International Relations (IR) represents the study of foreign affairs and global issues among states within the international system, including the roles of states, Inter-Governmental Organizations (IGOs), International Nongovernmental Organizations (INGOs), and Multinational Corporations (MNCs). It is both an academic and public policy field, and can be either positive or normative as it both seeks to analyse as well as formulate the foreign policy of particular states. It is often considered a branch of political science (especially after 1988 UNESCO nomenclature), but an important sector of academia prefer to treat it as an interdisciplinary field of study. Apart from political science, IR draws upon such diverse fields as economics, international law, philosophy, etc., and it involves a diverse range of issues including but not limited to globalization, state sovereignty, ecological sustainability, nuclear proliferation, nationalism, economic development, global finance, and foreign interventionism.
Recent changes in world politics are rendering nation-based business and public policies obsolete. The interactions of global economies and politics, coupled with ecological concerns for the planet, have given rise to new educational needs that are international in scope. The International Studies concentration combines courses in the fields of political science, business, economics, and sociology etc., into a flexible multidisciplinary approach.
In this book, we have broadly covered the topics like World Community, Components of National Power, major sources of conflicts and the efforts by the International community for their avoidance and peaceful resolution, and the role of UN and its constituents and other inter-governmental and specialized agencies in maintaining global peace and harmony.
This book provides a short cut to the students of the 5 year law degree course to enable them to get a broad understanding of the topics in business, government, and international organizations that would be covered under the revised syllabus with effect from the academic year 2009-2010.
