THE STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

The contemporary world is the study of a world in transition, approaches to  the study differ immensely. Much depends on orientation, training and interests of those  who  teach and write in the field. History and political science are the disciplines from which international relations has emerged. Approaches natural to those tow older disciplines are still in use. In introductory courses, the  necessary historical background  is highlighted. Generally, in Britain  or  countries influenced by British education,  introductory courses  in international relations  are  usually courses in history of recent international affairs.  In USA, analytical approach is preferred. In European universities, approach to

the study of international relations is heavily legalistic, theoretical, emphasizing institutional legal norms,  jurisprudence and history.

            The student of international relations should  pursue  his study with sense,  appraise its unit action and possibilities,  its  goals and objectives. He is endlessly  conversed with emotions,  personalities, renditions  materials and other   intangible and changing factors. He is  made an engineer or a   scientist with laws of physical world. He must   never regard  himself as a mere observer or as one who finds the unfolding  story of politics among nations interesting but without profit  as a means to help men shape their future. He must  not be  discouraged because of those who attack international  relations  for   its inability to  find effective means  of preventing tension and conflict among nations or that has   not  predicated  the course of events accurately. There  must be  predicated the course  of  events accurately. There must be serious attention to the problems of world security,  welfare  and the survival of out lives.

The  crisis of the modern age has persisted and it is like we are  living in the period  of great transition of human history. E.H  Carr opined that the real international crisis  of  our times seems to be the final and irrevocable breakdown  of  the conditions which made the  19^th century world order  possible. The foundation of our world is shaky, new political  alignment  and relations are fast emerging.  Today, international relations is characterized by a high degree  of interaction and   interdependence.

International relations since world war ii has been the  search for a new  international order to replace the old  order that was  destroyed in two world wars  and to formulate a new pattern of relationship in a world dominated by two super powers, divested between the capitalist and communist  and  between the have and have-not  nations;  and altered by the emergence on many new nations.