International politics is the study of the ways in which nations interact. It includes not only a wide range of conventional techniques, such as looking at the structure of political groups and organisations in different countries, but also such newer approaches as the encouragement of activities on the regional level within a group of states (such as the European Union), and the search for factors that encourage or discourage co-operation between state leaders. Psychological studies, stressing the role of personality and the forming of perspectives among decision-making elites, are also used to explain foreign policy choices.
A particular European system supposing the sovereign equality of all states was exported to the Americas, Africa and Asia by colonialism, where it has been transformed into today’s world political order. This transformation has been achieved with remarkable efficiency, but at the cost of a dozen or more general wars involving most of the major powers.
Some scholars, such as the realist school, stress the existence of a permanent anarchic structure that governs interaction between states; others, including the constructivists, argue that this ‘anarchy’ is a myth created by the efforts of states to create order and security for themselves. Another approach, which has become popular in recent years, is that of’soft power’ – the ability to influence decisions without resorting to force or bribery.
It is often said that each individual is born with indelible membership of some national grouping, and that no matter how cosmopolitan his outlook, he will always identify himself first with his own country. This is an important reason why it is a mistake to think that the end of history has come and that old ideological divisions are being replaced by universal harmony.
About the Author
