page_title: International relations
hierarchical_section_title: International relations
context_page_description: International relations or international affairs —commonly also referred to as international studies, global studies, or global affairs —is the study of politics, economics and law on a global level. Depending on the academic institution, it is either a field of political science, an interdisciplinary academic field similar to global studies, or an independent academic discipline that examines social science and humanities in an international context.
  In all cases, international relations is concerned with the relationships between political entities such as sovereign states, inter-governmental organizations, international non-governmental organizations, other non-governmental organizations, and multinational corporations, 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 a political activity, international relations dates from at least the time of Greek historian Thucydides, but emerged as a discrete academic field within political science in the early 20th century.
context_section_description: International relations (IR) or international affairs (IA)—commonly also referred to as international studies (IS), global studies (GS), or global affairs (GA)—is the study of politics, economics and law on a global level. Depending on the academic institution, it is either a field of political science, an interdisciplinary academic field similar to global studies, or an independent academic discipline that examines social science and humanities in an international context.
  In all cases, international relations is concerned with the 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 a political activity, international relations dates from at least the time of Greek historian Thucydides (c. 460–395 BC), but emerged as a discrete academic field within political science in the early 20th century. In practice, international relations and 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 politics, economics, international law, communication studies, history, demography, geography, sociology, anthropology, criminology and psychology. The scope of international relations encompasses issues such as globalization, diplomatic relations, state sovereignty, international security, ecological sustainability, nuclear proliferation, nationalism, economic development, global finance, terrorism, and human rights.
caption: The field of international relations dates from the time of the Greek historian Thucydides.
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