International Relations 101 (#2): Sovereignty

Who are the big actors in international relations? The answer is sovereign states, or the entities that have a monopoly on the use of force within their territory. The notion of sovereignty began in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War.

However, states often violate sovereignty. We will see why they can get away with it next time.

This video was on the longer side of things. I am going to aim to keep them well under ten minutes for the part.

[BaphiaMusic]

anyone else laughed at the notion of Lil B starting a war with Lil A?

[Lax]

I highly encourage those studying IR to read: de Carvalho, Benjamin, Halvard Leira, and John M. Hobson, 'The Big Bangs of IR': The myths that your teachers still tell you about 1648 and 1919', Millennium: Journal of International Studies 39 (3) (2011): 735–758

[SinisterThunder]

Dude. I love you. I have a final in International Relations tomorrow, and these cover all the material in my class. Along with the readings from class, I'm sure I will make an A! Again, love you.

[narutouchiha]

This is outstanding. Well done, William. I am looking forward to watching this whole series.

[chelseakitkatz]

THANK YOU. I’ve watched so many videos covering this topic and still had so many unanswered questions. you answered all of them. THANK YOU!!!!

[Gametheory]

This video is dedicated to Katy Perry.

[TheJawlin]

I love this. I can't wait for the next one. Also, I don't care how long they are, as long as they are explained with ease and the information is legitimate.

[joshuagall]

My lecturers constantly tell me it's a myth that the peace of Westphalia was responsible for the establishment of sovereignty but they have literally never explained why

[thepughasnoname]

Thanks William, this is really helpful. I'm currently studying crashcourses to refresh my memory. Thank you so much :)

[shawnsunghoju]

thank you so much for this video!! im currently studying the international logistics but started to have huge interest in international relations. this video helps me to build the basic knowledge!

[funkyplaya]

I love your videos! Good job!! Keep em' coming!

[premingerscat]

little a and little b just makes so much sense! loved it thankyou !!!

[SamWeed]

you explain stuff better than my professors in my universities, it's simple and yet educational about International Relations, my professors are not wrong at all at explaining IR but sometimes they use a difficult term, analogy, or language to understand.

[jayjayblues]

Thank you! A huge for my exams since I am currently studying International Studies. This makes more sense now for someone like me who isn't into Politics before and just started learning because I am taking a course with politics in it.

[jakeeverts]

So it would seem to me that World War 1 followed the pattern similar to the problem of sovereignty and escalation you've explained. Am I right in thinking that? 

[CliveVedmorePie]

Thanks for posting this, very clear, informative and easy to follow.

[whyclifmoonga]

good and to the point, thank u for the simplification of work for us

[spantibel]

thanks for the video, this really have a great quality. Hope you always share. :)

[rebekahblocker]

to sum up what you said at the end, my professor always says “the strong do what they will, and the weak suffer what they must.”

[Kat-wrdm]

Amazing explanations! I'm hoping your other videos are as clear cut as this one.