The emergence of the modern world system has radically altered the nature of politics. In developed countries control of foreign and military policy has shifted from rulers to the people. The traditional view that foreign affairs should remain the exclusive preserve of elites has given way to a belief that all citizens should have some knowledge of international issues and should be involved in their shaping. Increasingly the study of international relations has merged with the study of domestic politics. It is no longer possible to distinguish the international political domain from the political or power processes in civil society and the internationally organized anarchic world of states, as exemplified by Keohane and Nye’s concept of “transnational relations.”
The study of international politics covers both the interactions of individual governments with each other and their interactions with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). There is a growing awareness that the globalization process has created the need for cooperation between all entities. This requires a new form of politics, one that reaches beyond the state as the dominant actor to include other institutions and groups.
Nevertheless, there are some important differences between the international and the domestic realms of politics. The need for sovereignty remains an inescapable fact for many state actors. There is still a need for governmental control over the use of force in the event of war or other forms of violence. Moreover, even the most cosmopolitan societies instill a sense of belonging to the nation and place loyalty to it above all other affiliations.