International Relations

International relations (IR) or international affairs, depending on academic institution, is either a field of political science, an interdisciplinary academic field similar to global studies, or an entirely independent academic discipline in which students take a variety of internationally focused courses in social science and humanities disciplines. In all cases, the field studies relationships between political entities (polities) such as sovereign states, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), other non-governmental organizations (NGO International relations (IR) or international affairs, depending on academic institution, is either a field of political science, an interdisciplinary academic field similar to global studies, or an entirely independent academic discipline in which students take a variety of internationally focused courses in social science and humanities disciplines. In all cases, the field studies relationships between political entities (polities) such as sovereign states, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and multinational corporations (MNCs), and the wider world-systems produced by this interaction. International relations is an academic and a public policy field, and so can be positive and normative, because it analyses and formulates the foreign policy of a given state.

As political activity, international relations dates from the time of the Greek historian Thucydides (c. 460–395 BC), and, in the early 20th century, became a discrete academic field (no. 5901 in the 4-digit UNESCO Nomenclature) within political science. In practice, international relations and international affairs forms a separate academic program or field from political science, and the courses taught therein are highly interdisciplinary.

For example, international relations draws from the fields of: technology and engineering, economics, communication studies, history, international law, demography, philosophy, geography, social work, sociology, anthropology, criminology, psychology, gender studies, cultural studies, culturology, and diplomacy. The scope of international relations comprehends globalization, diplomatic relations, state sovereignty, international security, ecological sustainability, nuclear proliferation, nationalism, economic development, global finance, as well as terrorism and organized crime, human security, foreign interventionism, and human rights, as well, as, more recently, comparative religion. ...more

Most Read This Week Tagged "International Relations"

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The Future of Geography: How Power and Politics in Space Will Change Our World

House of Huawei: The Secret History of China's Most Powerful Company

The End of the World Is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization

38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England and a Nazi in Patagonia

Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History

After the Fall: Being American in the World We've Made

Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine

Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit

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International Relations Books

Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis

The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics (Politics of Place, #1)

The Twenty Years' Crisis, 1919-1939: An Introduction to the Study of International Relations

Arms and Influence (The Henry L. Stimson Lectures Series)

Perception and Misperception in International Politics

The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000

Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty

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Lists

The Tragedy of Great Power Politics by John J. Mearsheimer

Disputed Pasts by Cristina Buarque de Hollanda

100 International Relations Classics

65 books — 26 voters

The Destiny of Civilization by Michael Hudson

Sleeping With the Enemy by Edouard Prisse

The Collapse of the Weimar Republic by David Abraham

BPE

21 books — 5 voters

The United States Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934 by Hans R. Schmidt

L'occupation Américaine d'Haiti by Suzy Castor

Books on US Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934

28 books — 6 voters

Femininity, Hypergamy And Leveling Up Books: Non-fiction

57 books — 69 voters

International Relations by Joshua S. Goldstein

Essentials of International Relations by Karen A. Mingst

Foreign Service

3 books — 2 voters

I Love My Doctor, But... by Lawrence W. Gold

No longer a veteran's list for learning about war

28 books — 27 voters

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Quotes Tagged “International Relations”

“ It is the duty of the United Nations, is to make every international border a garden, a place of art and cultural festival. ”
― Amit Ray, Nuclear Weapons Free World - Peace on the Earth

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