MULTITECH BUSINESS SCHOOL

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS END OF SEMESTER EXAMINATION

INSTRUCTIONS: ANSWER FOUR QUESTIONS ONLY
MARKING GUIDE (SET ONE)
TIME: 3 HOURS

DATE:

1(a) Definition of a state

Entity governing within known boundaries

central government ruling over a population and territory

A state represents and protects its population in International politics.

States are also referred to as nation-states and a nation can be a particular culture or
ethnic group and modern states can be made up of two or more nations.

(b) Political & Economic History of the World

Political history of the World
Ancient civilization

In ancient history, civilizations did not have definite boundaries as states have today
In Africa, early dynastic Egypt was the first civilization to define its borders

The Roman Empire (27 BCE - 476 AD) was the first western civilization known to
accurately define their borders.

Origins of the Modern state

Talk about the Roman Empire

The modern state as we know traces its origins to the Greek City States (800BC-168BC).

Roman Empire (27 BC 476AD) was very instrumental on the development of

International law which helped to regulate her relations with the barbarian tribes that
lived on her borders.

The collapse of the Roman Empire 476 AD

With the collapse of the Roman Empire in 476AD, Europe entered the period known as
Dark ages (476 AD onwards)

The period was marked by a decline in law and order thus conflict and anarchy, a decline
in trade and learning and a decline in population due to war and other pestilences.

Power hungry Kings were quick to tear up the once organized states and as such, power
became fragmented among the petty kings and war lords

Feudalism in the Middle Ages (1801 -1400)

Feudalism in the middle Ages (1801 -1400) introduced a semblance of some sort of order

The feudal lords who owned the land had to offer protection to their squatters for the
tribute they paid to them.

The fragmented feudal units for the time united for fear of being conquered by other lords
leading to the formation of a modern state.

lords amassing land and becoming strong kings who conquered more territories which
consolidated to become states

Economic history of the World

Pre Industrial Revolution

There wasn't really any such thing as lasting income growth from productivity
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Civilization was stuck in the Malthusian Trap. (If lots of people died, incomes tended to
go up, as fewer workers benefited from a stable supply of crops. If lots of people were
born, however, incomes would fall, which often led to more deaths)

The trap explains why by then populations so closely approximated GDP around the
world.

The industrial revolution

The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes that

occurred in the period from about 1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840
Transition included going from hand production methods to machines, new chemical
manufacturing and iron production processes, improved efficiency of water power, the

increasing use of steam power and development of machine tools.

The Industrial revolution began in England and within a few decades spread to Western
Europe and the United States.

Post Industrial Revolution

After the Industrial revolution, the World has not gone back to date. Population power is

no longer looked at as economic growth driver.

Today, the U.S. accounts for 5% of the world population and 21% of its GDP. Asia

(minus Japan) accounts for 60% of the world's population and 30% of its GDP.
There continues to be a demonstration of productivity divergences around the World with
significant technological improvements in Agriculture, roads, railways, textile

manufacture, mining, steam power, chemicals, machine tools etc

Whoever commands authority in the aforementioned areas commands economic power.

2(a).Definition of International Relations

Study of relationships between countries

Roles of actors such as states, Organizations, Individual personalities and Multinational

Corporations

Branch of political science

Interdisciplinary field of study: technology; engineering; economics, history,

international law, philosophy, geography, social work, sociology etc

Study of states and state interests
National security and issues of power
Diplomacy, international law, World order and, World government
Anarchy
Issues of human welfare
War conflicts and natural disasters like famine, earthquakes across national borders
Gender issues and environmental concerns

2(b) Relevance to International Relations

(i).Human Rights
Define Human Rights

Human rights is the idea that all people should have rights. These rights are seen as
universal, which means they are meant for everyone, no matter what their race, religion,
ethnicity, nationality, age, sex (also women's rights), political beliefs (or any other kind
of beliefs), intelligence, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity are.

Give some examples of human rights

Right to privacy

Right to live, exist

Right to have a family

To own property

Free Speech

Safety from violence

Equality of both males and females; women's rights

Fair trial

To be considered innocent until proven guilty

To be a citizen of a country

To be recognized as a person

The right to express his or her sexual orientation

To vote

To seek asylum if a country treats you badly

To think freely

To believe and practice the religion a person wants

To peacefully protest (speak against) a government or group

Health care (medical care)

Education

To communicate through a language

Not be forced into marriage

The right to love

The right to work

The right to express oneself

Relevance to International Relations

Create harmony in intra and interstate relations

Human rights as an instrument to uplift a states own credibility while undermining that

of other states
Offensive human rights implies a focus on violations by other states as in Cuba & US

motions to censure rival state

Defensive human rights refers to the practice of signing and ratifying whatever treaty
possible as well as incorporating human rights standards in the countrys national
constitution, not as a first step towards implementation but simply as a point of positive
reference whenever questions are asked as to the countrys human rights record.

International Organizations involved

Amnesty International
Human Rights International Alliance

(ii). Gender Studies

Define gender studies

Study devoted to gender identity and gendered representation as central categories of

analysis. This field includes Women's studies (concerning women, feminism, gender, and
politics), Men's studies, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBT)
studies. Sometimes Gender studies is offered together with Study of Sexuality

Examples of gender issues

Female infanticide; Chinas one child policy has heightened the disdain for female
infants; abortion, neglect, abandonment, and infanticide have been known to occur to
female infants.
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Sexual subjugation; many countries criminalize adult, consensual sex outside of

marriage. The degree of punishment of the perpetrator is determined by the sexual

experience of the victim.

Citizenship; Most countries in the region-with the exception of Iran, Tunisia, Israel, and
to a limited extent Egypt-have permitted only fathers to pass citizenship on to their

children. Women married to non-nationals are denied this fundamental right.

Custody rights; In Bahrain, where family law is not codified, judges have complete

power to deny women custody of their children for the most arbitrary reasons.
Victims of violence; Womens unequal legal rights increase their vulnerability to

violence.
Right to travel; In Syria, a husband can prevent his wife from leaving the country.
Access to education; in many areas of Afghanistan, girls are often taken out of school
when they hit puberty. The enormous lack of female teachers, who are fundamental in a
country where girls cannot be taught by a man after a certain age, is having a negative

impact on girls education.

Right to divorce; In Lebanon, battered women cannot file for divorce on the basis of

abuse without the testimony of an eyewitness.

Clothing requirements. Muslim women in Kashmir wear burqas, head to toe garments

that cover their clothes, or risk being attacked

Forbidden from driving. In Saudi Arabia, women arent allowed to drive, or even ride
bikes, and men arent allowed to drive women theyre not closely related to. The
kingdom is currently dealing with the dilemma of how to get 367,000 girls to school on
buses that can only be driven by men.

Relevance of Gender Studies to International Relations

Ideas about appropriate and inappropriate gendered behaviors are wide-ranging,

influential and sometimes unconscious, but because they affect (and effect) how we
behave in the world, they are of interest to the scholar of global politics, as global politics

is practiced and studied by gendered individuals.

Whether the issue at hand is security, global governance, nuclear proliferation, peace
building or international law, feminist scholars have written extensively about (how)
gender matters in global politics and, further, argued that paying analytical attention to
gender allows us a range of insights that gender-blind approaches do not access.
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Which international organizations are involved?

The Center for Gender in Organizations (CGO)

African Centre for Gender & Development
International Labor Organization (ILO) Bureau for Gender Equality
UNESCO Section for Women and Gender Equality
Etc

(iii). International Law

Define international law
International law is the set of rules generally regarded and accepted as binding in relations
between states and nations. It serves as a framework for the practice of stable and organized
international relations. International law differs from national legal systems in that it primarily
concerns nations rather than private citizens. National law may become international law when
treaties delegate national jurisdiction to supranational tribunals such as the European Court of
Human Rights or the International Criminal Court. Treaties such as the Geneva Conventions may
require national law to conform.
International Court
There are numerous international bodies created by treaties adjudicating on legal issues where
they may have jurisdiction. The only one claiming universal jurisdiction is the United Nations
Security Council. Others are: the United Nations International Court of Justice, and the
International Criminal Court (when national systems have totally failed and the Treaty of Rome
is applicable) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport
East Africa Community
There were ambitions to make the East African Community, consisting of Kenya, Tanzania,
Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda, a political federation with its own form of binding supranational
law but this effort has not been completed.

Role of International law

Regulate the relationships between nations by

Adherence to international treaties and conventions

Establish rules as to which countries courts will have jurisdiction
Establish that the courts in one signatory nation will recognize the rulings of courts in
other signatory nations.

International law issues include:

Child custody in case parents are from different countries

Frontier disputes
Racial discrimination
Etc

Recent International Court cases Involving African countries include:

Boundary dispute between Burkina Faso and Republic of Niger in 2010, DRC and France in
2003 over Crime etc
Challenges of International law
No supranational institution capable of effectively policing international law, so if other nations
aren't willing to engage in conflict or jeopardize their relationship with the affected parties they
often don't intervene.
(iv).Security

Security threats have obtained global proportions. Today, with the deepening of
globalization, countries are more interdependent.

Security is no longer a local issue bearing on individual countries or regions, but a global
one that threatens to impede peace and development of the world.

No country can keep itself out. We are living in an interdependent world. Our common
interests and common challenges have put us in a same boat.

Today, the international peace and development is facing more and more challenges. Old

problems remain unresolved, and new ones are cropping up.

Major security events are; the war in Iraq is over, but order has not returned. The Middle
East conflict drags on, and bloodshed continues unabated. Terrorism remains rampant and
unpredictable. Globalization hasn't made everyone a winner, and in the fields of finance,
information, health and others, there exist hidden security threats.

Challenges to International Peace and Security

Security threats have taken on multiple dimensions. Traditional security concerns such
as ethnic or religious conflicts and border or territorial disputes still exist, while non-

traditional security threats are quickly growing.

Non-traditional security problems such as terrorism, cross-border crimes, and
environmental pollution, and population explosion, drug trafficking and infectious
diseases have become the major problems impeding the human development.

The interweaving and mutual conversion between the two kinds of security issues has
brought new challenges to the international peace and security.

Security threats have a complex nature. Non-traditional security threats have complicated
causes and diverse manifestations.

Terrorists go after their goals through violence, their activities are becoming more
secretive, and means more brutal. The use of biological, chemical, cyberspace and other
high-tech means makes terrorists more and more dangerous.

As such, the security issue has split over to a wide range of areas of politics, economy,
military, finance, science and technology.

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International Security organizations include; World Security Organization(WSO), United

Nations High Commission for Refugees(UNHCR) UN, International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) etc

(v). Economic development

What is economic development?

Sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard

of living and economic health of a specific area.

Or the quantitative and qualitative changes in the economy such as development of
human capital, critical infrastructure, regional competitiveness, environmental
sustainability, social inclusion, health, safety, literacy, and other initiatives.

Examples of economic development issues (To be related with international relations)

Price stability

Employment

Sustainable growth

Monetary and fiscal policies

Regulation of financial institutions

Trade

Tax policies

Infrastructure development

Technology transfer

Inflation
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etc

Which international organizations are involved?

The World trade Organization, European Union and Council of Europe

African Development Bank
Etc

International Organizations, provide a common platform wherein representatives from different

parts of the world can discuss and evolve solutions for contemporary economic issues.
3. (a). Assumptions of Realism theory
The International system is anarchic

Distribution of coercive material capacity is the major determinant of international

politics
There is no actor above states capable of regulating state interactions
The international system exist in a state of constant antagonism

States are the most important actors

All states within the system are unitary, rational actors

Given the goal of survival, states will act as best as they can in order to maximize their

likelihood of continuing to exist

States tend to pursue self interest
Groups strive to attain as many resources as possible and believe that wealth cannot be
expanded and thus taking wealth for another state is the only way of getting richer

The primary concern of states is survival

Assumptions of Liberalism theory

Human nature is essentially "good"

The fundamental human concern for others' welfare makes progress possible
Sinful or wicked human behavior such as violence is not the product of flawed people but

of evil institutions
War and international anarchy are not inevitable
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War is a global problem requiring collective rather than national efforts to control it
Reforms must be inspired by a compassionate ethical concern for the welfare and security

of all people
International society must reorganize itself in order to eliminate the institutions that make
war likely

(b). Criticisms
Realism Theory
Democratic peace theory
Democratic peace theory advocates also that realism is not applicable to democratic
states' relations with each other, as their studies claim that such states do not go to war
with one another.
Federalism
Conflict and disagreement should be resolved through peaceful means rather than
through coercion or war.
Feminism
Realism equates the state with being the "protector", while its people with being the
"protected". Such terminology is historically gendered, with men traditionally seen as the
protectors, and women as the protected.
Criticisms of Liberalism

Rights fail to promote community values

Rights promote an individualistic, in fact a selfish and egotistic ethos
Rights and justice in general, can only be seen as a remedy to social conflicts
Realism argues that a nation's national interest is more important than ethical or moral
considerations; however to Idealists, there need be no conflict between the two

4(a). Cooperation amongst countries

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Define conflict and cooperation

A conflict is a struggle between people or nations. The struggle may be physical,
or between conflicting ideas.

Cooperation is the common effort of a group for their mutual benefit.

Cooperation is teamwork.

Cooperation is working together peacefully.

Areas in which countries may be said to engage in cooperation

Terrorism e.g. Cuba, Iran, Syria and Sudan supporting acts of international

terrorism, mention others that are cooperating against terrorism, etc

Trade e.g. Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway,
Sweden and the United States, COMESA member countries in Africa etc

Other areas of cooperation include

Technology
Education and research
Resolving insurgence
Health

(b). Causes of conflict within and between countries in Africa.

Briefly talk about conflict as an aspect of International relations

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The international system unlike the state system does not possess either consensus or
any institution which holds the monopoly of the means of violence in the world at

large.
Consequently, war and the expectation of war and the diplomatic and strategic
behavior consequent upon it, become the very stuff of international relations.

Causes of conflict with in countries

Change of government
Civil war
Difference in Ideology
Resources and their allocation to different conflicting interest groups

Causes of conflict between countries

Territorial disputes
Natural resources
Decolonization
The military factor

5(a).African poverty and underdevelopment

Africa is well endowed with human and natural resources

Africa has been and continues to be the poorest and most underdeveloped region of the
world. Africa produces the bulk of certain important agricultural produce e. g. coffee,

cocoa, rubber, timber to mention but a few.

Despite these resources and great potential in others, African states remain poor and

underdeveloped.
Underdevelopment means that there are inadequate social and economic structural
changes to give the economy of African economies a balanced integrated and sustaining

growth in the GDP.

More disturbing is the poverty and underdevelopment of African states relative to the rest

of the world and this is because the poverty and underdevelopment are on the increase.
More significantly is that of the GDP derived world manufacturing output, Africa only

contributes less than 10%.

The meager manufacturing so far is heavily concentrated in the area of light industry
especially in the food/beverage and textile/clothing industry.
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Even these are unevenly distributed among the regions. North Africa e.g. produces the
bulk of African manufactures and with in North Africa, production is concentrated in

Egypt.
The rest of Africa manufactures are concentrated in particular areas. In West Africa, it
concentrated in Nigeria and Ivory Coast. In East and central Africa, Kenya and DRC

(Zaire)
Heavy manufacturing plants e.g. petrochemicals, basic mineral and fabricated mineral

products and steel production remains small in Africa.

A more disturbing fact is that there is hardly any African country that produces enough
food to feed its population. Most spend considerable foreign exchange to import food e.g

Nigeria
Since all African countries rely on agricultural export receipts for their import of food as
well as capital and manufactured consumer items and since they are competing in the
production of these export crops for a world market that is increasingly finding synthetic

substitutes, the future economic prospects are extremely bleak.

Most countries have monocultural economies producing crops which are beset by
hazardous fluctuations in production and price. The harvest of a bumper crop by one or
two countries can depress prices disastrously.

(b).The African dependency theory

Contemporary societies are integrated into a single world economic system. I.e. the

capitalist system
In regard to African states, the theorists argue that:
African states and all other underdeveloped states are dependent on the capitalist world

for technology, capital finance and monetary systems and for trade.
This is because the capitalist state has a virtual monopoly over the means of production.
Dependence and monopoly means control and exploitation.
All countries that are underdeveloped in the world are exploited by the others and

underdevelopment is a product of capitalist, imperialists and colonial exploitation.

The dependence relationship is the product of the incorporation of Africa and
underdeveloped countries into the capitalist system.

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Incorporation resulted under imperialism and colonialism in the disarticulation of

transport as roads and railways were built not for the integration of the colonized
countries economies but to facilitate the exploitation of raw materials to the capitalists
core and to bring manufactured goods to the periphery.
Incorporation also resulted in the disarticulation of export commodities by African

countries acquiring monocultural economies or relying on a few export commodities e.g.

coffee, cotton, tea in Uganda.
Similarly, in consequence of the imports of manufactured goods from the core to the

periphery, incorporation resulted in the disarticulation of the manufacturing sector of the

African states.
Incorporation also encouraged monopolistic tendencies which led to the rise of

multinational corporations with their headquarters in the core which dominate in control
the leading economy of the periphery.
As a result of this incorporation, African states cannot exist without their dependence but

they also cannot exist with it.

6(a). Levels of analysis

Individual level
State level
Systems level
(b).Foreign policy Decision making
Individual level of analysis

Individual-level analysis is based on the view that it is people who make policy. It
analyzes the policy-making process by examining how people (as a species, in groups,

and individually) make decisions.

Individual-level analysis can be approached from three different perspectives. One is to
examine fundamental human nature. The second is to study how people act in
organizations. The third is to examine the motivations and actions of specific persons.

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The human nature approach examines basic human characteristics, including the
cognitive, psychological, emotional, and biological factors that influence decision

making.
The organizational behavior approach studies such factors as role (how people act in

their professional position) and group decision-making behavior, including groupthink.

The idiosyncratic behavior approach explores the factors that determine the perceptions,
decisions, and actions of specific leaders. A leaders personality, physical and mental
health, ego and ambitions, understanding of history, personal experiences, and

perceptions are all factors.

The application of perceptions to policy can be explained by exploring operational
reality and operational codes.

State level analysis

State-level analysis assumes that since states are the most important international actors,
world politics can be best understood by focusing on how foreign policy is influenced by
the political structure of states, the policy-making actors within them, and the interactions

among the policy actors.

Foreign policy is not formulated by a single decision-making process. Instead, the exact
nature of that process changes according to a number of variables, including the type of

political system, the type of situation, the type of issue, and the internal factors involved.
States are complex organizations, and their internal, or domestic, dynamics influence

their international actions.

One set of internal factors centers on political culture: the fundamental, long-held beliefs

of a nation.
Another set of internal factors centers on the policy-making impact of various foreign
policy making actors. These include political leaders, bureaucratic organizations,
legislatures, political parties and opposition, interest groups, and the public. Each of these
influences foreign policy, but their influence varies according to the type of government,

the situation, and the policy at issue.

Usually, heads of government are the most powerful foreign policymaking actors.
Bureaucratic organizations are normally the second most powerful actors.

Systems Level Analysis

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To be successful, countries usually must make policy choices within the context of the
realities of the international system. Therefore, system-level analysis examines how the

realities of the international system influence foreign policy.

Many factors determine the nature of any given system. Systemic factors include its

structural characteristics, power relationships, economic realities, and norms of behavior.

One structural characteristic is how authority is organized. The international system is
horizontal, based on state sovereignty, and therefore it is anarchical. There are, however,
relatively new centralizing forces that are changing the system toward a more vertical

structure.
Another structural characteristic is a systems frequency, scope, and level of interaction.
The current system is becoming increasingly interdependent, with a rising number of

interactions across an expanding range of issues. Economic

Interdependence is especially significant.
When analyzing power relationships, an important factor is the number of poles in a
system and how the pattern of international relations varies depending on how many

power centers, or poles, a system has.

The current system most closely resembles either a unipolar system or limited unipolar

system dominated by the United States.

The context of power is another system characteristic. One contextual factor is the

applicability of power in a given situation.

Another aspect of the context is the intricate inter-relationships among almost 200
countries and the need of even powerful countries for diplomatic reciprocity, the
cooperation of others on a range of issues. It is therefore wise, before using power, to

calculate the long-term impact of the attitudes of other countries.

Norms are the values that help determine patterns of behavior and create some degree of
predictability in the system. The norms of the system are changing. Many newer
countries, for instance, are challenging some of the current norms of the system, most of
which are rooted in Western culture

7(a). Roles played by International organizations and key issues

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Give the roles of international organizations relating them to solving security, economic and
social issues of the World. Give examples to support your answers
Roles of international organizations

collecting statistical information, analyzing the trends in the variables, making a

comparative study and disseminate the information to all other countries

Setting up multilateral or bilateral agreements between countries.

Supervision
lending out technical cooperation to the member countries

Social issues of the World

Environmental issues
Human rights
Health

Economic issues of the World

Price stability

Employment

Sustainable growth

Monetary and fiscal policies

Regulation of financial institutions

Trade

Tax policies
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Infrastructure development

Technology transfer

Inflation

etc

Security issues of the World

Major security events are; the war in Iraq is over, but order has not returned. The Middle

East conflict drags on, and bloodshed continues unabated.

Terrorism remains rampant and unpredictable. Globalization hasn't made everyone a
winner, and in the fields of finance, information, health and others, there exist hidden

security threats.
Security threats have taken on multiple dimensions. Traditional security concerns such as
ethnic or religious conflicts and border or territorial disputes still exist, while non-

traditional security threats are quickly growing.

Non-traditional security problems such as terrorism, cross-border crimes, and
environmental pollution, and population explosion, drug trafficking and infectious
diseases have become the major problems impeding the human development.

The interweaving and mutual conversion between the two kinds of security issues has
brought new challenges to the international peace and security.

(b). Types of international organizations

Is the organization public or private?

Public e.g. UN, EU and NATO

Private e.g. ; Interpol, International Confederation of Midwives, etc

Is the organization multi functional or unifunctional?

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Multi functional e.g. UN, etc

Unifunctional e.g. Amnesty International, WHO, etc

What is the venue of the organization?

Does the organization operate at a global or regional level?

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