UNIT12: International Relations

1
UNIT12International Relations

• Discussion Limited to Influence of Science and
  Technology on
•   Political
• Economic, and
• Social International Relations
•  

2
Political Relations Technology and Colonialism

• Globalization of international relations began
  between 1500 and 1800. European colonialist
  inroads in Asia, Africa, and the Americas were
  facilitated by the invention or adaptation of the
  following.
•  
• Clock
• Compass
• Gunpowder
• Cannon
• Improvements in Ship Design
•  
• Iron hulled steam ships of the 19th century
  enabled greater geographical penetration into
  Africa and Asia expanding European imperialism in
  those continents.

3
Political Relations Technology of the 19th
Century

• The following technological improvements of the
  19th century led to a revolution in imperialism.
•  
• Rifling
• Percussion Cap
• Cylindrical-conoidal bullet
• Breechloading
• Metal Cartridges
• Smokeless Explosives
• Magazines and
• Repeating Mechanisms

4
Political Relations Technology of the 19th
Century (continued)

• Later developments including machine guns and
  mushrooming bullets decimated resisters in
  Africa, Asia and India.
•  
• Ironically, technology eventually played an
  important part in the demise of political
  colonialism. The miniaturization and mobility of
  many modern weapons and weapon systems made it
  impossible to prevent their diffusion. Thus
  colonialist advantages in military technology
  proved short lived.

5
Technology and Contemporary Revolutions with
International Components

• Iran 1979 Shiite Revolution
•  
• Soviet Union 1989 Glasnost and Perestroika
•  
• East Germany
•  
• Romania

6
Science Technology and War in the 20th Century

• Weapons technology of the 20th century (poison
  gas, fighter planes, tanks) caused major
  nation-states to link their national civilian
  scientific and technological enterprises with
  their respective military establishments.
•  
• In World War II thousands of German and American
  physicists and engineers were mobilized by their
  governments and developed V-2 rockets, proximity
  fuses, and radar.
•  
• In the U. S. it was the atomic bomb. Many contend
  that this single development has had greater
  influence on international relations than any
  other. One effect was the initiation of an arms
  race that is unequaled in history. It caused
  billions of dollars from the budgets of several
  countries to be directed toward military defense.

7
The Growing Pressure to Internationalize
Political Decision Making 

• Scientific and Technological innovation and the
  consequences of it have caused pressure to
  internationalize the political decision making
  process.
•  
• International Government Policy is being focused
  increasingly on issues engendered by scientific
  and technological activity.
•  
• Environmental Alteration (rain forest, acid
  rain, global warming)
• Population Control
• Outer Space
• Food
• Discuss Montreal Protocol and Kyoto Accord

8
International Economic Relations

• Technology Transfer
•  
• 1. Technology transfer within the disciplines of
  Science and Technology
•  
• 2. Technology may be transferred within a
  societal level from one geographic location to
  another , usually for economic gain
•  
• 3. Technology may be transferred from one
  societal level to another societal level both
  intranationally and internationally, ostensibly
  for development.

9
Assumptions about the Transfer of Technology

• 1. Any technology may be transferred, regardless
  of the definition used for Technology. Whether
  or not it should be transferred, however, is an
  entirely different matter.
•  
• 2. Regardless of the purpose of the transfer, a
  technology always involves the introduction of
  new technology to an area, place, position, or
  process where it was not previously being
  applied.
•  
• 3. By its very definition, a transfer will
  result in a change in process, product, power,
  attitude, desires, etc.
•  
• 4. For a transfer of technology to be viable in
  a new situation, a process of adoption and
  diffusion is necessary.

10
Profiles of Adopter Types

• 1. Innovators First individuals to adopt
• 2. Early adopters Younger, more educated, many
  are leaders in the community.
• 3. Early Majority First large group of
  adopters usually represents the upper middle
  class of the community
• 4. Majority This group represents the middle
  class of a local society and constitutes the
  followers rather than the leaders. This group
  accepts a new or transferred technology only
  after it has been established as significantly
  better than older technology.
• 5. Non-adaptors Outside the mainstream of
  society, steadfastly adhere to old methods even
  though another may be undeniably better.

11
Technology Transfer Problems

• 1. Technology and Technics
•  
• 2. The Embeddedness of Technology
•  
• 3. Incompatibility of Transferred Technic and
  SCES of Recipient
•  
• 4. Terms of Transfer

12
Social Relations

• Alex Inkles seven concepts for characterizing
  emerging social structures.
•  
• Autarky self contained, self sustaining,
  sociocultural system
•  
• Interconnectedness frequency of communication
  interaction. Communications and Transportation
  led to exponential increase in worldwide
  interconnectedness.
•  
• Dependence Reliance on item exchange that is
  more or less indispensable to the survival of a
  system. U.S. reliance on Middle East oil.
•  
• Integration formerly autonomous unit surrenders
  vital function to another
• Hegemony forced integration - colonialism