Fall 2011 Introduction to International Relations Lecture Note 03
International Society?
The global community is called
System: actors, environments, boundaries, interactions International system as a mechanical concept
boundary
interactions actor A
actor B
actor C environments
International Society?
The global community is called
International society: international system with commons International system as an organic concept
Common interests, common values, common sets of rules and institutions
boundary
interactions actor A
actor B
Common elements actor C environments
International Society?
Origins of international society
The European modern state system: sovereignty, nonintervention from the medieval order Only for the inner circle who were they? Outside the circle uncivilized? barbarians? colonization The concept proposed by the English School
Hedley Bull: anarchical society, international society
Contradiction: Society but oppressed and exploited colonies
The standard of civilization = imperialism? Dominated by strong powers?
International Society?
Contemporary world still a society?
A right term for the current world politics? Any alternatives for the term international society?
World society, global village, global community, umma?
If not, what is your alternative term?
Think about the Sino-centric term heavenly world () If you want to reflect your identity, then?
Ancient Worlds
Ancient worlds
Greek city-states: Different, but regular interactions with Rules and shared values, common normative assumptions, a sense of cultural unity, shared moral understandings India: many norms on war and society China: the Spring and Autumn period, the Warring States period united by the Chin dynasty, civilization and barbarism Republican Rome: a set of norms like ius gentium
Medieval Worlds
The medieval order
Byzantine Empire with the Orthodox Christianity The papal Rome with supranational authority, canon law, threat of excommunication, international bureaucracy Expansion of Islam: umma, branches of sunni and shia, world divided into the adobes of war and Islam, jihad Ottoman Empire as a bridge between two worlds
Modern International Society
Modern state and sovereignty
The Westphalian order: state as independent actor consented
Modern state of monarchical tools of statecraft
Sovereignty as the supreme authority over religion & others
Corollary 1: All have sovereignty?... Equality of all sovereign states Corollary 2: The principle of non-intervention in domestic affairs
Three institutions of international society
Diplomacy, international law, and balance of power
Diplomatic representativeness of Italian city-states
Residential ambassadors with diplomatic immunity
Modern International Society
Change of international society in the 16th century
Uneven power distributions: strong powers vs. weak ones The Reformation against the Catholic Expansion of territories: Columbuss discovery So, the struggle for power among European states
With some ordering devices: international laws, treaties for order
Modern International Society
The Westphalian system
The Thirty Years War (1618-48) for legitimate authority between religious leaders and secular powers 1648 The Peace Treaty of Westphalia: Equal sovereignty acknowledged among participant states Legal authority from states consent rather than the papacy The balance of power system as a maintenance rule for international order
Modern International Society
The 18th century
Europe of republics
freedom, mutual recognition, balance of power, diplomacy, international law the modern international society!
Really? Critiques on the European international society
Just a Christian republic! (Sorel) Dismembered Poland as a Hobbesian state of nature (Burke) The Westphalian system as an organized hypocrasy (Krasner)
Impacts of Revolutions
1776 The American Revolution: USA as a superpower 1789 The French Revolution
Sovereignty to civilians, nationalism as a new power source The Concert of Europe: a great powers club which countries? The expansion of the European international society colonialism
Modern International Society
The 19th century
Diffusion of ideologies liberalism, nationalism, socialism The Concert of Europe
The period of 100-year peace only among strong powers Systems of balance of power, alliance, and bandwagoning
The emergence of Realpolitik underlined
Self-organization of complex ideologies and Realpolitik imperialism Led to the tragedies in the early 20th century WWI, GD, WWII
Modern International Society
The 20th century
WWI as the end of the Concert of Europe The League of Nations (1919): the first formal organization in international society
From BOP to collective security: unity against aggressive acts Expansion of society members from Europe to non-European areas Limits: US refusal to join the League no efficient working
WWII and the UN
The Cold War and superpower competition Decolonization and the expansion of the European standard worldwide The collapse of alternatives: 1991 Soviet Union, 1979 Iranian Revolution
Problems of International Society
Globalization dissolving traditional social identities
Many virtual communities and a new cosmopolitan culture Global civil society for solidarity and cooperation
Too many states collapsed, failed, and weak
Inability for governments to function for people Mostly in Africa, how to deal with them? Intervention?
American unilateralism
Multipolar world to bipolar to unipolar moment? Cases of Iraq and Afghanistan: limitations of military power Weakened America for the future international society?
Problems of International Society
Resistance against the Western culture
European commons culture and shared values Ex) human rights and democracy Islam and China?
Common challenges to sovereign states As such can an international society founded on the principle of sovereignty endure? And should it? (p.47)
Scenario 1: a clash of civilizations (Huntington) Scenario 2: an assertive Westernism (imposing Western values) Scenario 3: globally institutionalized political processes with norms and rules negotiated through dialogue and consent Environment and poverty problems
