Answer: International Relations (IR) as an academic discipline is relatively young, formally emerging in the early 20th century. However, its intellectual roots can be traced back to ancient thinkers like Thucydides and philosophers such as Machiavelli and Grotius, who pondered statecraft, war, and peace. The study became systematic following major global conflicts. Historically, the discipline formally began after World War I, driven by a profound desire to prevent future conflicts. This early phase w...

Answer: International Relations (IR) as an academic discipline studies the complex interactions between various global actors and the factors shaping these interactions. Historically, its scope was largely state-centric, focusing predominantly on interstate relations, diplomacy, war, and peace in the aftermath of major global conflicts. This traditional approach viewed states as the primary, almost exclusive, units of analysis. However, the contemporary scope of International Relations has expanded sig...

Answer: Neo-Realism, also known as Structural Realism, is a prominent theory in International Relations that seeks to explain state behavior and international outcomes primarily through the structure of the international system. Unlike classical realism, which attributes state actions to human nature or domestic politics, Neo-Realism posits that the anarchic nature of the international system is the primary determinant of state behavior. The foundational text of Neo-Realism is Kenneth Waltz's 1979 wor...

Answer: Imperialism, fundamentally defined as the policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means, has evolved significantly across historical epochs. Its development can be traced through several distinct phases, each driven by different motivations and employing varying methods of control. Early forms of imperialism predate the modern era, manifesting as ancient empires like the Roman, Persian, and Chinese. These empires sought to expand...

Answer: The concept of 'Balance of Power' is a foundational theory in International Relations, particularly within the realist tradition. According to the EPS-07 course material, it refers to a state of international affairs where power is distributed among several states in such a way that no single state or bloc is strong enough to dominate all others. Its primary objective is to maintain international stability, preserve the independence of states, and prevent the emergence of a hegemon, thereby dete...

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Answer: The Treaty of Versailles formally concluded World War I, imposing stringent conditions on Germany and significantly reshaping the European geopolitical landscape. Concurrently, various Communist Workers Parties emerged across the globe, driven by revolutionary ideologies and challenging the established capitalist order, especially during the volatile interwar period. Both entities played crucial roles in the evolution of international relations in the early 20th century.

Answer: The Cold War and Détente represent two distinct yet interconnected phases in 20th-century international relations, primarily defining the superpower rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War, spanning from the late 1940s to the early 1990s, was characterized by an intense ideological conflict, a global arms race, and proxy wars, establishing a bipolar world order. Following decades of confrontation, Détente emerged in the late 1960s as a period of reduced tensions, mar...

Answer: The concepts of Super Power and Bipolar World are fundamental to understanding international relations, particularly during periods of intense global rivalry. They describe the distribution of power among states and the resulting structure of the international system. ### (a) Concept of Super Power A Super Power is a state possessing a dominant position in the international system, characterized by its immense capabilities across multiple dimensions. These dimensions typically include overwhel...

Answer: The Cold War concluded with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991, ending a decades-long period of ideological and geopolitical rivalry. This era also saw the rise of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), a significant grouping of states that opted to remain outside the direct influence of the two major power blocs. (a) End of the Cold War The Cold War, characterized by ideological and geopolitical rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union, officially ended with the dissolution of ...