Introduction

This is a short book about the biggest questions in politics. To paraphrase a famous dictum of Trotsky; you might not be interested (yet!) in international relations, but international relations are always interested in you.

The practices of international relations critically shape who gets what and who is who across the world, and its theories inform how we live together globally. Decisive things take place at the international level, and they directly or indirectly affect all our lives: war, trade, and the provision of human rights for example. This book gives a comprehensive, accessible, and challenging overview of what is at stake, and what you need to know.