International Relations

Lecture # 04
By
Ms. Nighat Noureen
Topic of Discussion
What is the worth of International
Relations?
What are the major forces of change in
the 21
th
Century?


Significance of International
Relations
A fascinating subject because it
concerns people and culture through
out the world
Subject matter of I.R is directly related
to peoples lives
9/11 incident has further enhanced its
significance


Significance of International
Relations (cont.)
Introduced with ideas of various
thinkers to understand international
political system
Develop an understanding to state
interactions
Provide practical contribution to daily
world affairs
Significance of International
Relations (cont.)
Mature understanding of international
system
Promotes international harmony and
well being
Highlights major issues in world politics
Provide assistance in grappling with
international problems and issues

Significance of International
Relations (cont.)
Provide grounds for articulation of world
public opinion and so on
Significance of International
Relations (cont.)
The world is ever- changing landscape
and it may appear even frighteningly
unpredictable
Its significance and scope is on rapid
increase as new ideas and thoughts are
pouring to its subject matter
Having a bright future
Major Forces of Change in the
Twenty-first Century
There are several major influences that
are important to consider in looking at
the modern world
The Cold war and its demise
Personal History
Look at Force Posture of military vis
a vis Iraq

Major Forces of Change in the
Twenty-first Century (cont.)
Demographic Transition
Population growth - the result of
changes in
Life Expectancy (death rate)
Birthrates (fertility rate)
Doubling time (rule of 72)
Medicine
SARS & AIDS

Major Forces of Change in the
Twenty-first Century (cont.)
Food - scarcity and sufficiency
Green Revolution
Genetics
Food Security assessment


Major Forces of Change in the
Twenty-first Century (cont.)
Energy Transition
Fossil Fuels
Solar
Renewables
Nuclear Fusion ?

Major Forces of Change in the
Twenty-first Century (cont.)
The Global economy and the spread
of industrialization
Relative decline in US (and Russia)
The growth of destructive potential
and the accompanying paradoxical
decline in the utility of military force.
Major Forces of Change in the
Twenty-first Century (cont.)
The increasing reliance on
terrorism and Asymmetric
warfare
Social Mobility

Major Forces of Change in the
Twenty-first Century (cont.)
The expansion of democratization and/or
market economies
Where has democratization emerged?
East Europe, Soviet Union
Latin America, Philippines
China Iran (casualties of process)
Are these collapses of authoritarianism or
socialism/communism, or are these the same
things
Have we seen the demise of communism?

Major Forces of Change in the
Twentieth Century (Continued)
Environmental Impacts
Acid rain
Ozone
Global warming/global climate
change

Major Forces of Change in the
Twenty-first Century (cont.)
The expansion of information
technology
The WWW
Costs of information acquisition
have dropped tremendously
The wireless world