Globalization is the growing integration of the world in terms of politics, economics, and culture.
Two major debates are 1) whether globalization benefits states and individuals or has led to unforeseen consequences (undermining wages and lowering family income) and 2) whether the the world is becoming more violent or more peaceful.
International relations, as a subfield of political science, is the study of the interactions among the various actors that participate in international politics. It examines the behaviors of these actors as they participate individually and together in international political processes. International relations is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry using concepts and substance from political science but also history,e conomics, and sociology. The foundational questions of international relations are:
- How can human nature be characterized?
- What is the relationship between the individuals and society?
- What are the characteristics and role of the state?
- How is the international system organized?
Three of the most prominent frameworks are realism, liberalism, and constructivism. In brief, realism posits that states exist in an anarchic international system; that is, there is no overarching hierarchical authority. Each state bases its policies on an interpretation of its national interest defined in terms of power. The structure of the international system is determined by the distribution of power among states. In contrast, liberalism is rooted in several philosophical traditions that posit that human nature is basically good. Individuals form groups and, later, states. States generally cooperate and follow international norms and procedures that they have agreed to support. Constructivists, in contrast to both realists and liberals, argue that the key structures in the state system are not material but instead social and dependent on ideas. The interest of states are not fixed but rather malleable and ever-changing.
The tools political scientists use to answer the foundational questions of their field include history, philosophy, and the scientific method. History examines individual or multiple cases. Philosophy develops rationales from core texts and analytical thinking. Behavioralism finds patterns in human behavior and state behavior using empirical methods, grounded in scientific method. Alternative approaches use several methodologies; deconstructs major concepts and uses discourse analysis to build think description; and finds voice of “others”.
History and philosophy permit us to delve into foundational questions–the nature of people and the broad characteristics of the state and of international society. They allow us to speculate on the normative (or moral) elements in political life: What should be the role of the state? What ought to be the norms in international society? How might international society be structured to achieve order? When is war just? Should economic resources be redistributed? Should human rights be universalized? Behavioralism proposes that individuals, both alone and in groups, act in patterened ways.
—January 2025
Lance Jones 