Today’s world is beset by a host of problems that no one country appears able to resolve. Environmental problems, such as biodiversity loss, climate change or plastic pollution, appear to spiral out of control. A global pandemic has recently disrupted lives around the world and led to untold suffering and deaths. Global economic inequalities have reached unprecedented levels, and hundreds of millions still struggle with hunger and poverty. Meanwhile, more “traditional” problems have not gone away, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 underlines. Tensions between China and the United States are already commonly described as a “New Cold War”. International institutions often appear powerless to act.

 This course is designed to introduce students to some of the major problems of international politics, focusing on the ways in which they are – or are not – addressed at the global level. To this end, students will learn key concepts, revisit historical developments and apply major theories from the field of International Relations to better understand why international problems are difficult to resolve. This is often understood as the problem of providing global governance in the absence of a global government. A major role is played here by international organizations (IOs), such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations (UN) or the World Trade Organization (WTO), but also by a host of other transnational actors, including business and civil society organisations. At the end of the course, students will be able to understand major problems of contemporary international politics through the lens of relevant contemporary theories, and be able to apply such knowledge critically and confidently as engaged citizens.