Summary The Globalization of World Politics PAIR 1001 Steve Smith and John Baylis
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International Relations
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International Relations
The Globalization of World Politics PAIR1001
Steve Smith and John Baylis
Chapter two – Reading Notes – The evolution of international society
Introduction: The idea of international society
• ‘International society’ is any association of distinct political communities that accept some...
the globalization of world politics pair1001 steve smith and john baylis chapter two – reading notes – the evolution of international society introduction the idea of international society • ‘interna
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The Globalization of World Politics PAIR1001
Steve Smith and John Baylis
Chapter two – Reading Notes – The evolution of international society
Introduction: The idea of international society
• ‘International society’ is any association of distinct political communities that accept some common values,
Rules and institutions.
• Founded on both their determination to safeguard their sovereign status and on a set of standard civilisation
that marked the inner circle members from the outer circle.
• Relation were to be governed by the principles of sovereign equality and non-intervention and the rules of
international law
• It is the central concept of the ‘English School’ of International Relations.
• Ideas came from Hedley Bull – “a society of states exists when a group of states, conscious of certain
common interests and common values, forms a society in the sense that they conceive themselves to be
bound by a common set of rules in their relations with one another, and share in the working of common
institutions” (1977:13)
• Although originally coined to refer to relations among European states, the term may be applied to many
different sets of political arrangements among distinct political communities.
Ancient Worlds
• Elements of international society may be found from the time of the first organized human communities.
• IR relies on non-intervention and legal equality. However no early international society resembles this model
because no one put unambiguous emphasis on sovereign equality.
• In some cases one society would only aid another if they recognised their superior standing
• In early Islam and medieval Europe, different forms of super national religious authority coexisted in an
uneasy relationship with their secular, usually monarchical, counterparts.
• However the term ‘International Society’ may still be used in these cases and they all engaged in regular
interaction that was not violent and was also characterized by rules and shared values.
• Early forms of diplomacy and treaties existed in the ancient Middle East.
• Treaties between great kings and their vassals concerned matters such as borders, trade, defence, and the
rights of citizens of one state visiting and residing in another
• The institution of diplomacy was invested with religious solemnity
• Relations among the city-states of ancient Greece were characterized by more developed societal
characteristics, such as arbitration.
• Retained a state of social and cultural unity, with a common language and religion – Olympic games were
used to emphasise unity.
• Arbitration helped settle certain inner-city disputes, especially those involving territory where the land in
question has particular religious, strategic or economic significance
• ‘Proxenos’ (for the foreigner) was appointed in larger states to represent the interests of foreign communities
• Greek international society was also underpinned by shared moral understanding about rightful international
conduct that was ultimately derived from religious norms.
• Ancient China, India, and Rome all had their own distinctive international societies.
• India had religious norms that – in principle – applied to international relations, especially war.
• Conceptions of what constituted a JUST WAR through numerous rituals to be observed at the outbreak of war
to numerous prohibitions on certain forms of conduct during and after war.
• Chinese international relations took place in a context of cultural and intellectual richness and dynamism.
• The new imperial china made international relations difficult for more than 2000 years due to their belief that
they were superior. They saw themselves at the top of the cultural hierarchy and thus would only employ IR if
the ‘outer barbarians’ acknowledged their superiority and paid the emperor
• Rome’s relations were based on principles relating to treaties and diplomacy similar to those found in Greece
and India.
• Rome had the most extensive legal terminology including seeking legal means of settling disputes with other
states. They also acknowledged a set of norms known as ‘ius gentium’ (law of nations)
The Christian and Islamic Orders
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