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 [...]
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.
Political nature of the General Assembly and the Security Council hinder the effectiveness of the United Nations in fostering international peace and security.
The theories look at the philosophies which shape the relationships between nations and the key interests of the nations which participate in international relations.
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.
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.
This paper examines the role of science and technology as it has been used to address the challenge of climate change, which is one of the major issues affecting the global societies today.
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.
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 [...]
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 [...]
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 [...]
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.
In this view, the formulation of a foreign policy tends to consider the long-term effect of the policy and instead of being specific, provides a general guideline to be followed given the involvement of a [...]
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 [...]
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 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 [...]
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.
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.
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.
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 [...]
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 [...]
Nevertheless, the example of the Cold War between the USSR and the USA in the second half of the 20th century proves that, despite the absence of an open armed conflict, both superpowers were in [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
The next phase of the conflict ranged from the year 1948 to the year 1967-a phase that was marked by the time the state of Israel was declared and the time the six days war [...]
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.
Although the territories of the Asian states are determined several decades ago, the problem of sovereignty over the Paracels and the Spratlys in the South China Sea remains to be current and constantly developing, and [...]
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 [...]
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 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.
The author's main findings are in establishing the connection between the United States' economic decline in the global crisis of 2008, and the loss of its dominating positions in the world.
The institution was formed to solve the problem of the intelligence failure in the collection of information and because of lack of coordination among the Pakistani forces.
The societal changes in India can be approached from a number of perspectives including Sanskritization, westernization, Little/Great Traditions, and the dialectical concept.
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, [...]
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.
This gives credence to the idea that a major hallmark of the U.S.foreign policy in the Balkans during the cold war was to discredit communism and prevent its spread.
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 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 [...]
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 [...]
This means that for peace to prevail in a given public setup there has to be calmness initiated by the members of the society or community referred to as peacemakers.
Despite established collective security mechanisms, the realization of collective security is highly depended on the commitment of the major powerful nations or blocs e.g.the US, Emerging European Union and China.
However, the primary assumption of these ideas is the existence of a liberal international order, which refers to a system of interconnected, regulated connections founded on political, economic, and international liberalism. To conclude, the idea [...]
In fact the creation of treaties and their exclusivity to states can be seen in the theory of Realism which specifically mentions that states are the primary actors in international relations and that there is [...]
Privatization of land among developing countries is to blame for the consequences of land grabbing by foreign investors. The problem of land grabbing requires world attention in ensuring access to food security, and environmental preservation [...]
It also shows the role of these theories in shaping international organizations and institutions. The PowerPoint presentation provides a brief account of most theories in international organizations.
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 international relations theory and foreign policy is significant as a result of the interconnection that exists between foreign policy on one hand and the classical, realism theory on the other hand.
Under the treaty, the countries that had already developed nuclear weapons, "United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom", and other countries that had not developed the weapons signed the treaty to limit mobility [...]
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 [...]
The title of the essay sums up his topic of interest."The Arrogance of Power" is a title that puts the issues that are addressed by this essay into perspective.
The Security Council is one of the most important organs of the United Nations and it has the mandate to safeguard international peace by ensuring that there is enough security in the world.
The past five years have seen the rise in the scale of global trade, growth in the issue of democracy and human rights that features in the global political uprisings across the Arab region, the [...]
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 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 [...]
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.
Moreover, the belief that the US was the nation assigned the role of fulfilling God's promise to his people and the whole of humanity encouraged them to contribute to the well-being of settlers and natives [...]
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.
In the present day, the United States and the European Union have the most integrated interrelation in the sphere of economy and the largest bilateral investment and trade relationship worldwide.
This myth explains that big companies are obsessed with the idea to multiply their benefits which makes them find a way to affect the situation in the world to a global extent.
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.
The economic world systems are bipolar in nature, where the world is divided into two types of economic powers, the rich and the poor nations in the world.
France, Luxemburg, and Holland decided to get together to establish a small union, it was the first root of the European Union. It is a double-sided advantage for consumers and producers of the European Union.
In order to establish the hypothesis, the LHC is designed likened as the way the universe is during its birth to extract those fundamental particles that acts on it during its explosion and how this [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
One of the crucial "milestones in early modern Germany history" and the one that influenced the international political arena was the Peace of Westphalia.
The background of the conflict dates back to 2014 when Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar because the latter supported the government under the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, while the [...]
It is paramount to say that the area is incredibly important because it provides populations in this region with resources and is critical from the geopolitical point of view.
While deciding what stance I should adopt, in regards to the mentioned annexation of Crimea, I had to address the following ethical issues: a) Remaining observant of the provisions of international law vs.
In 1965 to 1971, he served as the director of the international institute for labor studies, a constituent organization of the international labor organization.
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.
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 [...]
The above-mentioned helps to explain the particulars of the Realist conceptualisation of power in IR, as such that 'comes out of the gun's barrel', on the one hand, and serves as the main indication of [...]
The main statement of the doctrine was that, any further attempts by the European nations to either colonize or interfere in any manner with the Northern or Southern American states would be perceived as an [...]
The essay examines as to whether or not the founding of the United Nations represent a radical departure from the system of international law and/or international society prior to 1945.
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.
However, it is perceived that in the 1950s and the 1970s, in Guatemala and Iran, and Chile in that order, the US violated the Doctrine of Nonintervention.
The group of scientists who created the weapon of mass destruction tried to prevent the usage of atomic bombs with the help of providing the petition to the President.
Today it is rather difficult to discuss the US-China relations from one point of view with accentuating only positive aspects of the countries' relationship which can lead to the effective cooperation or with focusing only [...]
Realists argue institutions cannot markedly affect the prospects for international peace and stability not only because they lack independent effect on state behavior, but are basically a reflection of the distribution of power in the [...]
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.
This research paper proves to the reader that Truman Doctrine played a part in starting of the cold war between United States and the Soviet Union, and later to other parts of the world.
For instance, Australia has used this label to advance its claims in matters of trade with the regional trade blocks; however, operating at the center of the most powerful and the less powerful, Australia's middle [...]
In the cold war era, Australia along with the world did not shy away from the use of military power because the war was seen as an ideological battle that would assist in the end [...]
Legislation passed on the same in 2002 and 2004 further enhanced the turn around, charging the counterintelligence executive with the formulation of a strategy before availing information on implementation of the same to the president.
On November 1, 1995, Eisenhower's action to give military training to the government of South Vietnam marked the official start of the U.S.involvement in the Vietnamese conflict.
In regards to the CIA, the policy empowered the CIA in doing the spying mission of nations or leaders allied to communism. On the U.S.economy, the policy aimed to protect the economy from the adverse [...]
From the analysis of the complexities in the administration of the European Union, it is evident that the key area in the genesis of its challenges lies in its quest for harmony in administration.
The influential states have powers that they use to subjugate the poor and powerless in the system. In the realists' perspective, the organization is the property of the rich nations, which is used to enforce [...]
Answering the following question will help understand the war is unjust, why is Iraq and Afghanistan the focus regarding attacks on terrorism, are the allegations against the Middle East be substantiated, is there sinister motive [...]
Secondly, the continued loss of sovereignty by most states in the world, due to globalization, may lead to loss of stability of security in the countries.
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 [...]
Another cause for the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nogornij Karabach was due to the influx of the number of the Azerbaijanis living in the region.
Both cooperative and conflictive behaviors of great powers within the international system are discussed in the literature on great-power foreign policy.
However, the signs of the impending catastrophe were visible long before the outlaw recognition of the so-called "LNR and DNR" and even before the launch of this Donbas issue and unacceptable Crimea annexation.
Pages: 2
Words: 597
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