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Define International Relations. Demonstrate, with Examples, the Significance of International Relations to National Development

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Define International Relations. Demonstrate, with Examples, the Significance of International Relations to National Development
DEFINE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. DEMONSTRATE, WITH EXAMPLES, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS TO NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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As the world gets smaller and smaller due to technological advancement, people from places that are geographically far apart are increasingly getting into contact with one another at a frequency that was never experienced before. So intimate has been the contact that an event in one society may have a global impact. The world has people of different races, ethnic groupings, tribes and beliefs. The increased human contact means having constant encounters with people of different social orientation from us and clashes in such a set up are inevitable.
Due to that global massive human contact, the value of peaceful and cooperative relationships between nations is getting even more important. That is when international relations come to the fore.
International relations is a public policy and academic field that focuses on the relationships among members of the international system. It includes the relationships among and between countries, societies, inter-governmental organizations, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations. It has grown bigger to encompass even human relations among different nationalities at interpersonal level.
“International relations is the study of the interactions among the various actors that participate in the international politics, including states, internationals organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), subnational entities like bereucracies and local governments, and individuals”. (Mingst K. A 2008: 2)
International relations is a multidisciplinary field that seeks to understand a variety of global issues, foreign affairs and the geopolitical interactions of nations and states within the international system. International relations draws upon the expertise from diverse fields of social science, including geography, history, sociology,



Bibliography: Economic Commission for Africa: Economic Report on Africa 2002: Tracking performance and progress, ehow.com International Monetary Fund: Comesa and SADC: Prospects and challenges for regional integration, ehow.com Kyamalase et al (2006), Economic integration and development in Africa. Mingst K.A, (2008), Essentials of International Relations, W Norton and Company Inc, USA. Perkins H C, (1985) International Relations, Houghton Miffin Company, USA. Zimbabwe Constitution, Government Printers, Zimbabwe.

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