International relations (IR) is the study of global politics. It encompasses the relationships between countries, the role of non-governmental organisations in world affairs and the impact of multinational corporations. It has an analytical, policy neutral approach that is concerned with understanding the behaviour of international actors rather than promoting their agenda or prescribing how they should behave.
IR was founded in response to the Great War so it is naturally concerned with why war occurs and how it can be prevented. This remains a key concern for the field, although the discipline has also expanded to cover other kinds of conflict, such as civil wars and religious, ethnic or secessionist conflicts.
The discipline also explores the structure and behaviour of intergovernmental organisations like the UN or the European Union, which are often seen as a counterbalance to the power of the individual nation-state. It is also concerned with how the behaviour of global players is influenced by their environment, which may include cultural and geographic factors as well as economic and technological developments.
There is an emphasis on diplomacy, which can be seen in the way IR scholars debate the concept of ‘balance of powers’ – the idea that no one country should dominate the world and that balance is achieved through alliances to prevent the rise of a hegemon. There is also a growing interest in the concept of diasporas, which describe the dispersed groups of people who share a common language, culture or religion.
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