but modern scientific and technological advancements have
made the world smaller, leading to immediate global impacts
from events in one part of the world in another part. This
interconnectedness necessitates regular relations between states
for their survival. International Relations (IR) encompasses the
study of various factors like materialistic needs, religion and
security matter that brings states together.
The subject has ancient roots and was utilised by ancient tribes,
Greeks and Romans. However, it gained prominence during and
after World War I, the Cold War and the disintegration of the
USSR, leading to development of international organisations and
diplomatic relations.
In simple words, one can say that IR is the study of interactions
between states in the global inter-state system and the
interactions of individuals within a country targetted towards
members of other countries. It aims to explain behaviour across
state boundaries, broader relationships and institutions (private,
state, non-governmental and inter-governmental) that oversee
those reactions.
Due to increasing human activities such as globalisation,
technological advancements, economic interdependence, shifting
political ideologies and environmental issues, the relations among
various states have been changing. These factors constantly
reshape the way countries interact with one another, making it
challenging to pin down a single, static nature for IR. However,
some important points explaining the nature of IR has been
enumerated as under -
i) Nations as primary actors of IR : Nation-states are primary
actors in IR, with politics involving interactions among nations.