Why Is International Relations Important

It was said a few years ago that if humanity is wiped out in the next 50 years it will not be because of disease or an asteroid hitting the earth, but because of foreign policy and international relations. In a world where thousands of nuclear weapons exist, and more countries are trying to acquire them, where suicide terrorist strikes come without warning and thousands die each day from poverty caused by the way the international system operates. Why is International Relations important? Is it all about war? Is it really about poverty and big business? International relations look behind the headlines to the key players in world politics, asking what the important ideas are and how can we solve conflict or achieve cooperation. Since the creation

international relations play a significant role consciously or unconsciously with the following points; firstly, the pragmatic equality of countries, international relations serve as a tool in amalgamating different countries for a common interest (peace) not minding the previous history which might have occurred. In the laws of the people, John Rawls (1999) outlined what he claimed was a realistic utopia (ideal society). This took the form of a peaceful and cooperative order, in which moral ambition was limited to a number of specific goals, including the elimination of unjust war and oppression, the removal of religious persecution and restrictions on freedom of conscience, and an end to genocide and mass murder. Before the inception of IR, countries go into war in dispute as little as religious difference which gave reason in the mass slaughter and other war related vices of a world order. A close example of this war is the Westphalia war in which there was a recorded death of 8million people; The war began in 1618 when the Catholic Hapsburgs tried to crush the Protestants in Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic). A series of devastating conflicts spread across what is now

National interest is a state’s action in relation to other states where it seeks to gain advantage or benefits to itself. National interest, whether aspirational or operational, is divided by core/vital and peripheral/non-vital interests. Core or vital interests constitute the things which a country is willing to defend or expand with conflict such as territory, ideology (religious, political, economic), or its citizens. Peripheral or non-vital are interests which a state is willing to compromise. For instance, Nigeria and Cameroon have disputed the possession of Bakassi for some years, leading to considerable tension between the two countries. In 1981 the two countries went to the brink of war over Bakassi and another area around Lake Chad, at the other end of the two countries' common border. More armed clashes broke out in the early 1990s. In response, Cameroon took the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 29 March