What is International Relations?
International relations is the study of how the different actors of the international community interact with one another on a daily basis. While international relations traditionally has examined inter-state relations, the field covers a broad spectrum of political action among the different entities at different levels of analysis. This can be through an examination of relationships on the individual level (leaders), the national level, or the global system level. Throughout this website, you will find detailed information and articles on the field, ranging from topics such as political theory, diplomacy, conflict, human rights, to international politics and the environment (there is also a Facebook page for internationalrelations.org).
This website is dedicated to explaining international relations and all of its facets, and to showing students, scholars, as well as policymakers and practitioners what international relations is all about. This website covers a number of topics. If you click the International Relations Analysis of Current Events link, you will be directed to a page where there are daily analysis on current events in international relations. This is a great place to begin your day thinking about international topics, whether it pertains to economic issues, regional politics, or actions involvement international organizations.
This site will help you be able to understand what is international relations, through rich discussion, and many pages related to the overall topic of global affairs on this website. For example, on the website, we have created a specific section that is earmarked for a discussion on international relations theory. Here, there will be postings as well as reading recommendations on theories such as realism, liberalism, constructivism, feminism, and economic dependency theory. Students and scholars will be able to read up on the characteristics of these different theories as they relate to explaining how the world works. Furthermore, there are also book and article references so that students can expand upon their studies, if they want to read more on that particular topic.
But along with discussions of theory, another section of the website will deal with other common themes in the discipline. Namely, on our website, we have written many articles that include, but are not limited to overarching themes of human rights, international organizations (with pages on the United Nations, the IMF, World Bank, the WTO), as well as other regional and thematic topics such as multinational corporations, environmental issues, and the topic of nuclear weapons.
In addition, we have many other in-depth articles that include a detailed 17,000 word and counting article analyzing the complexities of the Syrian conflict from the perspective of international relations. We also have an 11000+ word article on the Libyan Civil War, which continues to be updated as new developments arise. As the reader will notice, many of our research articles are in-depth analyses on international issues.
Along with the section on theory, as well as more thematic articles in international relations, we have also created a section devoted specifically to regional politics as it relates to international affairs. Here we shall discuss oft-cited themes in the relations of states in East Asia, South-East and Central Asia, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Subsaharan Africa, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, South America, and North America. We will continue to add pages under these headings, so always feel free to come back to see our new and updated articles.
Each section within the website will provide an overview to the theme and/or region, and the subsequent sub-linked pages will go into more depth on that said topics. As you can see, these articles are very detailed, and use numerous scholarly sources throughout the text. This is important, given that we want to ensure that the information presented is accurate, and that the debates on topics include voices from experts in their respective fields or subfields. Our objective is not to address an issue from the surface, but to delve in and provide rich and detailed description and analysis.
In addition to these different features that the website has to offer, on our site, there is also a section where we will analyze contemporary international relations events that are reported on in the news. Here, we will add detailed stories and analysis on current international political issues outside of more fixed pages. We believe this is useful for students and scholars, as they will be able to read about current events–either here or on news sites, and then they can see our analysis, as well as find other related pages of information that can help them better understand what is transpiring in that current event. So, feel free to visit this page, as well as using the search function to type in any international relations keyword(s) that you are interested in learning more about.
While it is important to read the news, it is equally important that one analyzes what is happening, using theories and frameworks that have been developed by scholars in the discipline, and in related disciplines.
Along with all of these features that we provide, the website will also contain book reviews, as well as articles on graduate school as it relates to international relations, foreign affairs, and international affairs. The website will also provide additional links to employment websites for those interested in a career in the discipline. We answer questions like “what you can do with a degree in international relations,” as well as a discussion on a “masters degree in international relations.”
Our goal is to make www.internationalrelations.org the go-to website for detailed discussions about topics in global and international affairs.
With regards to the articles, all of the content on the website is written by a Dr. Fait Muedini, who is the Frances Shera Fessler Professor of International Studies at Butler University. Muedini has earned a Ph.D. in Political Science, and specializes in international relations, international affairs, and international studies. He has also written many peer-reviewed articles, books, and policy pieces related to international affairs and international relations issues.
We want to ensure that you have an accurate and detailed answer to the question “what is international relations.” We want this to be a hub for knowledge on international issues, and a place where people can come to learn about the field of international relations for a beginner, or an international relations expert. Feel free to continue to visit our site, since we are always updating the website with new content as events continue to unfold in the international system.
And if you have any questions, or you would like to speak with us, feel free to reach out through our contact us page. We would be happy to hear from you, and are always looking for ways to provide more for the reader, and continue to be a top authority site on international relations issues in the world.