Free International Relations Essay Examples & Topics
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!
911 Best Essay Examples on International Relations
Commercial insurgency is said to be new and concerned with the acquisition of wealth; personal wealth especially is the defining factor of this kind of insurgency.
While both the President and Congress share responsibility for the foreign policy, the share of the former {as the creator of the policy} is larger than the latter and the gravity of the responsibility is [...]
For EU, it is important to keep independence in the accounting that it may be regarded as a cornerstone upon which much of the ethics peculiar to the institution is built.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the USA remains one of the most powerful states in the world. American hegemony in foreign politics rested on multiple sources of influence, including close political ties with [...]
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.
In the past, the economic and political relationship between South Africa and the US seemed unfavorable as they did not trade or support each other because the ban imposed on South Africa prohibited.
Within a short period, the events in the Soviet Union, Perestroika, and the intentions to take control influenced the lives of people in different ways, causing the progress of the war and the inability to [...]
The largely concurrent and persisting incursions of Norsemen, Magyars, and North African Arabs on the frontiers of Europe both destabilized the prevailing social order and set in train a reorganization of the existing western European [...]
Amongst the many wars that US has been involved with, the 1991 gulf war is still one of the most unforgettable event that took place in the Middle East and American history.
In the year, a meeting was called, and in the meeting, they threatened the united states with an idea of an oil weapon if they did not change their policy regarding the Israel-Arab conflict.
The current essay deals with the important issue of American imperialism and its implications for American-Latin relations and, in particular, the relations between the United States and Mexico at the turn of the century.
The main objective of the paper is to present a detailed account of all the information related to the history, performance, activities, and all the related questions like how and why the United States Military [...]
This goes to keeping the more than 190,000 combat soldiers operating in Iraq and for reconstruction of damages of the war. We all acknowledge that the war has brought a lot of suffering in many [...]
Because of the geographic location of Australia and the direction of its trade and tactical attention, the East Asia area has long been the center of its foreign policy, and now it is one of [...]
The relationships between the EU and Central and Eastern Europe help the latter to overcome negative outcomes of the market-centered economy and improve their economic systems.
Foreign policy of a country is the essential component for the sound governance of the country as well as keeping good terms with the nations of the world and let the international transaction with full [...]
Then begins the core of the paper, which takes back to the historical background of the war in Kosovo, from the disintegration of Yugoslavia to the situations in Serbia and Kosovo during the civil war [...]
Paul Kennedy pointed out that the American era was likely to be over, and the sooner the US adjusted to that fact, the better, he believed, the United States had no alternative but to pull [...]
The British settlements of Australia in the year 1788 marked the beginning of a steady tributary of Europeans enthusiasm to counterfeit new lives in the great southern continent.
The USDS also stressed that Kissinger believed Americans held on to ideals as peace or freedom and were uncomfortable to acknowledge power and interests as the basis of their foreign policies and objectives.
In the words of Cris Shore, "The idiosyncratic behavior of real people was largely ignored by architects of European unification and appeared to have little connection with the integration process".
Most of the current country leaders, especially those of the West and the USA, voice their concern about the growing military enforcement of the Russian Federation.
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 [...]
Comparing to what it used to be the case with the League of Nations, the UN has proven to be much more effective as the instrument of global governance.
One of the primary motivations of the Obama administration in the negotiations leading to the deal was to ensure that Iran does not pose a serious security threat to regional allies of the United States.
The list of Indian intelligence agencies includes the Research and Analysis Wing, the Research Bureau, the Defence Intelligence Agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation, and many other services and agencies across the country.
Although the conflict develops without active steps taken by both sides, the majority of the GCC countries, European countries, and the United States are interested in resolving the crisis and stopping Qatar's propaganda in media.
In retrospect, the current situation regarding the confrontations between the ME and Israel, as well as the tensions in the ME's political arena, can be seen as the inevitable side effects of the self-determination process.
The purpose of this assignment was to collect opinions on the causes of the humanitarian crisis in Syria, emphasizing potential approaches the United States might take in response to the situation.
One of the most notable aspects of the contemporary geopolitical situation in the world has to do with the ongoing confrontation between Russia and the US: something that might lead towards the outbreak of the [...]
After the attacks, Bush obtained a UN resolution and founded an alliance of major countries in the world in support of an attack on the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The far-right conservative Republicans heavily engaged the media to portray questionable facts and attempted to tarnish Clinton's reputation instead of attempting to win based on the merit of their policy.
One of the reasons that President Vladimir Putin's government cites as the cause for its involvement in this war is to thwart the efforts of homegrown terrorists who have relocated from Russia to Syria1.
These include specific evidence of a crisis that is accepted by the global community, there is a lack of practical alternatives, and the use of force during the intervention must be limited to providing relief [...]
The belief that Kurds are a sovereign nation that deserves freedom and autonomy dates back to the times of the Ottoman Empire where they were a significant and vocal ethnic group. The case of Israel [...]
At the same time, the weakened economic position of America caused by the recent financial crisis and the devaluation of a dollar has led to cuts in defense expenditures of the country, further aggravating the [...]
The reasons for this are tied to the cultural identity of North Korea, as the story of North Korean independence is closely tied to the Japanese occupation and the idea that the country of Japan [...]
Having analyzed the political, economic, and social situation in Yemen, it is important to note that this state is fragile or failed because its current progress is associated with the features of weak states.
Consequently, the actions of Russia forced the members of the G8 to suspend it from the union. The current predicament has forced the Ukrainian government to sue Russia for its atrocities and crimes against the [...]
Thus, it is necessary to apply the concepts of liberalism and constructivism to understand the real reasons and probable consequences of the rise of China for the world.
Due to the increasing pressure from the working class, the unfairness of racial profiling becoming increasingly more evident, and the development of the women's liberation movement, the atmosphere within the American society was rather tense [...]
In the current sociopolitical global environment, the threats of cultural taboos and inappropriate uses of technology are considered the least threatening to international stability and well-being.
For instance, it presented territorial claims to Turkey and demanded a change in the status of the Black Sea straits, including the right of the USSR to establish a naval base in the Dardanelles.
However, the relationship between China and Japan began to decline with the start of Westernization of Japan, which started in the second half of the 19th century and culminated in the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
The two videos namely the Japanese American Internment of World War II and the Japanese American Internment center on how United States citizens with Japanese heritage were relocated to concentration camps during World War Two [...]
Somalia has moved to the international court with a claim on the shores of Kenya. Therefore, Somalia is entitled to ownership of the oil exploration blocks.
After the 9/11 attack, the United States invaded Afghanistan and Iraq with the main aim of flushing out members of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, which is a known terrorist group that has always targeted the [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
In the context of the consideration that the Chinese economy has been steadily and successfully developing in the past several decades, many people tend to accept the fact that China will soon become the leader [...]
Owing to the increasing competition between Israel and Iran in terms of geostrategic interests, the ongoing nuclear talks between the 5+1 powers and Iran, the Iranian foreign policy in the Persian Gulf region under the [...]
Majority of states in the world should choose a democratic form of government to guarantee the involvement of citizens of a state in the political process and preserve their rights.
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.
United States of America's military budget is equal to the collective military budgets of Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Cuba. The defense budget of apparent enemies should not be the decisive factor [...]
The fourth obligation was the analysis of the military, non-military and the economic factors required to ensure the success of the comprehensive approach in the field.
Before the annexation of Crimea, Syria was considered the hot spot because the powerful economies were all focused on helping the antagonistic groups in the country.
The author delves into the peculiarities of foreign policies and the challenges that appear in the course of its analysis. The usage of different concepts and perspectives to investigate the foreign policy and answer the [...]
As far as the political reasons are concerned, the lack of emphasis on the nationalities policy, the lack of support in the military conflicts against the states' opponents, and few possibilities for further development in [...]
In my opinion, the US and coalition forces qualify to be called strange attractors because their role is not in any way related to any of the possible outcomes sought after by the ISFs and [...]
When related to the nation-state, globalization can be regarded in two ways: as a threat to the existence of states or as a positive influence that can provide important experience and spur development.
The report indicates the necessity of studying the external and internal politics of this country on a global scale. For example, Qatar played an essential role in the expansion of the critical combats on the [...]
It is also commonly suggested that the process of Globalization has several positive effects on the economy of these countries because it helps to create new jobs in the world's regions where the cost of [...]
The focus was on the control of all the spheres of the economic life in the state in order to achieve the goals of the Northwest expansion and avoid failures associated with the US pattern [...]
It is based on this that this paper examines the sustainability of Sino - U.S.cooperation in the realm of nontraditional security issues with a specific focus on Sino - U.S.views and positions on aspects related [...]
The number of funds that were being used for the payments was proposed to be used in developing the countryside through the establishment of a budget for rural development.
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.
In the present paper, the three frameworks will be used to locate and define the concepts of development, sustainability, and resilience as well as the relationships between them in an attempt to determine the synergy [...]
The presence of interest/pressure groups which can ensure that the crisis is handled in a diplomatic fashion may be crucial to the success of the nation.
In the past, Egypt and Israel, due to their location in the Middle East and cordial relationships with the west, have been the major beneficiaries of foreign aid.
The author of this article studies evidence of the political, social, and economical situations in these countries before and after their democratization and elaborates on the processes that stimulated democratization in Asian countries and supported [...]
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 [...]
For instance, the model for the supreme council of rulers, the Trucial states Development council, and the Trucial Oman scouts was adopted as the basis upon which the federation was established.
In addition, Yemen continues to suffer from serious levels of poverty and food insecurity despite efforts by the government to work hard in trying to get over the poor economy of the country and also [...]
President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and his leadership has ensured that foreign aid is allocated to various programs that will ensure peace prevails in the country.
Claiming to be undertaking a significant approach in lifting the economical profile of the region, the U.S.would have a strong domination of the entire region and through this; many initiatives and operations would ultimately be [...]
In this article, the illustration of the Darfur crisis is examined. This article examines weather there are any justification, from the anthropological point of view, for military intervention, for example as it is in Afghanistan, [...]
The paper explored all the possible causes of the ongoing Syrian civil crisis, with the historical perspective from the mayhem between Syria and Turkey being significantly imperative.
Were China's sinking of the McArthur, the seizure of two crewmen, and destruction of the Rappahannock wrongful acts for which compensation is owed to Japan and the United States?
This is due to the fact that the situation in Afghanistan had reached a point of economic injury. To some extent, global governance has made a tremendous mark in restoring fragile political institutions and the [...]
Thus, Japan and the USA relationship helped the former not only overcome the consequence of the Second World War but helped Japan to learn the major western principles of success.
The culture of martyrdom is a threat to the peace process within the Middle East. The presence of organizations and institutions that encourage and tutor suicide bombing activities presents one of the obstacles to the [...]
Nevertheless, by the end of the 20th century, it started to become increasingly clear to many Western politicians that, due to the process of Globalization and due to the fact with the collapse of the [...]
Stabilizing in the global system may either be soft or hard action, it can be hard with the intention of increasing or threatening the utilization of military influence of one nation in relation to the [...]
Because of the humanitarianism approach, whither the UNO promotes as the key tool for handling the problem, as well as the individual concerns of the current world leaders, the problem of Ebola has shifted from [...]
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 nuclear race between Iran and Israel have contributed to the instability and threatens the balance of power in the Gulf region, which leads to the need of creating a restraining force, hence, the UAE [...]
The age of the Nation-State is over and it is easy to prove this statement is to consider the situation which exists in the modern world about the society, to check the political preferences and [...]
The issue that will be addressed in this paper will revolve around the dangers of the current civil war in Yemen and how the impacts of the war can affect other countries within the same [...]
German unification resulted from the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, as well as, the bankruptcy of communism. At the rise of the Cold War, in Europe, Germany was a chief ally [...]
The unilateralism strategy used by Adams Quincy is related to that of the subsequent presidents in the various ways. The strategy of preemption as illustrated was applied in the North American continent for more than [...]
Consequently, the art of critical thinking and the elements that it consists of, especially the art of asking questions and listening to the opponent, is imperative to master for those willing to attain success in [...]
In my paper, I will aim to explore the validity of this statement, in regards to what accounts for the qualitative significance of GCC countries' reaction to the Iranian Nuclear Program, as such that that [...]
In this case, the essence of investigating the mechanisms that define the link between the two variables goes a long way in fostering an understanding of how oil and oil supply contribute to violent conflicts [...]
The purpose of this paper is to provide the background for the emergence of the COMCASA, analyze possible benefits and threats related to the agreement, and then to synthesize a supported recommendation for the extension [...]
Following the rules of just war, the enemies are guided by the principles of justice: proportionality, absence of reprisals and discrimination, etc.however, the problem of just war raises ethical problems.
The rivalry between the two leaders was a function of the different futuristic ideologies that they had, with respect to the relationship between Hindus and Muslims in the British colony.
The president's power, that is accorded by the second article of the constitution, includes the power to make agreements with other nations but with the authority of the congress, the power to assign envoys to [...]
The essence of this article is contained in the two hypotheses that the author describes at the onset of this discussion in which he lays the foundation that the rest of the theories are based [...]
The meaning of security has been broadened to accommodate most of the events experienced in the world such as globalization, terrorism, and changing technology.
The literature review section examines the effectiveness of imperialism and realism theories in explaining the future of interdependence between the EU and Russia.
However, in the course of the development of this opposition, it became obvious that the use the nuclear weapon and its unwise production is not the option as it will result in the collapse of [...]
