The Sociology of International Relations: A Trend Report and Bibliography.

The article discusses sociology of international relations. The existing studies in the sociology of international relations fall into three main clusters. In the first place, there is some structure and some regularity of pattern in the international field that is non-political. International non-governmental organizations are the best example, but there are also purely sociological aspects of the functioning of international secretariats of the United Nations, its Specialized Agencies and regional bodies like the Organization of American States. A second cluster consists of studies that look upward from domestic social structure toward foreign policy and beyond. Studies of the positions taken by different social classes or different religious groups in relation to the Cold War or to the United Nations are representative. Sociological analysis gives explanatory clues to the relationships found. The third cluster of studies is centered on the effects of transnational experience on domestic attitudes and social structure. It is unfortunate that such studies often stop with the analysis of attitudes rather than attempting to discover the effects on behavior and relationships.