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

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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

Building Power In Babylon by Courtney Sharpe

The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy by Lawrence Freedman

Thinking Historically by Francis J. Gavin

Strategy

25 books — 2 voters

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

Nobel Peace Prize

19 books — 9 voters

Aid Imperium by Salvador Santino Fulo Regil...

Decolonizing Human Rights by Abdullahi Ahmed An-Naim

21 Human Rights Must-Read Academic Books 2021

3 books — 1 voter

America Through the Eyes of China and India by Edward D. Sherman

Best Books about America-India Relations

7 books — 1 voter

International Relations by Joshua S. Goldstein

Essentials of International Relations by Karen A. Mingst

Foreign Service

3 books — 2 voters

History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides

The Fourth Political Theory by Alexander Dugin

International Relations Theory

33 books — 7 voters

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Quotes Tagged “International Relations”

“ International peace negotiations need more value creation than value claiming. The more we create value for peace and development, the easier it is going to be to claim value for a nuclear weapons free world. ”
― Amit Ray, Nuclear Weapons Free World - Peace on the Earth

9 likes

“ But we are only termites on a planet and maybe when we bore too deeply into the planet there'll be a reckoning. Who knows? ...more ”
― Harry S. Truman

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