When did International Relations Begin?

The beginning of IR is often traced back to 1648 when the Treaty of Westphalia was signed. But setting the Treaty of Westphalia as the starting point in IR is a very Western way of analysing the discipline that is not fully accurate, as it would rather have to be considered from a global and historical perspective. Therefore, we will evidence that International Relations are based on interaction (through the means of war, diplomacy, trade and culture). And that even though the Treaty of Westphalia has created the modern framework for International Relations, interactions among social groups started way before. Its beginning can indeed be established to when the first city-states began to rise and interact, and more specifically, in the Sumerian city-states. Consequently, this video aims at exposing, not only that IR began way before 1648, but also that Sumerian city-states were the first political units to have the interactions that define IR, and unwillingly created International Relations. SOURCES Berger, Eugene, Charlotte Miller and George L. Israel. “Sumerian City-States”. In World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500. Dahlonega, Georgia: University of North Georgia Press, 2016. pp. 26-31. Buzan, Barry, and Richard Little. International systems in world history: remaking the study of international relations. Princeton, N.J.: Oxford University Press, 2000. Crawford, Harriet. Sumer and the Sumerians. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511816208. Williams, Michael.C 2013. In The Beginning: The International Relations Enlightenment And The Ends Of International Relations Theory. Ebook. European Journal of International Relations. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/.... Geoffrey Evans. "Review: From the Tablets of Sumer." Review of From the Tablets of Sumer, by Samuel Noah Kramer, The Australian Quarterly 29, 1957. Accessed November 1, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41317869. Gilbert, Arthur N. “International Relations and the Relevance of History.” (International Studies Quarterly 12), no. 4 (1968): 351-59. Accessed November 15, 2020. doi:10.2307/3013522. Kayaoglu, Turan. “Westphalian Eurocentrism in International Relations Theory.” (International Studies Review) 12, no. 2 (2010): 193-217. Accessed November 10, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40730727. Kramer, Samuel B. “The Sumerians: their history, culture and character.” Chicago, United States: The University of Chicago Press, 1963. https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchi.... Mark, Joshua J. "Sumer”. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 28, 2011. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://www.ancient.eu/sumer/. McLean, Iain, and Alistair McMillan. 2009. "International Relations". The Concise Oxford Dictionary Of Politics. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/.... Onion, Amanda, Missy Sillivan and Matt Mullen. “Sumer”. HISTORY, December 6, 2017. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://www.history.com/topics/ancien... Osiander, Andreas. “Sovereignty, International Relations, and the Westphalian Myth.” International Organization 55, no. 2 (2001): 251-87. Accessed October 15, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3078632. Rosenberg, Justin. 2010. "‘The Origins Of International Relations’". Uneven And Combined Development. https://unevenandcombineddevelopment..... Terborch, Gerard. Peace of Westphalia: The Swearing of the Oath of Ratification of the Treaty of Münster. 1648. London, National Gallery. http://ghdi.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?... By Clara Bou Dalmau, Paula Jané Totusaus & Sara Flaux Visent