Free International Relations Essay Examples & Topics
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The modern world is deeply interconnected. The relationships between nation-states, non-governmental organizations, and multinational corporations are quite complex. International relations (or IR for short) are exactly the study of those relationships. They are concerned with issues such as global politics and foreign policy, as well as many others.
To write an international relations essay, you should learn about different theoretical frameworks. These theories help understand the interactions between states, the purpose of policies, the history of international systems, etc. Some of the main types of international relations theories are as follows:
Realism deals with “real life.” It attempts to emphasize the importance of national and international security. The fields that are studied most within this theory are history, political science, and economics.
Constructivism analyzes constructed state identities. It is involved with cultural studies as well as sociology and social policy.
Finally, Marxism is the theory that mainly concerns itself with inequalities and socioeconomic imbalances. It is most critical of the international capitalist system and attempts to deconstruct class struggle and marginalization.
It is easy to see why international relations are important. With such a broad subject matter, it is also easy to get lost. That’s why our experts have compiled several international relations essay topics here. We have also collected useful advice and samples for you to study.
How to Pick an International Relations Essay Topic
An appropriate topic is a fundamental part of a successful international relations essay. Considering the possible ideas, selecting an area that is outside your expertise can be detrimental. Therefore, we have created a guide to making the right choice for your assignment.
To pick the right topic, try these steps:
Brainstorm ideas.
One of the vital steps in writing any academic work is the first one. Before conducting any research, write down the ideas that are already present in your mind. Maybe you already have a particular area you want to talk about. For example, you can explore feminism or state sovereignty. Rely on what you know best and what interests you most.
Check credible sources.
Once you have a general idea of what you want to focus on, it is time to find sources. Your best bet is to concentrate on works by established authors in the field of IR (e.g., Alexander Wendt). Of course, you may also rely on websites from well-known organizations. Look for reports and articles online. Check that the information you are acquiring is recent and up to date.
Make sure your ideas aren’t too broad…
With IR being such a multidisciplinary field, it is easy to get swarmed by thoughts. Just remember that you still have a word limit to follow! Writing an essay on climate change and international relations may be way too extensive of a subject. Instead, focus on something feasible yet related – like the Green Theory.
…But also not too specific!
At the same time, choosing a topic that is way too narrow could prove a challenge in its own right. You could encounter trouble in trying to find credible sources. You may find yourself at a loss for what to do for your next step. In this case, you might want to change the topic before it’s too late!
Strive to research.
If you have an idea that is interesting to you, this step will not be a problem. You need to be motivated to find enough valuable sources and write a high-quality essay. It helps to look at authors with differing points of view. This way, you’ll create a compelling argument.
These recommendations should help you write your IR essay. If you still have trouble choosing the right idea, let our topic generator do that for you.
13 International Relations Topics for Essay
Now that you know how to select the perfect topic for your essay, we can begin to do just that. Below you will find a list of 13 international relations essay topics. They will prove helpful in your homework or exam writing practice.
You can use these ideas:
Green Theory – environmental action in international relations.
How liberalism in British politics led to Brexit.
Idealism vs. realism in global diplomacy.
Technology as the silent factor in international relations.
Economic reasons for the start of World War II.
The International Monetary Fund in political economy.
The end of the Cold War through the perspective of realist theory.
A brief assessment of the International Law.
Regulation of international non-governmental organizations.
The role of soft and hard power in current international relations.
Modern diplomacy between the governments of Russia and China.
Feminist theories in the study of international relations.
A Marxist critique of globalization.
As it stands, this list could go on forever. We hope that we managed to illustrate just how diverse the ideas for an international relations essay could be.
5 International Relations Essay Questions
Even after reading through this step-by-step guide and all the topics, you may still find yourself hesitating. This isn’t surprising. The ideas that must be swirling in your head right now would overwhelm anyone!
Here you will find 5 international relations essay questions that will help direct your workflow:
1. What is the difference between classical realism and neorealism?
Introduce realist theory and outline its evolution. Explain the main ideas behind classical realism and neorealism. What were the reasons for the shift between theories?
2. What is the impact of Brexit on the European Union’s foreign policy?
Explain the concept of Brexit. Evaluate the relationship of the European Union with the UK before Brexit. Using literature, illustrate the difference between the EU foreign policy before and after Brexit.
3. Do multinational corporations exploit developing countries?
Outline what makes a corporation multinational. What makes a country developing? Evaluate the relative harms and benefits of a multinational corporation settling in a developing country. Refer to Marxist theory for that purpose. What do you think can be done to minimize the harm?
4. How useful is the distinction between absolute and comparative advantage?
Summarize the theory behind the terms. Compare and contrast the concepts of absolute and comparative advantage. In your opinion, how important is the difference between the two notions?
5. Is constructivism a valid theory in international relations?
Illustrate the ideas behind constructivism and the evolution of the theory. Contrast constructivism against other well-known frameworks. Justify whether you think it is useful.
We are not underestimating the importance of an international relations essay. It is an extensive and complicated field of study. Despite that fact, we still hope that you managed to find this guide useful! Now proceed to look through some international relations essay examples below.
Thank you for reading!
785 Best Essay Examples on International Relations
The development of technologies and the improvement of business, education, and other services have led to the continuous intercourse between people of various cultures and religions. Huntington introduced the theory that the post-Cold War world [...]
While realism is taken to portray pessimism in the relations between states in the international system, liberalism depicts optimism and positivism in as far as the relations and goals of states in the international system [...]
These conflicts were the areas of open confrontation of interests between the U.S.and the Soviet Union, as they backed up different sides and aimed at reducing the influence of opponents in this part of the [...]
The theories look at the philosophies which shape the relationships between nations and the key interests of the nations which participate in international relations.
The need to replace the League of Nations with the United Nations was largely inspired by the failure of the League of Nations to prevent the outbreak of war among nations.
In fact, it can even be seen today based on the substantial growth of China, the Philippines and various other countries in East Asia that dependency theory is no longer applicable to their current situation.
Without abolishing the nuclear weapons, the danger that will always be there is that more and more states will seek to obtain these weapons and this will eventually lead to an increase in the number [...]
Political nature of the General Assembly and the Security Council hinder the effectiveness of the United Nations in fostering international peace and security.
This has given it a dominant position in the world political arena and it has also influenced how it deals with other nations."The diplomatic affairs of this country are always under the guidance of the [...]
On the other hand, neo-realists say that the system is defined by anarchy and the reaction of states to anarchy is dependent on the power and capability of the state.
This is mainly due to the root cause of the conflict in reference to internal and external factors and the possible consequences of the intervention to the parties involved, citizen and the world as a [...]
The proponents of this theory argue that the war between all is a natural human behavior, which is reflected in the interaction of states on the global scale.
The societal changes in India can be approached from a number of perspectives including Sanskritization, westernization, Little/Great Traditions, and the dialectical concept.
The state is considered to be a country since it has its national government and residents. Furthermore, the state is viewed as a legal institution in its relations with others.
He has given numerous examples of today's failing states and has compared them with the stronger and successful states of the world. Unfortunately, all these failures and weaker states are the poorest of the poor [...]
The first part of the article investigates the most important issues of the book which are relationship between power and interdependence, explanation of change in international regimes and the ideal type of complex interdependence.
The goal of the collective security was to institute peace and stability whereas the system of balance of power helped to maintain the status quo particularly that of the superpowers.
From the war in Iraqi, Oklahoma City bombings the NASA space shuttle upheaval, the September 11 attack, the war in Afghanistan and the current Operation Iraqi Freedom, American government has become the subject of debate [...]
It seeks to understand the driving forces of the economy and the key actors in the world economy. Governments and economic actors are the key elements in the economy, according to liberalism.
As a result of the conference, certain decisions were made regarding the division of Africa among the European countries, and the countries' rights to their zones of influence and colonial agreements between them were recognized.
He draws a conclusion that the refugee status could be granted solely to persons whose government does not protect their basic needs, who have no other way but to seek international restitution of such needs, [...]
The second characteristic of the international system is the existence of different units. The third characteristic of the international system is the unique structure of change systems within each independent unit of influence.
The Liaoning Normal University in China is one of the institutions of high learning cooperating with the Oakland city to strengthen cultural ties between the Oakland city and Dalian city.
In an attempt to unravel its importance, the writer explores regionalism and discusses a brief history of regionalism and explores that regionalism is important in the study of contemporary international relations because it enhances development, [...]
Feminist international relations approaches in the past used to be part of the major debate that ensued between the post-positivists and their counterparts, the positivists.
The current economic crisis has revealed the perverse impact of the transnational corporations, such that even the economically superpowers like the U.S.and European countries are helpless against the transgressions of the transnational companies and other [...]
Following the views of classical liberalism, they believe that the primary task of the foreign policy of the United States of America is to defend the ideals of freedom and democracy throughout the world.
This research focuses on the effect of cultural imperialism of Arab states particularly the Americanization and its effects on the native Arab culture.
In 1965 to 1971, he served as the director of the international institute for labor studies, a constituent organization of the international labor organization.
It is based on this that the author utilizes a variety of statistical references in order to depict the dangers landmines represent and the lack of sufficient endeavors in preventing their use.
In the contemporary international society, the aspect that sticks states together is the Westphalian ideology of independence, territorial integrity and the principle of non-intervention.
These people are the ones who are in a better position to accelerate the development of Africa because they have the skills that are required to take African states to another level.
The second institution is the executive organ of the organization; the executive organ is the decision-making body of the EU, and it is composed of ministers with each minister representing a state.[1] It is this [...]
Diplomacy can be defined as the process of communication and negotiation between official representatives of a state or territory with representatives of another party with the purpose to minimize conflict and maximize peaceful cooperation such [...]
Foreign aid of any kind is offered for the benefit of the receiving country but the donor country may equally benefit indirectly or directly in the event that it wishes to attain any of the [...]
Nevertheless, as the Baltic States, Trans-Caucasus, and Ukraine decided to choose independent path of development, Russia's plan for the further expansion and decreasing the role of the United States and the European Union in the [...]
One of the primary aspects that AMAT, CBHA, and other manuals emphasise as a requirement for humanitarian response participation consists in acquiring the information that will be necessary to the participant.
This essay gives a brief history of the conflict between India and Pakistan, with special coverage on the genesis of the conflict, historical wars and efforts, which have been witnessed in finding a lasting solution [...]
The Statement, according to this author, further reiterated the EU's unwavering dedication to coherence, coordination and complementarity in its development policy to ACP states, and also to the orientation of aid programming in the direction [...]
The greatest of the new policy's contents was the reduction of the interest rates to 5%. The UAE, in their quest to attain economic leadership, ended up creating one of the biggest rifts between the [...]
The rules of engagement and the laws of armed conflict are aimed at reducing the risk of such events. The thing is that they were not required to act in such a way by the [...]
Libya on the other claimed title not only to the strip but also to significance amounts of territory south of it, based on variety of assertions including the invalidity of the 1955 treaty which France [...]
Over and above the shared ideologies, the special relationship has also been shaped by the personal relationship between the British Prime Minister and the president of the United States of the America.
On the one hand, globalization erases many international boundaries to stabilize fair trade and cooperation, and protectionism is necessary to maintain the national identity and economic prosperity of each country separately.
In light of the current energy crisis and the incomplete scientific understanding of the causes and solutions to global climate change, the adopted decision was mandatory for the country to survive.
One of the most interesting facts from the introduction is the limited nature of sovereignty. The concept of the sovereignty of different countries dates back to the Westphalia Peace Treaty of 1648.
The article begins with relating the events of the negotiation between the high officials of the United States and China held in 2011, and the results they led to.
Among the positive effects is that an increase in population can lead to the supply of a population that would not have been there in the absence of rapid population growth.
Chioza et al.say that among the reasons that makes it possible to intertwine the democratic peace theory with the liberal theory is that many countries are in dire need of peace. There is a good [...]
However, in the discussion of the role that the UN plays in international relations through the worldwide system, it is important to identify the differences between the international system and international society.
The levels of analysis include: the system level- in which a particular state is almost defined by the international system, for instance, when the US and USSR were the most powerful states, other state behaviours [...]
The key member of the alliance in terms of finance and military capability enabled the United States to accomplish its mission as envisaged in the formation of the alliance.
The international system dictates the foreign policy of a state implying that changes in the international system would probably affect the foreign policies of a state.
The concept of power balance is enshrined in a political system that defines the behavior of states in the system. The US-led war on Iraq is a historic war of the 21st century because it [...]
The profitability and riskiness of African markets is the subject of this study to derive a comprehensive conclusion of Africa's viability as an investment destination to the Chinese.
It is important to understand that the signing of the Peace Treaty of Westphalia was predetermined by the objective laws of history, concerned with the fact that the course of a continuous social, cultural and [...]
The main historical event with which the literary work begins is the heyday of the Ottoman Empire and ends with the events that affected the beginning of the First World War.
Even the balance of power theory has been found to be inaccurate and the tendency of making self serving adjustments to avoid criticisms has also contributed to the fact that realism in international relation is [...]
Therefore, it is the decision-making process that marks the actual importance of a state and determines the role that it plays in the reconstruction of a country.
Indeed, given the quite specific and possibly controversial nature of the differences between the line of managing economic and political issues in China and the Western states, the necessity to incorporate compromises into the management [...]
The author uses the history of military and diplomatic missions that have occurred in the last two centuries to support his view of international politics.
The Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council as Mediators in Middle Eastern Conflicts" explores the conception of the Arab League and its work through the decades.
Covert actions or operations in the United States emerged in the 1940s after the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency. That being the case, "a covert operation ensures the identity of the performer or sponsor [...]
By world-system, the theory indicates the inter-regional and transnational divisions of labour that divide the world between the rich and the poor, and the powerful and the weak as Macedo and Gounari confirm4.
It further sought to maintain and expand its territorial control over Poland in disregard to the Yalta Accord which granted it control over Eastern Poland and left the North and West to the Polish government [...]
According to the Indian government, the instrument of Accession of Jammu and Kashmir to the union of India was legitimate according to the Indian laws and international law and therefore cannot be revoked.
In addition, the effects of HIV/AIDS today are not only confined to the families and individuals infected, but also involve the political, economic, and social factors of the country and people in the country.
The rules and policies produced by the United Nations are not centered on a global involvement in de-weaponizing countries, as everyone is full of fear that a group of terrorists will be able to overtake [...]
The intense desire to re-establish the Jewish nation by the Jewish population was sparked by the underlying beliefs of the Jewish religion with of them being repatriation to Zion.
As an effect, the reason as to why Foreign aid has failed is because its main objective has been ignored, and it is not being assessed in light of industrialization and advancement in agricultural.
The principle responsibility and practice of humanitarian intervention carried out by the international community is to prevent unnecessary deaths, suffering and help in protecting human rights in situations where the sovereign state is either unwilling [...]
Before the Second World War, the United States of America practiced the policy of isolationism; isolationism can be defined as the state policy of shunning economic or political conflicts with other nations of the world.
The reasons are on one hand, the great fear to the Soviet Union catch up and expansion, on the other hand the fear of Cuba bring communism domino effect to the Latin America countries and [...]
Because of these challenges, the citizens and the government of Afghanistan together with other countries made a commitment to make the necessary changes in order to rebuild Afghanistan State with the help of US government [...]
Many countries that own nuclear weapons are always researching and improving their nuclear weapons because they are seen as a source of national pride. To begin with, the nuclear power is a source of dangerous [...]
Critics also argue that globalization has led to the spread of sweatshops and exploitation of workers from third world countries. However, critics of globalization argue that it has led to the erosion of national borders [...]
However, King Fahd ended extremism in an alternative way, he researched the problem of extremism and then developed a strategy to send extremists to Afghanistan.
The dropping of the nuclear bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima by the United States directly contributed to the initiation of the Cold War. The utilization of the bombs led the Soviet Union to see the [...]
Consequently, the island became the center of military tensions in the second half of the 20th century, which explains the interest in its role within the framework of the current discussion.
The President of France, however, expresses a more visionary approach to foreign policy for the EU. In essence, both states are powerful forces and should work in cooperation to manage the EU's foreign policy.
S seeks to regenerate itself and the larger West by a complex balance of the Far East and Asia to counter China's rising influence1. S the worlds' most stable and democratic power U.
Growing usage of machines has seen their primary energy source, oil, becoming a major aspect in the economies of the majority of countries and the global economy as a whole.
Being prepared by the professionals who work at the London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of London International Programs, and the Political Science Department of the University of Prince Edward Island, it [...]
Consequently, the signing of the peace of Westphalia became a hallmark for the development of the principle of international law, which introduced the concept of nation-states and sovereignty in global politics.
Two-way trade constituted the core of the relations between India and the Emirates for centuries, but the new twist in the interstate relationship began with the establishment of the UAE Embassy in the Indian capital [...]
The system with the core and periphery characteristics was developed by Immanuel Wallerstein and is called World Systems Theory, and it includes the third group of states recognized as semi-peripheral that possess the qualities of [...]
Due to the dynamics in the globe regarding development projects as well as aspects of priority in several countries, the EU has had to change its development policies over the years.
The Gaza-Israel conflict took a new dimension following the election of the Hamas Party in 2005. The topic "History of the Gaza-Israel Conflict" will focus on the issues surrounding the conflict experienced in Gaza.
The trigger for the actions of the Iranians regarding the attack of the embassy is presented in the film as the element of the documentary without the significant appealing to the audience in comparison with [...]
International terrorism has contributed to the unpopularity of the US in many countries all over the world and the subsequent inclination of terrorists to attack US targets.
The purpose of this study is to establish the causes and the consequences of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. The question which this study seeks to address include what is the relationship between the conflict and [...]
Vandana2 Shiva in the article The Polarized World of Globalization, laments the effects globalization; she is of the opinion that globalization has negative social, political and economic effects.
The overall objective of the control is to enhance and promote the culture of the neocolonialist state among the citizens of the targeted countries so as to get access to markets, labor and raw materials [...]
During this period, the policymakers in the United States of America got more concerned about the security of the country as a result of several technological changes in the international railroads and telegraphs as well [...]
Realism is a theory of international relations that arose slowly out of the work of various theorists who took a distinctive attitude and view in the analysis of international affairs.
Recent advances in neurosciences have offered a wealth of information on the workings of the brain and the interactive processes between the body and mind.
Despite the provisions of the 1979 Taiwan Relations act to which the United States is bound it has maintained a fine line between the long history between the relations of these two nations and the [...]
The relationship between the International Criminal Court and the African Union is among the hottest topics in Africa. Hoile, on the other hand, seems to hold the notion that the ICC has failed in its [...]
The analyst tends to disapprove the behaviour of powerful states and other units that rush into conclusion without seeking the approval of the world governing body, which is the United Nations.
After the end of the cold war between nations, the supremacy of state-centric political and military to dictate the local and international politics have severely diminished over the years.
The Israel and Palestinian conflict is mainly a misunderstanding between the Jews referring to themselves as "Israelis" due to their background, and the Arab population of Palestine, popularly "Palestinians" following the remaining by the Roman [...]
Pages: 7
Words: 2111
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