Focusing on the realities of politics in a rapidly globalizing world, International Relations covers the latest developments in global welfare and global conflict. The course encourages the students to think critically about the shape of international relations in the coming years and to explore the global agenda. Apart from analyzing both historical and contemporary trends and developments, using theoretical paradigms and analytical tools from the main theoretical approaches in International Relations (i.e. realism, neorealism, liberalism, neoliberalism, critical approaches), there are several challenging issues to focus on, using relevant case studies. Topics on interest include: international conflicts, the changing face of terrorism, warfare, and approaches to peace, foreign policy decision-making and diplomacy, the role of international organizations and of non-state actors, the importance of human rights, and the re-emergence of nationalism and religion.