Introduction

• The ‘State’ in its modern form of a territorial nation-state emerged as a result of significant developments in Europe between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries.

• There are approximately 185 states in the world today, which constitute the international system.

• International relations and politics are generally understood as actions, reactions, and interactions between sovereign states through their foreign policies.

• As the most authoritative political institution, the state can mobilize all domestic resources to carry out international interactions, such as war, diplomacy, and peace.

• Power is the ability to control the minds and actions of others, and for sovereign states, it is the ability of state ‘A’ to influence the behavior of state ‘B’ and other states.

• A powerful state can influence how other countries behave and can be described as a Superpower, Big power, or Small power depending on its strength.

• The power of a state is difficult to measure exactly but is often assessed by its elements.

• Tangible elements of power include territory size, topography, population, armed forces, and natural resources.

• Intangible elements of power include leadership quality, and the morale of both the people and the armed forces.

• The state exercises power through persuasion, rewards, punishment, and force.

• Those who possess power manage it through methods like balance of power and collective security.

• International relations are often associated with foreign policy, but foreign policy is only one tool of nation-states.

• The key concept in foreign policy is national interest.

• Foreign policy makers must first understand the country’s national interest, which is seen as a fundamental principle in international politics.

• The primary objective of foreign policy makers is to ensure the security of the state.

• Security is the most essential component of national interest, which includes protecting territorial integrity and sovereignty.

• Security also concerns economic development, which allows a country to increase its power and secure a respected place in the world community.

• The four key concepts of state system, power, foreign policy, and national interest are closely interrelated and essential for understanding international relations.

The State System

• The world community is organized into over 185 sovereign states.

• This organization of humankind into sovereign states is called the state system.

• Palmer and Perkins define the state system as: “The pattern of political life in which people are separately organized into sovereign states that must manage to get along together.”

• Sovereignty and a definite territory are two essential attributes of a state.

• A state must also have a community of persons with an organized government, as stated by Garner.

• Each state acquires coercive power to ensure compliance.

• The state system has evolved over the last three and a half centuries and is the dominant pattern today.

• International Relations are the relations and interactions among the states that constitute the state system.

Features of the State System

• Certain features of the state system are essential conditions for its existence, described by Palmer and Perkins as corollaries.

• These features include nationalism, sovereignty, and power.

• Nationalism is the psychological or spiritual quality that unites the people of a state and gives them the will to champion their national interest.

• Sovereignty is the concept of unlimited powers; a group of people who are territorially organized are sovereign when they possess both internal and external freedom to do as they wish.

• National power is the might of a state that enables it to get things done as it wants.

• Power is a complex of many tangible and intangible elements.

• Sovereignty in simple terms refers to the supreme power of the state both internally and externally.

• Sovereignty distinguishes the state from other associations or organizations.

• Jean Bodin (1530-1596) defined sovereignty as “supreme power over citizens and subjects, unrestrained by law,” aiming to strengthen the position of the French monarch.

• Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) shifted the concept of sovereignty from the person of the king to the government or state, equating the sovereign with the state and government.

• A distinction is made between internal and external sovereignty:

  • Internal sovereignty concerns the supreme and lawful authority of the state over its citizens.

  • External sovereignty refers to the recognition by all states of the independence, territorial integrity, and inviolability of each state.

• Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) defined sovereignty as “that power whose acts are not subject to the control of another.”

• Sovereignty was first recognized and institutionalized in the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, which provided that:

  • Only sovereign states could engage in international relations.

  • To be recognized as a state in international relations, it must have geographical territory, a definite population, land, and effective military power to fulfill international obligations.

  • All sovereign states are equal in international law and international relations.