The field of international politics is concerned with political decisions and policies that affect countries at a global level. This can be at the regional, national and international level and covers a broad range of political actors from governments and the EU to non-governmental organisations like Amnesty International or multinational corporations.
The study of international politics was initiated by a desire to prevent war, which became increasingly urgent in the atomic age. This was the motivation for the founding of international institutions such as the League of Nations and the Council on Foreign Relations, as well as the first university departments dedicated to this subject (e.g. the Department of International Politics at University College Wales at Aberystwyth in 1919).
Some internationalists, particularly liberal democrats, believe that a rules-based system of global governance would be a more stable alternative to the winner-takes-all state-centric world of power politics, and support the creation of a global political economy, through such means as free trade agreements, global finance, and multilateralism. This approach is referred to as liberalism or liberal intervention.
A state that lacks the economic or military power of a Great Power but also lacks the diplomatic and cultural resources of a minnow. Middle powers may be recognised by the size of their economies and related capabilities or by their behaviour, for example by their propensity to band together with similar-sized states in international bodies.
The ability to get other countries to co-operate with oneself, especially in a conflict situation. Power is usually thought of in terms of material resources, but less tangible factors such as morale and the ability to evoke help from abroad can also play an important part in a country’s power potential.