Why do some countries shape global events while others simply react to them? Understanding the answer requires more than reading headlines — it requires a working knowledge of how power, alliances, and diplomacy actually function inside the international system. This course from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy gives participants that grounding, moving from core theory straight into the analytical tools used to read real-world international behaviour.

Across the sessions, participants build the skills to evaluate a country's relative strength and weakness, track how international organisations and alliances shift the balance of power, and interpret current events — from regional conflicts to climate diplomacy — through a structured analytical lens rather than guesswork.

Who Should Join?

• Students of political science and international relations.
• Staff at international institutions and organisations.
• Policy makers and those involved in national or regional decision-making.
• Analysts and researchers working in the international field.
• Anyone with a serious interest in global politics and international affairs.

By the End of This Course, You Will Be Able To

• Explain the concept of international relations and why it matters in today's world.
• Assess a country's international strength and weakness using structured criteria.
• Analyse international systems, alliances, and the conflicts that shape them.
• Describe the role of international organisations and diplomacy in decision-making.
• Apply established theories and methods to current international issues.

Module 1: Foundations of International Relations

• How the field of international relations developed over time.
• Core theories — realism, liberalism, and constructivism — introduced side by side.
• Using these theories as lenses to read power and weakness between states.

Module 2: Reading National Power

• What determines a country's international strength or weakness.
• Weighing economic strength, military capability, and diplomatic reach together.
• How major powers use these levers to shape international relations and manage crises.

Module 3: Systems, Alliances, and the International Order

• Types of international systems and how each shapes state behaviour.
• Analysing alliances and the conflicts that emerge between them.
• Classifying major powers within today's international order.

Module 4: Institutions and Diplomacy

• The role of international organisations such as the UN and WTO.
• How international diplomacy feeds into the global decision-making process.
• Soft power as a diplomatic tool for achieving international goals.

Module 5: Security in a Changing World

• International security and the balance of power needed to maintain global peace.
• Environmental security and how ecological challenges reshape international relations.

Module 6: Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

• Building negotiation and mediation skills for international disputes.
• How diplomacy is used to manage relations and resolve conflict on the ground.
• Strengthening international stability through structured negotiation.

Module 7: Reading Today's Global Issues

• Applying the course's frameworks to climate change, regional conflict, and migration.
• Analysing terrorism and other transnational challenges affecting the international system.
• Using theory and method — not headlines alone — to interpret current events.