This unit reviews the historical development of the international system, focusing on the structure of the United Nations and the problems posed by nuclear weapons. In this context, it examines the core issue of the extent to which a norm of sovereign independence and non-intervention has defined the contemporary international system, and considers whether such a norm is now fundamentally challenged. The first part of the unit examines the structure of the international system that evolved in the twentieth century, and the implications of the end of the Cold War. The second part examines how contemporary challenges in world politics impinge upon traditional assumptions of sovereign state... -- Course Website
Instructor: Associate Professor Roderic Pitty
