From the Monroe Doctrine to isolationist policies prompted by World War I and the Cold War focus on containment, America’s role in the world has been shaped by events beyond its borders. As a result, a Master of International Relations (MIR) degree explores how diverse theories of international relations shape the United States’ relationship with the rest of the world.
Anarchy—the absence of a world government—makes international relations different from domestic politics. Without a central authority, countries band together in voluntary international organisations, such as the UN, to enforce norms and laws. This is called soft power, a concept that includes economic influence and cultural appeal as well as military might.
The popular overthrow of a state’s regime is often considered a domestic affair, but it can also change regional or international affairs. The Russian, French and Iranian revolutions reshaped global politics, while the Arab Spring has highlighted the potential for revolutionary momentum to spread across national boundaries. Revolutions can reshape domestic political life, too, with leaders shifting their priorities. A country that seeks to revise the existing global order is a revisionist state. The US administration of Donald Trump has eschewed the post-1945 multilateral architecture and taken a Hobbesian outlook.