International politics: meaning, nature, and scope

When North Korea launches a rocket, Russia sends troops to Syria, or the US imposes additional tariffs on China’s goods, we’re before international politics. Let’s see what it is.

Introduction

Today, I want to speak to you about international politics. Usually, when we watch the news or read the paper, there is a section devoted to international politics. It’s always related to events that take place in the international realm. However, what is international politics? We may have a general idea about its meaning or the role it plays for domestic politics, depending on our country’s involvement in international issues. That’s not enough, because it is not the same as international relations, foreign affairs, or diplomacy. For this reason, I’m going to discuss the meaning, nature, and scope of international politics. In this way, you will get a clear and precise picture of this matter.

The definition of international politics

First of all, I have to address why we talk about international politics and what makes it different regarding domestic politics. Although I spoke about this difference on another occasion, I want to go over it again and extend my explanation a little bit more.

The distinction between international and domestic politics is based on the organization of the international stage. States constitute this realm, and they are territorial entities. So, there are borders that separate different jurisdictions. There is a national authority in every territory because they wield sovereignty. That means they can make binding decisions on inhabitants of their territories. Therefore, they exercise an exclusive authority in their land, which provides them with a geopolitical dimension.

The existence of borders involves the presence of domestic and international realms. The way politics works is quite different in each field. The internal domain has clear laws and a specific political organization, with institutions, power structures, and so on. Power struggles between different social groups take place in this realm. Nevertheless, things are different in the international sphere.

If we call domestic politics to power relations and political conflicts in a specific State, international politics is something similar to the world stage. However, power relations in this domain are different because they depend on relations between States. These relations are anarchic insofar as there is no world government above States. Hence, the way States articulate their relationships depends on power relations. That means their respective national capacities and alliances they build to counterweight their rivals or potential threats.

When we speak about international politics, we refer to those power relations that operate in this sphere. In this regard, we see how States compete to survive in a hostile environment full of rivalries. They struggle for survival, so they also fight for power to stay alive in the long run. As a result of this dynamic, every State is part of an international power hierarchy. They strive to strengthen their position and to get to the top of that hierarchy. In this context, international politics is the power relations between States because they have the coercive means to subdue other States or actors.

The nature of international politics

We shouldn’t forget that politics has to do with the way power relations organize. When we talk about international politics, we refer to power relations in this domain. However, States resort to different means to attain their goals. In this way, we have to speak about powers, such as military power, economic power, ideological power, and so on. They all play a particular role in international politics because States resort to them. Consequently, they constitute the nature of international politics. They are part of every State’s strategy to survive in a competitive environment.

The scope of international politics

We’ve seen the meaning and nature of international politics. Now it’s time to address its scope.

At first, it seems the scope of international politics, as its name suggests, is the international realm. That’s true, but not the whole truth. Naturally, power relations on the global stage are international politics. However, we shouldn’t overlook the influence of foreign affairs on domestic politics. I spoke about this relationship on another occasion, but I consider it important to make some remarks.

In this regard, I have to say that international politics has critical implications in the internal sphere of States. That’s because the competition in this domain involves the adoption of specific measures in domestic politics to match those challenges every State has to face. In many cases, the State needs to strengthen its international position by mobilizing its internal resources or implementing certain policies aimed at supporting its foreign policy.

Therefore, the distinction between the domestic and international spheres is blurry. It puts under question the realist assumption that these two domains are separated, with no mutual interaction. 

On the contrary, domestic and international politics interact. Indeed, the global sphere plays a decisive role in the State’s domestic political situation. That’s clear in security matters, but also many others, such as the economic, financial, technological, and so on. It is part of the needs the State has to protect its national interest and grant its survival. In this way, the external conditions operate through the internal conditions of the State, and they unchain changes to support the foreign policy.

Hence, we can say that the scope of international politics is broader than we may have thought. It goes beyond the global sphere and includes the domestic domain of States. It doesn’t mean everything is international politics. Yet, internal political issues may have a clear international dimension, depending on the influence of the external realm. On other occasions, however, political phenomena in the domestic domain lack this dimension, which is only the result of the country’s social and political conditions.

Question of the day

Question of the day! What else do you want to know about international politics? Tell me in the comments section below, and I’ll check it out.

Bibliography used:

Putnam, Robert, “Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-Levels Game” in International Organization 42 (3), 1988, pp. 427-460

Desch, Michael C., “War and Strong States, Peace and Weak States?” in International Organization 50 (2), 1996, pp. 237-268

Gourevitch, Peter, “The Second Image Reversed: The International Sources of Domestic Politics” in International Organiation 32 (4), 1978, pp. 881-912

Waltz, Kenneth N., Man, the State, and War

Rosenau, James, “Toward the Study of National-International Linkages” in Rosenau, James (ed.), Linkage Politics: Essays on the Convergence of National and International Systems 

Rosenau, James, “Theorizing Across Systems: Linkage Politics Revisited” in Wilkenfield, Jonathan (ed.), Conflict Behavior and Linkage Politics