International relations theory
Study of international relations from a theoretical perspective
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We include updates on Manifest destiny, Hegemony, Colonialism, Superpower, Great power, Zero-sum game, Geopolitics, Axis of Upheaval, Irredentism, Middle power, Clash of Civilizations, Neutral country, Globalism, Atlanticism, Isolationism, Eurasianism ... and more.
| 2025 |
Environmental security
A global quantitative study was conducted analyzing the environmental impacts of armed conflict, using data from the Environmental Performance Index and Uppsala Conflict Data Program. The study revealed that countries affected by armed conflict experience significantly lower environmental performance, with recovery potentially taking 20 to 30 years.
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| 2024 |
Axis of Upheaval
Bilateral trade between Russia and China continued to reach record levels, further solidifying their economic partnership.
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| 2024 |
Axis of Upheaval
NATO reaffirmed its security commitments in unstable regions, particularly in Southeast Asia, and called for increased defense spending and diplomatic engagement in response to the emerging Axis of Upheaval.
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| October 2024 |
Axis of Upheaval
North Korea began sending troops to Russia to support its war in Ukraine.
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| April 2024 |
Axis of Upheaval
Russia used approximately 3,700 Iranian-designed drones in combat during the Ukraine invasion from the beginning of the invasion to the end of April.
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| April 2024 |
Axis of Upheaval
Foreign policy analysts Richard Fontaine and Andrea Kendall-Taylor published an article titled 'The Axis of Upheaval' in Foreign Affairs magazine, coining the term 'Axis of Upheaval' to describe a group of nations sharing disdain for Western influence.
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| 2023 |
Axis of Upheaval
Iran conducted military drills with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), strengthening its strategic regional partnerships.
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| 2023 |
Axis of Upheaval
Iran established free trade agreements with the Eurasian Economic Union, enhancing economic integration and ties within the regional framework.
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| 2023 |
Axis of Upheaval
Russia increased weapons supply to Iran and Iranian proxies like Hezbollah, particularly following the onset of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict.
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| 2023 |
Axis of Upheaval
Trade between Russia and China exceeded US$240 billion, with Russia replacing Saudi Arabia as China's largest petroleum source.
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| 2023 |
Axis of Upheaval
Iran and Russia agreed to conduct trade in each other's national currencies to reduce dependency on the U.S. dollar in international transactions.
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| 2023 |
Deterrence theory
A research study finds that while nuclear-armed states are less likely to be targeted by non-nuclear states, they are not necessarily less likely to engage in low-level conflicts with other nuclear states.
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| November 17 2023 |
Axis of Upheaval
At the Halifax International Security Forum, Peter Van Praagh introduced the acronym 'CRINK' during his opening remarks, highlighting a new geopolitical grouping in international relations.
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| 2022 |
Axis of Upheaval
Russia defied United Nations Security Council sanctions by unfreezing North Korean assets worth several millions of USD.
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| 2022 |
Axis of Upheaval
Russia's invasion of Ukraine significantly intensified the alliance among nations in the Axis of Upheaval, marking a critical turning point in their geopolitical cooperation.
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| 2022 |
Axis of Upheaval
President of China Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin signed a joint agreement establishing a 'no-limits' partnership, marking a significant strategic alignment between the two countries.
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| 2022 |
Axis of Upheaval
Orlando Figes noted the emergence of a new type of Eurasian empire, characterized by nationalist, socially conservative, anti-Western, and religious ideologies uniting dictatorships in Russia, China, and Iran.
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| 2022 |
Liberal international order
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which led to renewed discussion about the liberal international order and inadvertently strengthened the LIO in opposition.
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| 2022 |
Deterrence theory
Elon Musk prevents Ukraine from conducting drone attacks on the Russian Black Sea fleet by withholding Starlink communications in Crimea, after receiving a nuclear threat warning from Russia's ambassador.
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| 2022 |
Deterrence theory
Brian Blankenship and Erik Lin-Greenberg published a study challenging the effectiveness of high-resolve, low-capability deterrence signals, casting doubt on the traditional tripwire approach in international relations.
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| 2022 |
Deterrence theory
Kyungwon Suh publishes a study suggesting that nuclear superiority may not reduce the likelihood of nuclear crisis initiation between nuclear-armed states.
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| 2022 |
Copenhagen School
Alan Collins published 'Contemporary Security Studies' through Oxford University Press, representing the ongoing development of the Copenhagen School's theoretical approach.
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| February 2022 |
Deterrence theory
Russia begins invasion of Ukraine, demonstrating a complex scenario of nuclear deterrence where western powers are effectively deterred from direct military intervention due to nuclear threat risks.
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| January 2022 |
Axis of Upheaval
Exports from Russia to Iran increased by 27% between January and October 2022, strengthening economic ties between the two nations.
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| 2021 |
Axis of Upheaval
Clifford May described Russia, China, and Iran as neo-imperialist powers seeking to restore their perceived rightful realms, with the United States as their primary obstacle, establishing the foundational narrative of the Axis of Upheaval.
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| 2021 |
Balance of power
A scholarly assessment by Morten Skumsrud Andersen and William C. Wohlforth concluded that balance of power is not a universal empirical law and does not merit explanatory precedence in international relations research.
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| 2020 |
Nuclear ethics
Cumulative deaths from nuclear weapons testing estimated to have reached up to 43,000 people by this year.
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| 2019 |
Deterrence theory
By this year, the 2015 Ukraine power grid hack remained the only publicly confirmed instance of a cyber attack successfully causing a power grid disruption.
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| 2018 |
Axis of Upheaval
Russia began supplying 83% of China's military arms imports, establishing a significant military trade relationship.
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| 2018 |
Balance of power
US National Security and Defense Strategies emphasized ensuring the United States remains the 'preeminent military power in the world' with regional balances of power favoring US interests
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| 2018 |
Liberal international order
John Ikenberry refines his definition of the liberal international order, emphasizing its multilayered and multifaceted nature, highlighting that it is not a simple political formation imposed by a leading state.
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| 2015 |
Deterrence theory
First publicly acknowledged cyber attack causing a power outage occurred in Ukraine, demonstrating the potential destructive capabilities of cyber warfare.
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| 2014 |
Liberal international order
Russia provided support for Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine and conducted a military intervention using troops without insignia, further challenging the liberal international order.
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| 2014 |
Liberal international order
The National Front (now National Rally) in France obtained a 9 million euro loan from a Russian bank, potentially influencing the party's policy, such as Marine Le Pen's support for the annexation of Crimea.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Balance of power (international relations), Copenhagen School (international relations), Nuclear ethics, Deterrence theory, Liberal international order, Environmental security & Axis of Upheaval, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.