Cultural Perspective and New Trends in the Study of International Relations History
2023-10-30
The study of the history of international relations (diplomatic history) is a branch of modern historiography that emerged after World War I and developed after World War II. It has grown into a magnificent branch of research in today's era, and has also had many intersections and dialogues with the study of international relations (international political studies). The main research period in the history of international relations focuses on modern times, especially the 20th century. From a national perspective, studying the history of international relations before World War II has attracted more attention from domestic and foreign academic circles to European countries and Japan; The focus of studying the history of international relations after World War II and the Cold War period is on the United States. There are two dominant perspectives and methods in the study of the history of international relations. One is from the perspective of security, in which the core topic of international relations history research is the issue of war and peace, mainly exploring geopolitics, alliances, deterrence, war, and the conclusion of treaties. Specifically, the origins of the two world wars and the construction of post-war order, the US Soviet Cold War and nuclear deterrence, the alliance system of camp confrontation, the transfer of world hegemony, and international organizations represented by the League of Nations and the United Nations are the main objects of discussion from this perspective. The other is from an economic perspective, with the core idea of exploring the relationship between the capitalist economic system and international politics in history, mainly exploring the competition of Western powers for resources, markets, and transportation routes, the establishment of the international economic system, and foreign economic assistance. Specifically, colonial and hegemonic wars surrounding land and oil resources (such as the history of major powers dividing Africa and Western powers vying for the Middle East), international conflicts and crises surrounding transportation hubs such as the Suez Canal and Panama Canal, the construction of the world economic system such as the Bretton Woods System, the Dawes and Young Plans, the Marshall Plan, and the operation of the Paris Coordinating Committee, among other economic and diplomatic phenomena, It is a topic frequently discussed by scholars. The above two dominant perspectives mostly adopt a realistic approach, with political science and international political economy as the main research methods and disciplinary resources. Both view government decision-makers as rational computational actors, subject to the needs of national security and material interests, and thus make reasonable diplomatic choices. Both of these explanatory perspectives were once popular and still have a significant impact today. But in the past thirty years, a new approach - cultural perspectives and methods - has emerged. In terms of social factors, firstly, the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War brought unprecedented attention to the power of cultural factors in the history of international relations; Secondly, the reasons behind the "9/11 Incident" and the decline in the global reputation of the United States caused by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have made the academic community aware of the importance of "soft power"; Finally, since the beginning of the new century, the United States has faced an increasingly severe social tear, and the international academic community naturally pays attention to the issue of cultural identity in international relations. In terms of academia, scholars are increasingly aware that cultural factors such as values and ideas have a significant negative impact on a country's security and economic aspirations. Following this approach, it can be seen that the state and ethnic community are also a state of mind, and the relationship between countries is inevitably a process of interaction between various versions of values. Influenced by the dual factors mentioned above, cultural perspectives and methods have begun to gain popularity internationally
Edit:Luo yu Responsible editor:Wang xiao jing
Source:GMW.cn
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