3/12/2021

OBI-OKAFOR
IFESINACHUK
WU
10314991GE
IRD 107
ASSIGNMENT
QUESTION:
What are the main characteristics of the international system?

The International System

In politics and international relations, It is the global constellation of
states. The term is commonly applied to the international systems of the
Twentieth century and can equally be applied to pre industrial
international state systems. In studies of international politics, the
concept of the international system is used mainly in two ways,
analytical and historical. The “balance of power” system, quite often
cited, is considered to be a variant of the international system, but it
cannot be formalized in a scientific way, either. In contrast, being as a
historical concept, the behaviour codes of the Western State System can
be deciphered to unmask the Western dominance over it, although that
term is not founded on a strict notion of system. The economic
counterpart of this system corresponds to the world system, which is in
many cases interchangeable with the capitalist world economic system.
Meanwhile, the terms of international regimes and global governance
seem to have taken the place of the international system as an academic
key word. This change reflects the transformation in the process of
international relations into international society, although the
international system still holds its position.

Characteristics of the International System

American political scientist, Gabriel Almond, has pointed out five
important characteristics or features of the system. These include:

 Use or threat of use of legal force

 Comprehensiveness
 Interdependence
 Boundary
 Interactions

 
 1. Use or threat of use of legal force: The first characteristic of the
political system is that it allows the legal authority to use force. If
David Easton speaks of “authoritative allocation of values”, Dahl
of “Power, “rule” and authority”. All these definitions imply that
legal authority can use force to compel anybody to obey its orders.
It possesses legitimate and heavy sanctions and rightful power to
punish. Consequently, we have to agree with Max Weber that
legitimate use of force is a distinct feature of the political system,
giving it a special quality and importance, and its unity as a
system. When the state or governments extend certain facilities
then at the same time it possesses power to impose taxes upon the
people and punish those who violate those orders.
2.  Comprehensiveness: This means a system in which all such
structures are included which help in smooth running of the
system. These also include such internal as well as external
pressures which are also essential in maintaining that structure. In
a system there are both input as well as output structures. When
one talks of a political system one includes in that legislature,
executive, judiciary, public services, political parties and also
pressure groups. Not only this, but this includes blood relations,
castes, riots, demonstrations, strikes and all other similar actions
which have bearing on political actions and activities.
3. Inter-dependence:  From inter-dependence, Gabriel Almond
means that when there is some change in the role of some variable
in a system, other roles in the same system also change. This
brings basic changes in the system and stability comes again when
the changing factor is controlled.

According to Almond, “When one variable in a system changes in its

magnitude or in quality, the others are transformed, the system changes
its pattern of performance or the unruly component is disciplined by
regulatory mechanism.”

4. Boundary:  As regards boundary he has said that each system has
some beginning or end. Though it is easy to fix such a limit in the
 case of natural and physical systems, yet it is not possible to do so
in the case of the social system, or in so far as human beings are
concerned. It is because roles usually overlap each-other. The
boundaries of the political system are always subject to a large
number of fluctuations and keep on changing. These immensely
increase when there is war or there are elections. Pressure groups,
lobbies and economic as well as political fluctuations very much
influence boundaries. It, therefore, becomes difficult to find out
where a person begins or ends his actions and activities.
5. Interactions:  Almond in his book, “The Policies of Developing
Areas”, writes: “Political system is that system of interactions to be
found in all independent societies which perform the functions of
integration and adaptation (both internally and vis-a-vis other
societies) by means of the employment or threat of employment or
more or less legitimate physical compulsion”. Thus the political
system not only includes governmental institutions such as
legislatures, executives, courts, administrative agencies but all
structures in their political aspect. Among these are formal
organisations like parties, interest groups, and media of
communication; traditional structures such as kinship ties, caste
groupings, anomic phenomena such as associations, riots and
demonstrations. Consequently, the political system includes
interaction between all the formal and informal institutions. The
process of interaction is divided into three phases – input,
conversion and output. The Indian Constitution reflects the various
interactions as many amendments were brought about to bring out
Zamindari abolition and socialism and remove poverty.

However, Almond has given yet another set of characteristics of a

political system. These are:
(1) There is universality of the political system. It means that a political
system exists everywhere.
(2) Every political system performs the same functions, though there
may be differences in the different political systems and their structures.
(3) Every political system has some structures. It is possible that there
may be some specialised structures which may perform more functions
than the less specialised structures.
(4) Every political system is mixed in the sense of culture because the
system can be more advanced or less advanced.
(5) Every political system is multi-functional and performs a number of
functions irrespective of the degree of specialisation.
REFERENCES
I. Almond G.A. (1989). The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations
[Little, Brown series in comparative politics ]. 
II. Kaplan M. A. (1957). System and Process in International Politics, 242 pp. New York: 
III. John Wiley. [A pioneering work in systemic approaches to international politics.] 
IV. Kōsaka M. (1978). Koten-Gaikō no Seijuku to Hōkai (The Development, Maturity and
Demise of Classical Diplomacy), 357 pp. Tokyo: Chūō Kōronsha. [In Japanese.]
[Historical and theoretical analysis of the balance of power.]
V. Haas E. B. (1953). The balance of power, prescription, concept, or propaganda? World
Politics 5(4), 442– 477. [A well-balanced discussion on the balance of power.]