International Relations: Getting Started

Use this guide to discover books, journals and articles, and websites related to the vast field of International Relations. 

International Relations (IR) is the study of relations between nationals focusing on political, economic, social and cultural exchanges. It encompasses many different fields of study, including but not limited to: terrorism, globalization, international security, religion, history, diplomatic relations, sustainability, human rights, and global finance. 

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics defines IR as:

"The discipline that studies interactions between and among states, and more broadly, the workings of the international system as a whole. It can be conceived of either as a multidisciplinary field, gathering together the international aspects of politics, economics, history, law, and sociology, or as a meta‐discipline, focusing on the systemic structures and patterns of interaction of the human species taken as a whole."

Source: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics (4 ed.)