POL208Y1 Lecture 1: The Gist of International Relations, Then and Now
Document Summary
The gist of international relations, now and then. Ir is essentially a sub- eld of political science: technically, ir is about interstate relationships (e. g. diplomacy, trade, however, in more recent times, ir has concerned more about international politics and relationships (domestic, interstate, transnational and supranational levels) Therefore, the idea that international relations (ir) is the study of the relationship(s) between states is now a dated concept. The study of ir/global politics is done through puzzles; the examination of scenarios that demand explanation: for example, the matters of power, inequality and war. Ir is not de ned by just one framework: there are various assumptions, theories and explanations, all of which con ict with another one way or another. When certain nations are addressed on the matter of issues, more often than not, broad nation archetypes are used rather than single nations: e. g developing countries" instead of just jamaica. Ir ultimately strives for the identi cation of concepts, causes and consequences.
