POL 322 FOR NCE 300 LEVEL ONLY

 

The concept of International Relation

International relations is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of the interaction of the actors in international politics, including states and non-state actors, such as the United Nations (UN), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and Amnesty International. One of the key features of the international system is that it is a state of anarchy - each state in the system is sovereign and does not have to answer to a higher authority.

International relations has to do with the study of such things as foreign policy, international conflict and negotiation, war, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, international trade and economics, and international development, among other subjects. International relations' is a broad scope that requires an interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon the fields of economics, law, political science, sociology, game theory, and also psychology.

Sovereignty is one of the most important and popular concepts in contemporary international relations. The concept has been subjected to a lot of interpretations (misinterpretations) a good example is that some of the ills in the contemporary international system both at the domestic and interstate levels are blamed on sovereignty. Sovereignty as a concept in both domestic and international politics dates back several centuries. The genesis of it could be traced to the 16th century Frenchman philosopher Jean Bodin, who in 1576 published the groundbreaking treatise that was known as the six Books. Bodin tried to make an input in what is systematic presentation of what sovereignty means in both national and external politics. The two broad notions of sovereignty were distinguished by Bodin as domestic and external sovereignty which has been upheld as constant till date.

 

 

Domestic or Internal Sovereignty

Domestic Sovereignty according to Bodin in Ojo and Amadu (2002 p29) simply means “the absolute authority and perpetual power of a state over its citizens and subjects unrestrained by law”. This definition was given at the time as an insight into the domestic politics of Bodins time and at that time state has unlimited coercive authority over its citizens and subjects. That time was also when the Europe feudal monarchs legitimized absolute powers only enjoyed by them. The Pope as at that time was both the spiritual as well as temporal leader of the Holy Roman Empire. Prior to its logical meaning as at that time Bodin’s notion of sovereignty made no room for the right of the citizens to challenge their rulers. Quite well indeed, the citizens were mere objects and not subjects of their leaders who where answerable only to God, the Supreme Being for their actions. In a nutshell Bodin’s definition gave legitimacy to atrocities of 16 century monarchs against their subjects (Ojo and Amadu, 2002).

Domestic sovereignty according to Fawcett, it is a mere “power and authority of a state over all persons, things and territory within its reach”.

External sovereignty

This is used synonymously with independence, which is only a status symbol in international politics. External sovereignty in this context is all about “independence” as a status which states used to gain membership in international intergovernmental organizations such as Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS), European Union (EU), United Nations (UN) etc., for instance, Gambia that are small in terms of population of less than half a million, and the United States of America (USA) that are large in population that is close to three hundred million people, are considered to be equal for the purpose of external sovereignty since they are both independent state the idea is in theory not bound by any higher constitutional arrangements outside their own territories. At the United Nations General Assembly, the USA and the Gambia have one equal vote each. This equality is theoretical in the sense that when it comes in taking decision the developing countries are silenced by the developed countries.

It is a belief that external sovereignty does not mean that a state is free to do what it likes in the international system, or within its territory