Whether you’re a diplomat, lobbyist or business leader, your work has global impact. Studying international relations (IR) helps you develop the skills and knowledge needed to understand how people, policies and ideas move across borders. You’ll also gain a greater awareness of the backgrounds, beliefs and perspectives of different cultures around the world. This can have a positive effect on international cooperation and understanding.
The field of IR is broad and dynamic, examining issues like war, peace, trade, environment and migration. Contemporary topics like those seen in the daily news reshape the discipline, demonstrating the importance of understanding these global interactions. International IR decisions, however, don’t just impact governments; they influence every person on earth.
IR scholars explore theories to help explain these global phenomena. IR is closely connected to other academic disciplines, including political science, geography, economics, history, law, sociology and philosophy. It uses a range of theoretical frameworks, including realism, liberalism and constructivism to analyze patterns of state behaviour and global events.
A major focus of IR is the concept of sovereignty. This is the idea that a sovereign nation is the ultimate arbiter of its own internal and external affairs, but is not without obligations to other states, individuals and the global community. This perspective helped to establish the principle that foreign policy should be a shared responsibility and concern of the public. It was a principle articulated by President Woodrow Wilson in his Fourteen Points, following the devastating devastation of World War I.