A decision made in one capital can move markets, trigger migration, or spark a conflict thousands of kilometres away — and understanding why requires more than following the news. The Professional Programme in International Relations and Global Affairs, delivered by the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy, is built to give participants that deeper reading of how states actually behave toward each other.

The programme moves from the theories that explain state behaviour, through the institutions — the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and others — that shape global policy and resolve conflict, into the live issues defining international relations today: climate change, security, migration, trade, and the impact of technology and globalisation on how states interact in the twenty-first century.

Who Should Attend?

• Managers, leaders, and officials in government and private institutions.
• Staff of international governmental and non-governmental organisations.
• Those pursuing leadership positions in senior management.
• Organisers of international conferences and events, and anyone building a career in external relations.
• Anyone who wants a stronger grounding in how international relations actually works.

What You Will Be Able to Do:

• Apply the core theories and concepts that govern international relations — sovereignty, regional integration, and international cooperation.
• Analyse current global issues, including climate change, international security, migration, and trade.
• Build the negotiation and diplomatic skills needed to engage effectively with the international community.
• Explain how international structures — the United Nations, the European Union, and others — work and shape global relations.
• Identify career pathways in international relations and how to build a successful trajectory in the field.

Module 1: Why States Go to War — Conflict and Security in Practice

• Concepts of war and conflict, and the difference between regional and international wars.
• The concept of international security and peace.
• Terrorism in international relations and cybersecurity as an emerging security dimension.

Module 2: The Actors Who Shape World Politics

• Defining international relations, its evolution through history, and its role in shaping global policy.
• States and political systems as the traditional core actors.
• International and regional organisations, NGOs, and multinational corporations as growing forces in the system.

Module 3: The Theories Behind State Behaviour

• Realist theory and its view of power and state interest.
• Liberal theory and its emphasis on cooperation and institutions.
• Marxist theory and its reading of economic structures in global politics.

Module 4: Diplomacy, Crisis and Foreign Policy in Action

• The concept of foreign policy and how states formulate it.
• Managing international crises as they unfold.
• Public and private diplomacy as tools of foreign policy.

Module 5: Money, Trade and Global Power

• Economic globalisation and its impact on state relations.
• The global political economy and how it shapes international behaviour.
• Economic development as a driver of international relations.

Module 6: Human Rights on the International Stage

• Defining human rights within the international system.
• Political and economic rights and how they're protected across borders.
• How human rights intersect with, and are affected by, international conflict.

Module 7: What's Next — Global Transformations and Emerging Trends

• Transformations reshaping the international system today.
• Environmental, social, and cultural challenges facing international relations.
• The digital economy, the growing role of international organisations, and the future of international cooperation.