Domestic politics and foreign relations

What is the relationship between domestic politics and foreign relations? Let’s see it.

Introduction

Today, I want to speak to you about the relationship between these two realms, domestic politics, and foreign relations. Although I spoke on another occasion about domestic politics, I want to go over it again to clarify its connection with foreign relations.

To carry out this task, I’m going to provide an overview of domestic politics. Later, I’m going to define foreign relations. That will allow us to understand their interconnection. In this way, we’ll be able to grasp the importance of the external realm in national politics.

Domestic politics: some geopolitical and historical considerations

What is domestic politics? To provide a clear explanation, I need to make some preliminary remarks. The existence of a domestic or internal realm and an international or external sphere depends on the territorial principle that organizes world affairs and defines the nature of political units on the global stage.

Why are States territorial entities? The answer is in Western Europe history. At the early modern age, many different political units in this corner of the world were immersed in a fiery competition. Many different wars contributed to the transformation of the political stage, and that involves a new way of settling differences. In this regard, we witness how this troubled and uneasy political context led to a new organization of the space. The Peace of Westphalia is a tipping point in all of this, but to be honest, those changes that took legal form in 1648 were already there before.

The appearance of borders was a progressive process that took decades, but it was already there by the sixteenth century. So, borders played a crucial role in the distinction between domestic politics and foreign relations. Until then, there wasn’t anything of this. It was the consequence of the kings’ attempt to vindicate an exclusive right to rule their kingdoms. They were successful at the end of this long process. During the Middle Age, they had taken advantage of rivalries between the emperor and the pope, which allowed them to achieve concessions from these authorities. Hence, this dispute for the supremacy in the Christendom was good for kings’ interests in the long run. In this way, they strengthened their positions and asserted their role as the supreme authority in their realms.

I can’t overlook the fact that modernity itself represents a decisive change in experiencing history. I mean that modernity entails innovation and a fracture with the past and traditional customs. The use of force was crucial for the construction of the modern world, especially in the State building. That was the nature of this change in history and politics. Borders emerged and substituted blurry areas that had worked as limits between countries. It was possible thanks to war but also advances in cartography. Alongside these innovations, I have to mention the role of diplomacy and how it contributed critically to the appearance of borders.

Diplomacy was necessary due to the new context it produced. I refer to negotiations between countries to reach agreements and settle peace treaties after wars. That involved the establishment of borders, namely, the redistribution of land, and the mutual recognition of these borders. Besides, it meant the affirmation of exclusive jurisdictions within those territories demarked by borders. That gave birth to domestic politics.

Therefore, geopolitical factors played an essential role in all of this. Conflicts between different political units resulted in the shaping of their external limits, and the realm of domestic politics. So, this distinction between the internal and external sphere is fundamental to understanding them and acknowledging their mutual influence and interactions. It was, all in all, the consequence of competition and geopolitical factors.

The main consequence of the appearance of borders was not only domestic politics but also the emergence of international politics as an autonomous sphere. That led countries to differentiate their mutual relations in this realm from their internal politics. So, foreign relations are those interactions that States develop in the outer sphere.

Interactions between domestic politics and foreign relations

Now it’s time to address how these foreign relations affect domestic politics. If we take into account that the global stage is anarchic, and there is no world government regulating interactions between States, we have to admit that rivalries are the general rule. Hence, States compete in this field to ensure their position and stay alive. In this uneasy context, many challenges arise, and States have to match them if they don’t want to vanish or end up as vassals of more powerful nations. This dynamic leads them to adapt their internal conditions to the intense competition in the world sphere. Domestic politics is, in some way, dependant on events taking place in the external domain.

Although internal conditions are essential, the international realm and, more specifically, the foreign relations the State maintains with other nations, plays a significant role in political processes. How these relations are is fundamental to implement measures in domestic politics and adapt this realm to external needs. Security represents a critical issue for any State in its foreign relations. Thus, they pay special attention to the status they hold in this sphere and adopt those domestic policies to grant its survival. Naturally, these policies are different depending on the internal conditions of the State. Still, in some way, they all have an international dimension to support foreign policy.

Question of the day

Question of the day! Do you think foreign relations are as much important as they should in public opinion? Post your opinion in the comments section below, and I’ll check it out.

Bibliography used:

Strayer, Joseph, On the Medieval Origins of the Modern State

Strayer, Joseph, Medieval Statecraft and the Perspectives of History

Gilbert, Felix (ed.), The Historical Essays of Otto Hintze

Tilly, Charles, Coercion, Capital, and European States: AD 990-1992

Mann, Michael, The Sources of Social Power

Poggi, Gianfranco, The Development of the Modern State

Anderson, M. S., The Origins of the Modern European State System 1494-1618

Spruyt, Hendrik, The Sovereign State and its Competitors

Le Goff, Jacques, La Baja Edad Media

Giddens, Anthony, The Nation-State and violence

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