International Relations

The interdisciplinary study of relations between members of the international community, including the role of states, international organizations, non- governmental organizations, and multinational corporations. The history of international relations, based on the modern sovereign states system, can be traced back to the treaty of Westphalia in 1648. International Relations as a theory, however, was not developed until after World War I and emerged as an academic discipline in Aberystwyth in 1919. Key to International Relations is the relationships and discourses between actors within the international community and the effect that the relationships and actions of these actors have on the world.