Keele University Prospectus Undergraduate | 2016 | Page 134

POLITICS, PHILOSOPHY, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS & ENVIRONMENT

International Relations
and Politics
Overview

The most pressing political problems cannot be
effectively addressed in isolation purely within
individual countries; nor can they be managed
through international treaties, divorced from
domestic political constraints. Dealing with issues
such as global warming, world poverty and
terrorism requires the interaction of many national,
international and non-governmental bodies. 
Fully understanding these problems involves looking
beyond the national contexts of particular countries
and the relations between nation states.
International Relations and Politics are closely related
subjects, sharing several important concepts and
many practical concerns such as global inequality,
climate change, globalisation, regime change,
energy security, environmental sustainability, human
rights and human security. Both these disciplines
address issues concerning government, power and
hegemony, conflict and peace, justice and human
rights, global political economy, declining and rising
powers, the role of non-governmental organisations
and the future of political communities. These closely
related disciplines provide the most meaningful way
in which to study the major political issues and policy
questions that interest students today.
International relations is not merely the study of
current affairs or foreign places: it is a distinctive
way of looking at the world that will enable you to
understand complex, global political processes.
The study of international relations covers key issues
of conflict, human rights, environmental change
and globalisation, and provides a solid understanding
of international organisations such as the United
Nations and the European Union. It also develops a
range of analytical skills to help you interpret and
explain the p &