Without doubt, the international relations appear at times
bewildering. Students may at times feel that their efforts to understand the
complexities of the international system today are futile. The
task is a difficult one, but it is not futile. It requires patience and
persistence as well as logical inquiry and flexible perspectives.
71. As the examples just given often illustrate, contemporary
international events are regularly interrelated; our task of achieving
understanding is therefore further complicated because seemingly unrelated
events in different areas of the world may over a period of time combine to
affect still other regions of the globe. Events are demonstrably
interdependent, and as we improve our ability to understand the causes of and
reasons behind this interdependence, we will improve our ability to understand
contemporary international relations. How can our task best be
approached Throughout history, analysts of international relations have
differed in their approaches to improving understanding in their field. During
the late 19th and early 20th centuries, for example, the study, of international
relations centered around diplomatic history. Who did what to whom at a
particular time and place were the main features of the method of diplomatic
history. This methodology concentrated on nation-states as the main actors in
international relations and included the study of the major diplomats and
ministers of the period. Detailed accuracy, was required and obtained, but
seldom were causal connections or comprehensive analyses sought.
72. As a means for understanding a particular series of events,
diplomatic history was (and is) excellent; as a means for understanding a
particular sweep of international relations or for developing a theoretical
basis for the study of international relations, diplomatic history was (and is)
of limited utility. Whereas diplomatic history sought to
explain a particular series of events, other methodologies were developed during
the 19th and early 20th centuries that viewed international relations on a
global scale. 73. Strategic and geopolitical analyses,
methodologies in wide use even today, trace their roots to concepts developed by
the U. S. Admiral Alfred Mahan during the late 19th century, and British
geographer Sir Halford Mackinder during the early 20th century. To Mahan the
world’s oceans were its highways, and whoever controlled its highways could
control the course of international relations. Mahan bases most of his analysis
on Great Britain and its Royal Navy. Partly because of the urgings of Mahan, the
United States on Great Britain and its fleet during the late 19th century and
actively sought and acquired territorial possessions in the Pacific Ocean,
including Hawaii, Samoa Guam and the Philippines.