Case 2, Sept. 24 -- International relations (IR) has traditionally placed states at the centre of world politics. Networks provide an alternative way to understand how actors construct and engage with the 'international'. Networks represent the way through which state and Non-State actors (NSA) come into relations with each other through communication, information sharing, and connection building.

Keck and Sikkink describe networks as organisations characterised by "voluntary, reciprocal and horizontal exchanges of communication" (p 91). Such connections are channelised through a dense web of relations both formally and informally bringing new ideas, norms and discourse together across multiple levels.

This emphasis on interconnectednes...