International relations is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of the interaction of the actors in international politics including states and non-states.

International relations involves the study of such things as foreign policy, international conflict and negotiation, war, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, international trade and economics, and international development, among other subjects.

The international relations' broad scope requires an interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon the fields of economics, law, political science, sociology and even psychology.

The different schools of thought involved in international relations include liberalism which argues that states exit in an environment of anarchy, realism which argues that all states are focused on survival through power and avoiding other states from acquiring more power than they have and constructivism which states that constructivists focus on how national identity is formed in order to understand national interests to name a few.

International Relations is becoming increasingly relevant as the world grows more and more interconnected through trade and commerce, migration, the internet and through social media, and concerns about pressing global environmental problems.