International politics examines how individuals, states, and organizations cooperate and compete for gain across state boundaries. It is a broad field that includes study of diplomacy, foreign policy, security, trade, economics, globalization, and international institutions like the United Nations, NATO and the World Bank. Students of international politics often go on to work in a wide variety of careers including government, business, journalism, the military, nonprofits, NGOs, academia and even law school.
The journal is committed to publishing innovative scholarship that focuses on the struggle for power in an international system of states, and the efforts of countries to manage conflict and facilitate collaboration in an ever-changing world order. International Politics publishes scholarship that is informed by theory and history to inform contemporary policy. It does not promote any specific political position, methodological state or epistemological view and welcomes contributions that challenge prevailing thinking on historical and contemporary understandings of international relations.
Realist IR theories argue that international politics is essentially the pursuit of power by individual states. They emphasize the use of military and economic means to advance national interests. They believe that international organizations, such as the United Nations, are merely institutionalized means for projecting power and coercive influence over other states. They see conflict as the norm in international politics rather than cooperation.
Liberal IR theories differ from realism in that they recognize the limits of the state and seek to expand the role of international organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union, or NATO. They believe that states are motivated by a combination of pragmatism and idealism. They also tend to be more willing to use soft power strategies, such as diplomacy or economic sanctions, to pursue their international aims.
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