Whether you’re a diplomat, ambassador, lobbyist or business executive with a global focus, international relations demands a deep understanding of foreign culture. Developing your ability to collaborate with different cultures will not only make you more effective at your job, but will also allow for profound personal growth and exploration, which many find incredibly fulfilling.
In this fast-paced, increasingly globalized world, having the right skill set is essential for success. Studying International relations gives you the opportunity to develop a range of skills that can help you stand out from the crowd, including cultural sensitivity and leadership. You’ll also learn to understand the importance of international politics and economies and how they intersect with one another, which will give you an edge in your career.
International relations arose as a field of study largely because of a desire to find less-dangerous and more-effective ways of arranging the relations between peoples, societies, governments and economies, and a belief that such knowledge should be widely available and accessible to all members of society in the interests of human betterment. These trends accelerated after the onset of the Industrial Revolution in Europe and America, which led to increasing economic interdependence among nations, and to changes in governance and warfare.
The first major universal organizations open to all nation-states were the League of Nations and its successor, the United Nations, established primarily to avoid a relapse into global war after World War I in 1919. Their guiding principle was the idea of collective security, based on the sovereign equality of independent states governed by laws (including the laws of war) and binding international treaties.
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