Introduction to the International Relations

European Youth Diplomacy Group

International relations are as old as the states, being these its main protagonists and supporters. International relations have a point of departure in the socio-political context of the sixteenth century. At this time the new theories of the modern state arise and a new configuration of political-administrative system in Western Europe appeared, as well as the source of European diplomacy, whose epicenter was enshrined in the so-called Westphalian State, i.e. the political community and territorial sovereignty.

From then until now international relations have intensified and enriched, going beyond merely a European regional level, integrating new non-state actors and reaching a global dimension due to both the processes of expansion, conquest and colonization of the world by the western society as to the dynamics of globalization.

Since the beginning of the modern age until the second half of the twentieth century, the first part of the globalization took part in our lives. It was a process caused by western civilization that led to an integration of the society at a global level, mainly in the economic field. The result was the emergence of a homogenized international community. However, certain heterogeneity continued to persist, i.e. society with different cultures and customs. In the late twentieth century, international relations become more extensive, complex and diverse, homogeneity became more pronounced and heterogeneity broke through the original territorial boundaries.

Thereafter, since the last third of the twentieth century to the present, the second part of the globalization occurred, in which it created a political, economic and cultural interconnection and interdependence of a wide range of actors, as NGOs. These actors operate in the international arena through relationships defined in terms of immediacy and ubiquity together with the states. This reality was possible thanks to the technological revolution: the new reality of micro, internet, mobile phones and telecommunications. So, the space and time passed exclusively local as determinants of human activity and the context of the dynamics of international relations. Then, the world turned a single information and communication system where ideas, knowledge and information circulate instantly and freely without border or boundaries.

Finally, a definition of international relations according to our current context would be: set of interactions between permanent and non-state actors, sub-state, transnational corporations and individuals that transcend the territorial borders of the state and articulate according to regularized processes. These can be more or less fluid or deep, respond only to economic or commercial interests, or even consecrate a set of common values of respect by specific rules and institutions more or less developed, more or less effective. But one thing is clear in the XXI century: states are not the only actors, although the cornerstone in shaping the structures and dynamics of the international framework.