South 고등학교 2학년 Understanding International Relations
Chapters: 4
1. Understanding international relations
Formation of modern international relations · Realism and liberalism · Actors in world politics
- International Relations: How States Deal with Each Other – International relations (IR) studies how states and other actors (international organisations, companies, NGOs) interact. States are sovereign and there is no world government, so each state follows its national interest through foreign policy: diplomacy, trade, aid, alliances and, at worst, force. Conflicts arise from clashing interests over territory, resources, power and identity, and from the security dilemma. Cooperation grows through mutual gain, treaties, international law and organisations. Realism stresses power and security; liberalism stresses cooperation, trade and institutions. Peace is built by negotiation, mediation, peacekeeping and justice.
- International Organisations – International organisations help countries co-operate on peace, money, trade and rights. The UN was set up in 1945 after the League of Nations failed; it has six main organs, and the Security Council's five permanent members hold a veto. Reform of the UN, especially the Security Council, is needed because the world has changed since 1945, and India claims a permanent seat. The IMF, World Bank, WTO, ILO and IAEA handle money, development, trade, workers and nuclear safety, while NGOs like Amnesty International watch over human rights.
2. Balanced development and mutual benefit
Inequality between countries · Fair trade and development aid · Korea's standing in the world
- Development Geography: Why Places Are Rich or Poor – Development means people living better lives: more income, better health, more schooling and more freedom. We measure it with indicators such as GNI per person, life expectancy and years at school, and with the Human Development Index (HDI, 0 to 1), which joins all three. Development is uneven: rich cores and poorer peripheries exist between world regions and inside one country. Where rich and poor areas touch, there are strong contrasts and flows of workers, goods, factories and money, with both good and bad effects. There is no single model of development: countries have grown through export factories, services, or mines and farming, each with risks.
- Global Justice: Fair Trade, Aid and Reducing Inequality – Global justice asks what is fair between countries and between people across the world. Incomes are very unequal. Fair trade gives producers a fair price, and development aid (ODA) helps poorer countries build schools, health and jobs. Real justice also needs peace, honest rules and a say for poorer countries.
- International Relations: How States Deal with Each Other – International relations (IR) studies how states and other actors (international organisations, companies, NGOs) interact. States are sovereign and there is no world government, so each state follows its national interest through foreign policy: diplomacy, trade, aid, alliances and, at worst, force. Conflicts arise from clashing interests over territory, resources, power and identity, and from the security dilemma. Cooperation grows through mutual gain, treaties, international law and organisations. Realism stresses power and security; liberalism stresses cooperation, trade and institutions. Peace is built by negotiation, mediation, peacekeeping and justice.
3. Peace and security
State of peace and security · Human, national, global security · Korea's security environment
- Security in the Contemporary World – Security means freedom from threats to things we value. Traditional security protects the state from military threats outside and disorder inside, using deterrence, defence, balance of power and alliances. Non-traditional security widens the circle to protect people (human security) and the planet (global security). New threats such as terrorism, rights abuse, poverty, migration, epidemics and climate change cross borders, so they need co-operative security. India's strategy combines military strength, international rules, internal peace and development.
4. Resolving international disputes
Diplomacy and international organisations · International law and its sources · Regional integration
- International Organisations – International organisations help countries co-operate on peace, money, trade and rights. The UN was set up in 1945 after the League of Nations failed; it has six main organs, and the Security Council's five permanent members hold a veto. Reform of the UN, especially the Security Council, is needed because the world has changed since 1945, and India claims a permanent seat. The IMF, World Bank, WTO, ILO and IAEA handle money, development, trade, workers and nuclear safety, while NGOs like Amnesty International watch over human rights.
- International Law: How States Make and Keep Rules – International law is the set of rules that states (and international organisations) accept as binding in their dealings with each other. There is no world parliament or world police, so states make the rules themselves, mainly through treaties and custom, plus general principles of law; court decisions and expert writings help to find the rules. It grew from the idea of equal sovereign states (1648) to the United Nations (1945) and human-rights law (1948 onwards). The UN and its International Court of Justice help keep peace and settle disputes. States settle disputes by negotiation, mediation, arbitration or courts. Each country decides how treaties enter its own (municipal) law: monist states apply them directly; dualist states, like India and the UK, need an act of parliament.
- Regional Integration – Regional integration is when neighbouring countries join hands step by step: they trade with fewer taxes, share one market, and sometimes one currency and rules. Examples are the EU, ASEAN, USMCA and the African Continental Free Trade Area. It brings cheaper goods and peace, but countries give up some control.