International relations is the study of the relationship between nations in a global context. It is a broad subject that encompasses many areas of concern, including diplomacy, foreign policy, law, economics, history, and security. Students may choose to focus their studies on one particular area of the field, or earn a multidisciplinary undergraduate degree before earning a more specialized master’s degree in the subject.
A state that seeks to revise the existing international order (contrasted with status-quo states). Revolutions usually take place within a country, but sometimes reshape regional or even global affairs, as in the case of the French, Russian and Iranian revolutions.
The idea that a country has a right to choose its own political system and that any community of people has the right to establish its own state to govern itself. This notion has been the basis of international legitimacy for centuries, but it is increasingly being challenged by non-state actors that do not consider themselves to fit with defined state boundaries. These include religious and ethnic groups, secessionist and separatist movements, and migrants who want to exercise rights to citizenship in their host countries.
A diplomatic tool that involves the communication and negotiation between countries to resolve conflicts, usually after other tools have failed. It often entails cutting off ties and imposing sanctions on violating states, and is a key element of treaty negotiations. It is also an important aspect of foreign policy analysis and planning.