Systemic tools of international relations

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Text 1

What does International Relations major involve?

Students taking International Relations major will also be engaged in the study of other disciplines and minors such as sociology, law, psychology, economics, history, geography and philosophy. This study became a major field of study at institutions of higher learning such as universities, colleges and institutes. International relations became a major course of study back in the early 20th century. This was especially at a time when the United Nations and other countries at the time were getting more powerful and influential around the world.

Most of the aims and ambitions of international relations try to normalize global situations. For example, nations and their diplomats try to reduce the proliferation of arms and nuclear arsenals, engaging in reduction of armed conflicts between nations and of course, promoting relations between nations as well as co-operation among nation states and other entities.

In the 21st century, international relations focused on matters such as terrorism, reducing ethnic and armed conflict around the globe and managing religious animosity while encouraging religious and cultural tolerance. Other factors that students of international relations get to study include the emergence of non-state entities as well as sub-state powers. Other factors that will be studied include curbing the spread and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Reading comprehension exercises:

1. Read the text, make up a plan and write down the key words.

Put ten questions to the text.

3. Explain the meaning of the words ‘ major ’ and ‘ minor ’

4. Translate the following expressions into Ukrainian: to reduce the proliferation of arms and nuclear arsenals, religious animosity, weapons of mass destruction, cultural tolerance, to normalize global situations, to promote cooperation among nations.

5. Find in the text the equivalents for the following words and phrases: залучений до вивчення, ставати впливовим, поширення та розповсюдження, сприяти, зосереджуватися, виникнення.

1. Retell the text.
2. Give the summary of the text

Text 2

The term “International relations”

International relations is a human activity in which persons from more than one nation, individually and in groups, interact. International relations are carried on by face-to-face contact and through more indirect communications. Usage of the term “international relations” by scholars in the field is not consistent. Some use “international relations” and “international politics” interchangeably, but many prefer to reserve “international politics” for relations between governments and use “international relations” as a more inclusive term. They consider international politics and subjects such as international economics, international communications, international law, international war, and international organization to be subcategories of international relations.

In more popular discourse “international relations” is often used to refer to phenomena about nations that do not involve relations between them. Sometimes the study of foreign nations and foreign governments is called international relations, but this broad usage is diminishing. The study of international relations includes certain aspects of nations and their governments, particularly foreign-policy-making activity. But the more restricted usage that is evolving includes only those characteristics of nations that have the greatest effect on interaction between nations. Advancing knowledge is making possible more explicit boundaries for the field as research more clearly identifies which characteristics of nations cause the greatest variation in their relations with each other.

Reading comprehension exercises:

1. Read the text, make up a plan and write down the key words.
2. Put ten questions to the text.
3. Explain the meaning of the following: ‘ face-to-face contact ’, ‘indirect communications’.

4. Translate the following words and expressions into Ukrainian: subcategories of international relations, foreign-policy-making activity, restricted usage, explicit boundaries, to clearly identify.

5. Translate the Ukrainian words and word combinations in brackets into English:

International Relations (IR) (occasionally referred to as International Studies (IS), although the two terms are not perfectly synonymous) is the study of (відносини між країнами), including the roles of states, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and multinational corporations (MNCs). It is both an academic and public policy field, and can be either positive or normative as it both seeks to analyze as well as formulate the (зовнішня політика) of particular states. It is often considered a branch of political science (especially after 1988 UNESCO nomenclature), but an important sector of academia prefer to treat it as an interdisciplinary field of study. Aspects of (міжнародні відносини) have been studied for thousands of years, since the time of Thucydides, but IR became a (окрема) and definable discipline in the early 20th century.

Apart from political science, IR draws upon such diverse fields as economics, history, (міжнародне право), philosophy, geography, social work, sociology, anthropology, criminology, psychology, gender studies, and cultural studies/culturology. It involves a (різноманітне коло питань) including but not limited to: globalization, (державний суверенітет), international security, ecological sustainability, nuclear proliferation, nationalism, economic development, global finance, terrorism, organized crime, (безпека людства), foreign interventionism, and (права людини).

1. Retell the text: The term “International relations”.
2. Give the summary of the text

Text 3

Systemic tools of international relations

Diplomacy is the practice of communication and negotiation between representatives of states. To some extent, all other tools of international relations can be considered the failure of diplomacy. Keeping in mind, the use of other tools are part of the communication and negotiation inherent within diplomacy. Sanctions, force, and adjusting trade regulations, while not typically considered part of diplomacy, are actually valuable tools in the interest of leverage and placement in negotiations.

Sanctions are usually a first resort after the failure of diplomacy, and are one of the main tools used to enforce treaties. They can take the form of diplomatic or economic sanctions and involve cutting of ties and imposition of barriers to communication or trade.

War, the use of force, is often thought of as the ultimate tool of international relations. A widely accepted definition is that given by Clausewitz, with war being "the continuation of politics by other means". There is a growing study into 'new wars' involving actors other than states. The study of war in International Relations is covered by the disciplines of ‘War Studies’ and ‘Strategic Studies’.

The mobilization of international shame can also be thought of as a tool of International Relations. This is attempting to alter states' actions through ‘naming and shaming’ at the international level. This is mostly done by the large human rights NGOs such as Amnesty International (for instance when it called Guantanamo Bay a "Gulag"), or Human Rights Watch. A prominent use of was the UN Commission on Human Rights 1235 procedure, which publicly exposes state's human rights violations. The current Human Rights Council has yet to use this Mechanism.

The allotment of economic and/or diplomatic benefits. An example of this is the European Union’s enlargement policy. Candidate countries are allowed entry into the EU only after the fulfillment of the Copenhagen criteria.

Reading comprehension exercises:

1. Read the text, make up a plan and write down the key words.
2. Put ten questions to the text.
3. Explain the meaning of the following word combinations: NGOs, the European Union’s enlargement policy, the Copenhagen criteria, Human Rights Watch.
4. Translate the following words and word-combinations into Ukrainian: the failure of diplomacy, to be allowed entry, to publicly expose, to alter states' actions, to enforce treaties.
5. Find in the texts the equivalents for the following Ukrainian words and word-combinations: переговори між представниками держав, визначення, порушення прав людини, до деякої міри, вважатися.
6. Retell the text.
7. Give the summary of the text

Text 4

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14