International relations is a broad field of study that examines global issues. This multidisciplinary discipline incorporates elements of several areas of study such as economics, law, history, political science and philosophy to provide a holistic approach to understanding how the world works. International relations is also known as global politics or foreign policy.
In addition to the study of how states interact and the causes of war, peace and stability, international relations looks at how people around the world live their daily lives and what impact that has on the world as a whole. It looks at the factors that contribute to poverty, wealth, social mobility and environmental degradation as well as how they are addressed by global institutions.
A belief that the world is a community of nations and that countries have the right to peacefully settle disputes and disagreements by negotiation rather than resorting to military force. A similar view is that states have an obligation to prevent others from developing weapons of mass destruction and to prosecute war criminals if they have committed crimes against humanity.
A regional organization dominated by Nigeria that encourages economic cooperation among its members. It is often seen as an alternative to the NATO alliance of Western and Eastern European states.