Course: International Relations
Unit: Foundations of International Relations
Stephen Waweru
Topic 1: Introduction to International Relations (IR)
1. DEFINITIONS OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
International Relations (IR) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the
interactions of states and other global actors within an anarchic international
system.
Key Definitions:
Trevor Taylor: “International Relations is the discipline that tries to
explain political activities across state boundaries.”
Hans Morgenthau (Realist School): “IR is a struggle for power among
sovereign states.” (Politics Among Nations, 1948)
Brown and Ainley: IR is concerned with “how international systems
operate and how states and other actors interact on a global level.”
(Understanding International Relations, 2009).
Hedley Bull: IR is a “society of states” governed by rules, customs,
and institutions. (The Anarchical Society, 1977)
2. SCOPE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
IR spans a broad set of concerns and actors:
A. State Actors:
Primary subjects of international law and politics.
Hold sovereignty (Westphalian concept), engage in diplomacy, warfare,
and treaty-making.
B. Non-State Actors:
Unit: Foundations of International Relations
Stephen Waweru
Topic 1: Introduction to International Relations (IR)
1. DEFINITIONS OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
International Relations (IR) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the
interactions of states and other global actors within an anarchic international
system.
Key Definitions:
Trevor Taylor: “International Relations is the discipline that tries to
explain political activities across state boundaries.”
Hans Morgenthau (Realist School): “IR is a struggle for power among
sovereign states.” (Politics Among Nations, 1948)
Brown and Ainley: IR is concerned with “how international systems
operate and how states and other actors interact on a global level.”
(Understanding International Relations, 2009).
Hedley Bull: IR is a “society of states” governed by rules, customs,
and institutions. (The Anarchical Society, 1977)
2. SCOPE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
IR spans a broad set of concerns and actors:
A. State Actors:
Primary subjects of international law and politics.
Hold sovereignty (Westphalian concept), engage in diplomacy, warfare,
and treaty-making.
B. Non-State Actors:
