INTS10001 International Politics

Semester 2, 2014
The University of Melbourne
Subject Coordinator:
Dr Avery Poole
adpoole@unimelb.edu.au

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In the news...
MH17: UN Security Council backs Australian resolution
condemning Malaysia Airlines plane's downing

Updated Tue 22 Jul 2014, 6:34pm AEST

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously backed an Australian-
sponsored resolution over the downing of MH17, with Foreign Affairs Minister
Julie Bishop condemning the "grotesque violations" at the crash site.

Russia backed the resolution at the eleventh hour after some changes were made
to the text, including the characterisation of the incident as "the downing"
of Malaysia Airlines MH17 rather than the "shooting down".

The resolution puts in place an international,
independent investigation into the plane crash
and puts more pressure on Moscow to use its
influence over the separatists.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-22/mh17-un-backs-australian-
resolution-condemning-plane-downing/5613214

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In the news (contd)...
UN human rights body to investigate claims of Israeli
violations in Gaza

Ian Black, Middle East editor, and agencies
theguardian.com, Thursday 24 July 2014 03.05 AEST

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has agreed to launch an
international inquiry into violations that may have been committed during
Israels latest military offensive in Gaza.

Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights, warned earlier that
Israel may have committed war crimes in its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza
Strip, where hundreds of Palestinian civilians
have been killed in the past two weeks. She
also condemned Hamas, the Islamist movement
that rules Gaza, and other armed Palestinian
groups, for their "indiscriminate attacks" on
Israel.

http://www.theguardian.com/global/2014/jul/23/
un-high-commissioner-navi-pillay-war-crimes-
israel
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In the news (contd)...


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Indonesia elections: Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo confirmed as next
president after official results released

Greg Jennett in Jakarta, wires
Updated Wed 23 Jul 2014, 10:35am AEST

Joko Widodo has been declared the winner of Indonesia's presidential election
and will take office in October.

The election commission has declared that Mr Widodo won the poll with almost
71 million votes or just over 53 per cent.

The former military general Prabowo Subianto received 62.5 million votes or
46.8 per cent.

Mr Subianto had thrown the final declaration
into confusion with an attempt to withdraw
from the process at the 11th hour.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-22/
indonesia-election-winner-announced/5616014



In the news (contd)...
International politics is everywhere

We will go behind the news of world affairs and understand
the deeper structural and political changes and challenges
that are confronting citizens, states and non-state actors in our
increasingly interconnected world.

We will explore the actors, institutions, dynamics and key
debates that make up contemporary international politics.


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Overview of lecture
What is International Politics? Why study it?

What do you need for this subject?

Lectures, tutorials

Overview of lecture program

The evolution of the study of international politics

Assessment
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What is International Politics?
Interactions across state borders of state and non-state
actors
Sometimes referred to as world or global politics
Or international relations

International politics as a chess game...
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Why study International Politics?
International politics is relevant!
Many issues span state borders
Many local events have a global dimension
To understand / analyse / shape government decisions
You may have other reasons to discuss in tutorials
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Peter Nicholson
www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au
What you need
The Subject Guide please download and read!
(available on LMS: www.lms.unimelb.edu.au )

The Tutorial Guide please download and read!
(available on LMS)

The Textbook: Baylis, Smith & Owens, 6
th
edition,
2014 (available at the Co-Op bookshops)
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This edition features 35 new international
case studies including: Gaza Freedom
Flotilla, Sudanese civil war, drones, rise
of China, Occupy movement, and Syrian
Revolution
Extra student resources available online
A valuable resource throughout your
entire degree


Available from Co-op bookshop at $76.95 (non-members) or $71.56 (members)
INTS10001
International Politics

Essential text:
The Globalization of World Politics
Lectures
Monday and Thursday, 11am and 3.15pm
(The 3.15 lecture is a repeat)
Mon 11am: Copland Theatre, The Spot (Bus & Eco building)
Mon 3.15pm: GM15, Law building
Thurs 11am: GM15, Law building
Thurs 3.15pm: Public Lecture Theatre (PLT), Old Arts building

Lecture capture recordings available...
but you should still come to class!
We cant guarantee quality and
that it will always work. And guest
lecturers may not use it.

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Tutorials (start next week!)
You should be registered for tutorials (which start
next week) and attend the tutorial in which you are registered (use
the Student Portal)

Finding your tutorial: do a search in the Unimelb website or go to
http://maps.unimelb.edu.au/parkville/building

Tutorial attendance: You must attend 75% or
8 out of 11 tutorials to pass the subject!

Before class: Prepare the relevant readings (refer Tutorial Guide)
and consider the discussion questions

In class: participate actively in discussion its a clich but you
get out what you put in
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Your tutors
Head tutor: David Duriesmith

Tutors: Aleks Deejay, David Duriesmith, Sahar
Ghumkhor, Maryse Helbert, Samantha Jones, Rheya
Linden, Margherita Matera, Hussein Mohamud

Contact details available on LMS and in Subject Guide

School policy: Tutors can be contacted by email and will
reply on a timely basis during business hours only

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Lets have a look at LMS!
www.lms.unimelb.edu.au

(Use your central University username and password to log
in and access LMS pages for all your subjects)
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Part A: Historical Context and
Theories of World Politics
1. Introduction and Historical Context

2. Realism

3. The Cold War, the End and its Shadow (Dr Timothy Lynch)

4. Liberalism

5. Normative approaches to international
relations (Dr Terry Macdonald)

6. Constructivist and Critical Approaches
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Part B: Sovereignty, Security and
Power
7. Nuclear weapons in international politics with a
little bit about Australia (Prof Richard Tanter)

8. Sovereignty and the state

9. Australia-Indonesia: shifting asymmetries of power
(Prof Richard Tanter)

10. Security in international relations (Dr David Duriesmith)

11. Terrorism and globalisation





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Part B: Sovereignty, Security and
Power (contd)
12. International organisations: The United Nations

13. Is America in Decline? (A/Prof Timothy Lynch)

14. China and India as Global Actors

15. Regionalism: The case of Southeast Asia

16. International Political Economy



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Part C: Contemporary Issues in
International Politics
17. Gender and conflict (Dr David Duriesmith)

18. The global politics of climate change
(Prof. Robyn Eckersley)

19. Human Rights

20. Humanitarian Intervention
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C. Contemporary Issues in
International Politics (contd)
21. Europe in Crisis (Prof. Philomena Murray)

22. Is the European Union a Global Actor? (Prof. Philomena
Murray)

23. Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migration

24. Conclusions
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Is America in Decline?
What kind of power matters?
Are we moving to a
multipolar world?
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How can we
address threats
such as nuclear
weapons and
terrorism?
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Are China and
India rising
powers? Future
superpowers?
Do borders matter?
What new agendas?
What about identities?
Whose narratives?
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International Politics the
traditional view

States are the key actors in international politics

Primary focus on high politics
(security, diplomacy), and
international political economy

Borders matter!


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Power, conquest and territory in
Game of Thrones
International Politics the traditional view

States: sovereign, self-governing, territorially delimited political
communities or polities (Baylis et al, 23).

Sovereignty: the principle that within its territorial boundaries, the
state is the supreme political authority, and that outside those
boundaries the state recognises no higher political authority
(Baylis et al).
The principle of sovereignty is
enshrined in the UN Charter.


(We will talk more about sovereignty
and the state in Lecture 8.)




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Some key turning points
1989 the end of the Cold War
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World War II (1939-45)
Key events/developments shaping
international politics
Major wars (esp. WWI, WWII, Cold War)

Increased attention to the ability of the state to harm its own citizens
(Holocaust, genocides, other human rights violations)

Proliferation of international organisations (e.g. UN and its
agencies, WTO, IMF) and international treaties (e.g. human rights
conventions)

Challenges to the state-centric nature of international politics e.g.
economic interdependence; movement of people, goods, services
and capital across borders; rise of non-state actors


Punctuating one slow
transformation
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International Politics today
Covers a bigger canvas, including:

state and nonstate actors and organisations

international and transnational interactions

questions of order, stability and justice

traditional and new agenda issues (previously considered low
politics issues such as human rights, environment, refugees, role
of gender)

National security plus matters of common or global concern

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Assessment
1. 1,000 word essay 25% 4pm Monday 1 September 2014
2. 2,000 word essay 50% 4pm Monday 6 October 2014
3. 1,000 word take-home exam 25% 4pm Thursday 6 November 2014

(Posted on the LMS site at 12pm
on Monday 3 November 2014)
Note: late penalty 10% per day!
You must submit all pieces of work to pass the subject.
(More details available in Subject Guide)
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How will you be examined?
Your ability to address the question

Your ability to construct and clearly communicate an argument

Your ability to engage critically with the issues and the relevant
scholarly literature

Your ability to structure the essay

Amount and quality of research

Correct spelling, and grammar and presentation

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Advice on Research
Use the Subject Guide as a starting point

Read a wide variety of sources, online and offline (journal
articles, books, official reports etc)

Note list of International Politics weblinks on LMS

Google Information Idol? Ranking based on frequency of
hits, not quality of information

Wikipedia not refereed; use only as a first port of call; do
not quote always go to original source
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Please.
Regularly check your University email

Email etiquette: tutors will respond within 48 hours, during
business hours

Come to lectures and tutorials on time

Turn your phone off or to silent
during class

Thank you!


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A word about lectures
The main purpose of lectures should be
not to convey huge amounts of information,
but to inspire learning outside the classroom

Michael E. Smith, Professor of Politics
and International Relations, University
of Aberdeen
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And finally

Use the Twitter hashtag #INTS10001 to share relevant articles, news
items, ideas


We do not covet anything from any nation except
their respect. Winston Churchill

A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.
Mahatma Gandhi

You cant be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps
if you have some kind of a football team or some nuclear weapons, but
at the very least you need a beer.
Frank Zappa
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