George Lawson
IR100 - The structure of international society:
what is international relations? (week 1)
Lecture slides
Original citation:
Lawson, G. (2012) IR100 - The structure of international society: what is international relations? (week 1).
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IR100 Lecture 1 2011-12
George Lawson
Don’t panic!
What is IR?
 The study of war? Realists
 The study of peace? Liberals
 The study of capitalism and its inequalities? Marxists
 The study of the masculinist, hegemonic discourses
which lie behind global power structures? Postmodernists
 The study of events, current affairs or world news?
Historians/Journalists
 All of the above? Future leaders …
So is this IR?
 Inter vs. intra
 National vs. state
 … and relations
Leading to …
an anarchical system in which sovereign states follow
their national interests
What about all this?




The world market: trade, finance, labour
International organisations: EU, IMF, UN
Migration: look around the room!
Ideas: democracy, revolution, communism, feminism,
nationalism, Islamism, racism
 New forms of communication: social media, the internet, email,
mobiles
 New security issues: HIV/Avian Flu/environmental degradation,
human security
 Global (un)civil society:
 movements against war or world poverty (Jubilee 2000)
 lobbyists on particular issues (Amnesty, Greenpeace, MSF)
 far right groups and football hooligans
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Image: Iceberg with mass above and below
water level shown.
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The Structure of International Society
 Anarchy
 Hierarchy
 States
 Non-state actors
 Sovereignty
 Dependence
What lies beneath the surface?
 Capitalism
 Race
 Gender
 Blood and gore
IR as a polo mint?
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Image: A Polo mint.
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