The world is becoming more and more interconnected. In this series of notes, we will explore how various actors, institutions, dynamics and key debates make up contemporary international politics.

Traditional International Politics

• In traditional international politics, states are the key actors
• States’ primary concerns are war, security, diplomacy and the economy
• Borders play an important role in defining a state’s sovereignty
• Primary security concern is the threat posed by other states

Key Events in Recent History

1989: the end of the Cold War and the break down of the USSR

• End of bipolar standoff between the West and Russia
• The United Nations was effectively in stalemate during this period
• The breakdown of the USSR resulted in a reinvigorated UN
• The UN also had their mandate expanded

September 11, 2001: terrorist attacks on Pentagon and the Twin Towers

• Increased attention paid to terrorism and threats posed by non-state actors

These events suggest some deviation away from traditional international politics.

Contemporary International Politics

• Interactions across state borders between both state and non-state actors
• Many local events have a global dimension and can have significant impact on government decisions
• Increasing importance of moral issues or low politics, such as human rights, environmental issues, refugees, gender roles, idea of order, stability and justice
• Importance of both international and trans-national interactions
• The opening of borders

Glossary

• State: ‘sovereign, self-governing, territorially delimited political communities or polities’
• Sovereignty: ‘the principle that within its territorial boundaries, the state is the supreme political authority, and that outside those boundaries the state recognises no higher political authority’ – the Peace Treaties of Westphalia and Osnabruck in 1648 established this legal basis of modern statehood and by implication the fundamental rules of modern world politics.

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