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"

Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology

Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company

The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World

Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare

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

More most read this week tagged "international relations"...

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

More international relations books...

Lists

The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

War on the Rocks 2021 Recommendations

84 books — 8 voters

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

Women of Wolfram Camp by Jenny Kroonstuiver

Gender, Agency and Political Violence by Linda Åhäll

Rethinking Political Violence (series)

31 books — 5 voters

Disaster Capitalism by Antony Loewenstein

Private Military/Security Corporations

14 books — 9 voters

The Concept of the Political by Carl Schmitt

Nuclear North Korea’s War Scenarios by Hwee-rhak Park

International Relations

9 books — 3 voters

Nuclear Weapons Free World - Peace on the Earth by Amit Ray

Nobel Peace Prize

19 books — 9 voters

Related Genres

Politics
Political Science
Humanities
Public Policy

Diplomacy
International Development
Polítics

Featured News & Interviews

Readers’ Most Read Books of the Reading Challenge (So Far)

Read »

Quotes Tagged “International Relations”

“ As soon as a Western man comes into contact with the East -- he's already confused. The West has sort of an international rape mentality towards the East. ...Basically, 'Her mouth says no, but her eyes say yes.' The West thinks of itself as masculine -- big guns, big industry, big money -- so the East is feminine -- weak, delicate, poor...but good at art, and full of inscrutable wisdom -- the feminine mystique. Her mouth says no, but her eyes say yes. The West believes the East, deep down, wants ...more ”
― David Henry Hwang, M. Butterfly

33 likes

“ Finally, and even more seriously, I fear a return to the international climate that prevailed in the 1920s and '30s, when the United States withdrew from the global stage and countries everywhere pursued what they perceived to be their own interests without regard to larger and more enduring goals. When arguing that every age has its own Fascism, the Italian writer and Holocaust survivor Primo Levi added that the critical point can be reached “not just through the terror of police intimidation, ...more ”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Fascism: A Warning

8 likes

More quotes...

Videos Tagged “International Relations”

Scene 6 - Todd | Emperor | Chapter 3 | Inside Man

They Said China's Rise Was Over. They're Wrong - Warren H. Lau Talks about his book China's Comeback

Groups Tagged "International Relations"

Reading with Comrades

A space for communists, anarchists, socialists and anti-imperialists to share and discuss readin…more

835 members, last active 8 months ago

CIC International Relations Book Club - Vancouv...

The Canadian International Council (CIC) is Canada’s foreign relations council. It is an indepen…more

[close] The Canadian International Council (CIC) is Canada’s foreign relations council. It is an independent, member-based council established to strengthen Canada’s role in international affairs. The CIC reflects the ideas and interests of a broad constituency of Canadians who believe that a country’s foreign policy is not an esoteric concern of experts but directly affects the lives and prosperity of its citizens. The CIC uses its deep historical roots, its cross-country network, and its active research program to advance debate on international issues across academic disciplines, policy areas, and economic sectors. The CIC’s digital media platform, OpenCanada.org, is Canada’s hub for international affairs. The CIC’s research program is managed by the national office in Toronto. Its 16 branches across Canada offer CIC members speakers’ programs, study groups, conferences, and seminars. This online book club is an initiative of the Vancouver CIC Branch. It will serve as a creative and informal platform for dialogue on international relations and foreign affairs amoung CIC members. We aim to bring this book club alive by linking discussions and books with author speaker events and by hosting club get-togethers at pubs and cafes to discuss the books and issues face-to-face. It is a collaborative forum for CIC members where critical thought is encouraged and every contribution is valued. We read and discuss one book approximately every month (see the line up in on the bookshelf). The week following, the club moderator/s will provide initial discussion prompts to facilitate the online conversation but topics are of course open to whatever interests readers. Book-specific discussions will be held in the folder with the corresponding author name. If you have any suggestions, comments or non-book specific queries regarding the club, please post in the General Discussion forum. The moderator/s will keep you posted on related events and ongoings around Vancouver. Happy Reading!!

16 members, last active 11 years ago

Trump Reading List

A collaborative reading list for understanding, surviving, and fighting in Trump's America. …more

1 member, last active 9 years ago

The irstudies book club

This is the bookclub for www.reddit.com/r/irstudies

13 members, last active 9 years ago

More…