International politics is the pattern of political relations between sovereign states (or their governments). As a discipline, it is concerned with how and why nations cooperate and compete. It is one of the major multidisciplines of the social sciences and draws from other fields such as anthropology, geography, history, law, philosophy, sociology and political theory.
A state’s power to protect its people and assert its interests in the world. This is the underlying principle of sovereignty and is recognised as an important factor in international affairs.
The desire of a country to shape global politics, by encouraging other countries to adopt its own values, such as democracy and human rights. This school of thought is often contrasted with realism.
An alliance of two or more powerful states that work together to achieve specific goals such as defence and trade. Examples include the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
A desire by a state to revise the status quo in global politics. This usually involves a rejection of existing alliances and the development of new ones. Examples of revisionist states include Russia, Iran and China.
The belief that a state has the right to intervene in the domestic affairs of other countries to protect its population from genocide, war crimes and other serious violations of human rights. This policy is based on the idea that all citizens have a universal right to life, liberty and security and that a state cannot fully exercise its sovereignty over its territory without the protection of its inhabitants.
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