The english school in IR

Class presentation By Khadija Ait Slimane 11/01/2022

Image retrieved from www.ilimvemedeniyet.com 1

Intro

Unlike many theories that claim a certain sector of the subject of International Relations, the English
school provides a holistic approach to the subject, attempting to see the world as a whole.

It gives importance and studies IR inside historical contexts and it is considered as a middle ground of
realism and liberalism

English school theory is built around establishing distinctions between three key concepts: international
system, international society and world society.

Resources: International Relations Theory Stephen McGlinchey, e-international relations website.

Terminology

Institution
According to English school of thought, ‘institutions’ refer to long-term practices among states
(such as diplomacy, law and war) rather than to international bureaucratic structures
(organisations) that may be established to facilitate state interaction.

To refer to international organisations, the English school uses the term

‘pseudo-institutions’ or ‘secondary institutions’ to show that the effectiveness of international
organisations depends on the function of an international society’s primary institutions.

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The three key concepts

Image retrieved from Cambridge University Press via Google search

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The three key concepts

International System
Being formed ‘when two or more states have sufficient contact between
them and have sufficient impact on one another’s decisions to cause them
to behave as parts of a whole.’ According to this definition, the international
system is mainly about power politics among states whose actions are
conditioned by the structure of international anarchy. (Hedley Bull 1977, 9–
10) For example- North Korea as an isolated country is only a part of the
international system.

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The three key concepts

International society –a community of states

An international society exists when a group of like-minded states

‘conceive themselves to be bound by a common set of rules in their
relations with one another and share in the working of common
institutions.’
(Bull 1977, 13). In other words, international society is about creating and
maintaining shared norms, rules and institutions. For example the
European Union and its state members.
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The three key concepts

world society

world society is more fundamental than international society because ‘the

ultimate units of the great society of all mankind are not states … but
individual human beings’ (Bull 1977, 21). Thus, world society transcends
the state system and takes individuals, non-state actors and ultimately the
global population as the focus of global societal identities and
arrangements. For example the Global community of individuals from
different parts of the world.

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Eu as a case study to explain the key concepts of English school

International society

The Eu with all the European member states that share the same agenda. Plus the neighbouring
countries that agreed on , apply and incorporate the values, norms, conditions and policies of the
Eu.

International System

When one member state part from the Eu and its policies and agreements, it results in a shift from
being a part of the International Society to only being a part of the international system in respect
to the EU.

World society

This includes all the human individuals inside the Eu and on a global level that share and support
each other about common issues and values.
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Limitation/ conclusion

I did not include a detailed historical background and development of the

school. Also, the grand names and the contributions that the school have
had in the field of international relations. In addition to that, the
methodology and the key debates within the school such as pluralism and
solidarism were not regarded in the presentation. The absence of
familiarity with the field and the factor of time led to discussing the
subject in a nutshell instead of covering and provide an overall and in-
depth presentation about the subject.
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Thank you for your attention

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