International relations (IR) is the study of how governments and other entities interact with one another across national boundaries. The discipline is often split into two broad categories: security and political economy, with the former dealing with war and peace while the latter encompasses issues like trade and global economics. International relations is also a multidisciplinary subject, and it may be studied within departments of international politics, law and economics.
The concept of sovereignty – that a state has absolute power over its territory and the people who live in it – is at the heart of IR. As a result, decisions made by international leaders can impact people thousands of miles away. For example, the United States’ military might help in times of natural disaster or the country’s restrictions on international commerce can harm foreign economies.
Several theories underpin the study of international relations. Realism, for example, suggests that states are self-interested and operate in an anarchic environment where they cannot predict what other states will do. Institutionalism, on the other hand, argues that cooperation is possible because states share interests and can create positive sum games that benefit them all. It also suggests that multinational corporations and other non-governmental organizations play an important role in forming the global environment, so there is less need for states to maintain independent, unified, sovereign entities.
Feminist IR theory takes the view that men disproportionately dominate the world of politics, and this influences the way that conflict is viewed and dealt with. This can mean that the plight of women and children who bear the brunt of political violence is overlooked, and it can lead to a lack of seriousness about some threats.