Chapter 13: International Politics and the Global Community

Chapter Summary

This chapter moves from domestic politics to the world of international relations. It focuses primarily on the patterns of nation-state behavior since World War II and raises questions as to how well equipped the international system is to further cooperation between states, foster humane accommodation, and advance the peaceful resolution of conflict. Is the international system prepared to maximize security, liberty, justice, and welfare in the global community?

The post-World War II era of international politics can be divided into two periods. The first, the cold war, ran from roughly 1947 to 1989 and was characterized by a bipolar distribution of power between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was a period of great tension between the two superpowers, and this tense relationship had enormous impact on defining the world political system. The second period, which we are still in, is what might be called the post-cold war period. It began in 1990 with the collapse of the communist world. This period, dominated by the power of the United States, poses a number of significant challenges to the international community including (1) an economically struggling Russian Republic, (2) the emergence of a militant Islamic fundamentalism, (3) the survival of a flood of new democracies that emerged with the end of the cold war, (4) the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear, (5) the emergence of numerous internal and interstate conflicts the origins of which trace to long-standing ethnic, tribal, and religious resentments, (6) the globalization of the international economic system, and finally, (7) the rise in terrorism.

A number of patterns of behavior are manifest in the international system: balance of power, as practiced in various forms throughout history, including the cold war; domination, a clear example being the German and Japanese imperial conquest prior to and during World War II; and multilateralism, represented globally by the United Nations and in the phenomenon known as globalization, and represented regionally by organizations such as the European Union. Other forms of behavior include neutrality, nonalignment, and isolation.

Finally, the international system is increasingly influenced by the behavior of nonstate actors such as multinational corporations, terrorist groups, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

Chapter Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should...

• have a basic understanding of the characteristics of the cold war era.
• have an understanding of the challenges that now confront the international community in the post-cold war era.
• be familiar with various forms of behavior practiced by states (balance of power, domination, multilateralism, neutrality, nonalignment, and isolation).
• know the membership and purposes of the European Union.
• have an understanding of the basic characteristics of globalization and some of the concerns it raises for the international community.
• be familiar with the role of nonstate actors in the international system.

Suggested Readings

The following readings supplement those suggested in chapter 13 of the text.

Barber, Benjamin. Jihad vs. McWorld. New York: Times Books, 1995.

Bennett, Leroy. International Organization: Principles and Issues. 7th ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2001.

Florini, Ann M. The Third Force: The Rise of Transnational Civil Society. Washington: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2000.

Ginsberg, Roy H. H. European Union in International Politics: Baptism by Fire. New York: Rowman and Littlefield, 2001.

Halberstam, David. War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2002.

Kennedy, Paul, ed. Global Trends and Global Governance. Sterling: Pluto Press, 2002.

Nye, Joseph. The Paradox of American Power. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Nye, Joseph, and John D. Donahue, eds. Governance in a Globalizing World. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2000.

Schultz, Kenneth. Democracy and Coercive Diplomacy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Annotated Links

The following links will help you explore the themes of chapter 13 on the Web.

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Founded in 1910, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a nonprofit think tank dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active international engagement by the United States. It sponsors research, publishing, and various conferences. The Endowment publishes the well-known magazine Foreign Policy.

The Cold War

This award-winning interactive site dramatically presents the cold war--a most compelling era in world politics. The site offers a historical chronology, sections for debate and discussion, an educator’s guide, and a set of interactive games to test knowledge of the cold war’s history and key players.

European Union (EU)

This official site of the European Union provides information about the Union’s history, purpose, membership, and activities. It also provides links to the EU’s official documents.

Foreign Affairs Online

Sponsored by the University of Virginia and maintained by Dr. Robert Beck of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, this is a terrific resource for information on international organizations, international law, and U.S. foreign policy.

U.S. Department of State Terrorism Report

Use this site to access the U.S. Department of State’s annual report, Patterns of Global Terrorism--an extremely valuable snapshot of global terrorism. The report reviews terror activity during the year as well as historical patterns of global terrorism, and it provides background profiles on major terrorist organizations.

The United Nations (UN)

This official site of the United Nations is a rich source of material about the UN and its activities. Of particular value is the large data bank of UN documents.