International relations is the field of study focused on the political, economic and security aspects of global affairs. This is an important and growing area of study, with a wide range of academic disciplines such as international law, history, economics, political science, sociology and anthropology making a contribution to the subject.
A variety of theories explain international events, with the focus primarily on the relationship between states. This includes a belief that the balance of power is the key to international politics and the desire for an order in which all nations can prosper and avoid conflict. Other explanations are found in the way international institutions develop and evolve, as well as the nature of the world economy and its interdependence.
The field of study also examines the causes of war and peace, as well as international development and economic growth. It has a strong interest in human rights and the global environment, with such issues as deforestation and climate change being major concerns.
International relations is a wide-ranging and diverse field of study, with the first university departments to be established appearing in 1919. It was a period of great international upheaval, with many of the new ideas that would shape the field being shaped in the aftermath of the two world wars. These included the emphasis on peace as the primary goal of international affairs and the refusal of any one power to assume global leadership in order to avoid the repetition of the centuries of balance-of-power wars that had characterized the previous era.