International Relations
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Abstract
Today's world is more interconnected than ever before: what happens “here” affects what happens “there” and vice versa. The economic fortunes of countries, firms, and individuals have become so sensitive to trade, monetary, and investment decisions made elsewhere that economic policy that is purely national has become all but impossible. Nuclear weapons, which can kill thousands in minutes, do not respect international boundaries; neither do the consequences of ethnic and communal conflicts. Non-state actors, from terrorists to human rights activists, also act across boundaries. The Internet has made it easier than ever to form networks and political movements that span borders. Climate everywhere is affected by environmental decisions anywhere. In the 21 century, no state – not even the United States, though it has become the first sole superpower in the history of the modern international system– and no citizen can make important choices in a sound manner without understanding how their decisions are shaped by what happens outside the boundaries of their homeland; moreover, their decisions often affect people who live far beyond those borders.