peace
diplomacy balance of power and many
other things so basically those who
highlighted those issues they talked
about or they covered about the
conflictual and competitive nature of
the states intergovernmental
organizations and non-governmental
organizations were studied for their
impact on the political relations of
states the scholars who use the term
International politics considers
Politics as an autonomous discipline so
the scholars who particularly talk of
international politics they highlight
only the political aspects of the
interaction between and among the
sovereign
states now let me focus on international
relations the scholars who use the term
international relations focus on all
kinds of interactions between and among
the sovereign states those kind of
interactions may be political maybe
economic maybe social maybe cultural
maybe
scientific it also includes State
interactions with intergovernmental
organizations transnational corporations
and non-governmental organiz but for
these schar state is considered as the
only significant actor so other actors
are there but they are not considered as
primary like the
states interaction is always
asymmetrical rather than symmetrical so
there are other kinds of actors but
their inter action with the state is not
based on equality rather it is based on
inequality or asymmetrical relationship
no transnational Corporation or NOS can
rival the states in terms of its coip
power so state is not only the entity
that possesses sovereignty it also
possesses query power which
differentiate it from all other actors
those who focus on coop itive side of
interaction they basically talk about
International relation so we can make a
difference here between those who focus
on the conflictual side of State
interaction so they use the term
International politics and those who
talk about the Cooperative relations
between the sovereign states or among
the sovereign states they use the term
international
relations those who consider the term
international relations they highlight
the multi-disciplinary character of the
discipline you know there are different
kinds of approaches we use in political
science in international relations first
is what is called disciplinary approach
the second is called interdisciplinary
approach the third is called
multidisiplinary approach and the fourth
is called transdisciplinary approach so
when you do research or study your own
discipline and you don't bother what is
happening in other disciplines that is
called disciplinary approach
interdisciplinary means more than one
but limited to two so when two subjects
influence each other in terms of
research in terms of ideas in terms of
theory in terms of methodology that is
called interdisciplinary approach the
third is called multidisiplinary
multidisiplinary means more than two
discipline when there is a research give
and take between different social
science disciplines such as history
political science economics or sociology
that is called multidisiplinary
approach right in the multidisiplinary
approach you borrow ideas Concepts
methods and theories from other
disciplines and also influence those
disciplines when we talk of
transdisciplinary approach it is based
on two features first it is based on the
unity of knowledge that is it doesn't
believe in the existence of artificial
boundaries between and among different
social science disciplines second it
also believes that there is a research
give and take between social sciences
Natural Sciences medical Sciences Arts
and Humanities or any other discipline
so they're open for ideas Concepts
methods and theories from any other
discipline for the sake of totality of
knowledge or comp comprehensive
knowledge so after discussing what is
international politics and international
relations you can yourself make a
difference between the two for instance
international relations Is much wider
and broader in scope than International
politics we already discussed that in
international politics only the
political aspects of Interstate
relations are highlighted but in
international relations not just
political
but nonpolitical interactions are given
priority so there is a difference
between the two now let me talk about
International Studies Scholars
particularly focuses on this term
because of its wider scope those who use
international studies as a nomenclature
for our discipline they basically focus
on societies cultures languages and
systems of government
so just see how this International
Studies term is different from
international relations because they
focus only on state interactions and to
a limited extent States interactions
with non-state entities but here they
not only focus on the states and
non-state actors they also focus on
societies cultures language and
comparison between different forms of
government their focus is not limited
rather they focus on planetary and
Humanity issues and their impact on the
globe so basically they're talking not
just about the states and States
interactions with non-state entities
rather they're talking of the humanity
they're talking of the globe they're
talking of the whole planet also see the
big picture not just the details if
something is happening they not only
just go through why it is is happening
rather they look at the big picture they
analyze the big picture they consider
the big picture but for the scholars of
international studies they will not just
look at the Ripple rather they they will
look at the whole pond so that
differentiate international relations
and International Studies from each
other now let me talk about global
politics basically the whole concept of
global politics is identified with the
works of Joseph n and Robert Cohen in
their famous work called transnational
relations and World politics which they
published in the year
1972 they are of the view that it is
difficult to sustain the state Centric
approach due to increased globalization
and Global
interdependence you know how the present
world is not only interconnected it is
also closely linked with each other you
know how the concept of globalization
Information Technology Revolution
economic liberalization they have made
it possible for the whole world to get
integrated and interconnected they are
also of the view that the transnational
corporations and non-governmental
organizations exert influence on the
working of international politics
although in a different way and through
different
approaches you can site the example of
alqaeda
Amnesty International Google Facebook
infosis Reliance and other how they save
World politics and in what way they are
playing an important role in world
Politics the concept of global politics
is also based on mixed Factor model and
the cway model of complex
interdependence given by Joseph NY and
Robert Quan as you can see in the next
slide you know
this is how we can understand the cway
model here there are so many lines but
there're not a clearcut line and each
line is connected with the other in a
very complicated way in a very different
way other Scholars who believe in the
concept of global politics they argue
for a borderless and transplanetary
approach basically you know how the
concept of globalization concept of
economic liberalization how it has made
the boundaries irrelevant how the
concept of sovereignty is losing its
importance so this is how they are
talking of the borderless and
transdisciplinary world so the concept
of global politics has multiple meanings
first Global means worldwide that is the
whole planet or the whole of humanity
not we can divide them into different
parts or different units you can take
the example of United Nations that has
chained Universal membership and it is
also called as a global organization we
also talk about global issues like
environment terrorism or the issue of
global capitalism second Global means
comprehensive that is worldwide Regional
National sub Regional and so on so when
we say comprehensive it doesn't mean we
believe in The Great Divide that is the
division between the domestic politics
and international politics finally those
who focus on global politics they also
focus on global not International
governance earlier we focused on
International governance that was a lose
kind of governance model meant for the
interstate relations but the concept of
global governance is a model that not
only looks at the interest of the state
rather it also looks at the interest of
State State actors and also the
non-state
actors now let me focus on the search
for a correct nen clature after
discussing the whole concept of
international politics international
relations international studies and
World politics definitely you may be
thinking that what should be the correct
nomenclature for our discipline let me
explain that those who are talking of
the borderless world or state is dead
and the sovereignty is irrelevant we
still think that these are all fanciful
ideas because it is the states who
facilitated the globalization process
and projects so you can't think of
globalization without the role of the
states so still we are governed by the
states although other International
actors are there but the states they
have retained their Monopoly and they're
still dictating the terms of
international engagement secondly the
states are also considered as primary
providers of military security this you
can find in the context of the present
war between Russia and Ukraine or Hamas
and Israel so we may be talking of
different actors in international
politics but when it comes to military
security it is the state that provides
security to its citizens then it is the
states that articulate this National
communities voices so if you have to
take a position in international
organization if you have to take a
position in international politics so it
is your state that represent the
population and take a common view on the
basis of its population so if India
wants to take a position on Kashmir so
it is the Indian state that has to take
that position if Pakistan has to take a
position in Kashmir they have to take a
position in the United Nations and that
position is taken by the Pakistani State
the states are indispensable to global
economic exchanges you must have seen in
recent years how America and the
countries belonging to the West they
have imposed economic sanctions against
Russia to dissuade it from its war from
Ukraine so the global and international
are complimentary to each other and
should not be seen as
rivals we have seen how the importance
of the term International is still there
because of the importance given to the
states also we cannot forget the
emerging issues the emerging actors that
also in a very significant way influence
the working of international
politics so now let me end the
discussion with some important
concluding points first IR should
incorporate glob global perspective as
we have discussed because there are many
things pointed out by the global
perspective that we can't ignore for the
study of international relations so it
is needed that international relations
should also incorporate those issues and
concerns highlighted by the global
perspective approach secondly we should
not forget that relevant research and
theorization has been done in
international relation
so those who talk about realist Theory
those who talk about liberal Theory
those who talk about Marxism you know
they have all done work keeping in view
of the states or focusing on the states
so Global issues are important so also
theories and perspectives that base
their analysis on the nation states
second do you think that international
relations is a global discipline it is
actually not because it doesn't give
importance to nonwestern forms of
knowledge particularly the perspective
from the global South in terms of their
history in terms of their culture in
terms of their writings in terms of of
their civilization so these are not
reflected in the present concept of
international relations in fact the
debates and disputes we have discussed
in the context of the nomenclature of
the discipline might have caused
confusion and frustration to you because
you still may be thinking that what is
this that now we don't agree to the
nomenclature of a discipline why there
is international relations why there is
international politics why there is
World politics why there is
international studies and you may be
still approaching that still we are not
agreeing to a common point that whether
it is actually International or not you
may now be thinking that we have settled
with the term international relations
and we can use this term without any
controversy without any debate but
international relations Is Yet To Be A
truly Global discipline because it still
doesn't cover the nonwestern forms of
knowledge derived from their history
culture civilization and
writings you may also finding it's
confusing and frustrating that there are
lots of controversies and debates in the
field but it must be mentioned that
contestation advances human knowledge
there may be debate there may be
discussion there may be argument there
may be counterargument but this is how
we advance our knowledge in social
science disciplines so we would be using
the term international relations for our
discipline but at the same time we will
follow it with a Global Perspective
which we have discussed earlier so thank
you for your patient hearing
[Music]
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