International relations theory
Study of international relations from a theoretical perspective
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| 2025 |
Environmental security
A global quantitative study was conducted analyzing the environmental impacts of armed conflict, using data from the Environmental Performance Index and Uppsala Conflict Data Program. The study revealed that countries affected by armed conflict experience significantly lower environmental performance, with recovery potentially taking 20 to 30 years.
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| 2023 |
Deterrence theory
A research study finds that while nuclear-armed states are less likely to be targeted by non-nuclear states, they are not necessarily less likely to engage in low-level conflicts with other nuclear states.
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| 2022 |
Liberal international order
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which led to renewed discussion about the liberal international order and inadvertently strengthened the LIO in opposition.
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| 2022 |
Deterrence theory
Elon Musk prevents Ukraine from conducting drone attacks on the Russian Black Sea fleet by withholding Starlink communications in Crimea, after receiving a nuclear threat warning from Russia's ambassador.
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| 2022 |
Deterrence theory
Brian Blankenship and Erik Lin-Greenberg published a study challenging the effectiveness of high-resolve, low-capability deterrence signals, casting doubt on the traditional tripwire approach in international relations.
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| 2022 |
Deterrence theory
Kyungwon Suh publishes a study suggesting that nuclear superiority may not reduce the likelihood of nuclear crisis initiation between nuclear-armed states.
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| 2022 |
Copenhagen School
Alan Collins published 'Contemporary Security Studies' through Oxford University Press, representing the ongoing development of the Copenhagen School's theoretical approach.
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| February 2022 |
Deterrence theory
Russia begins invasion of Ukraine, demonstrating a complex scenario of nuclear deterrence where western powers are effectively deterred from direct military intervention due to nuclear threat risks.
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| 2021 |
Balance of power
A scholarly assessment by Morten Skumsrud Andersen and William C. Wohlforth concluded that balance of power is not a universal empirical law and does not merit explanatory precedence in international relations research.
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| 2020 |
Nuclear ethics
Cumulative deaths from nuclear weapons testing estimated to have reached up to 43,000 people by this year.
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| 2019 |
Deterrence theory
By this year, the 2015 Ukraine power grid hack remained the only publicly confirmed instance of a cyber attack successfully causing a power grid disruption.
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| 2018 |
Balance of power
US National Security and Defense Strategies emphasized ensuring the United States remains the 'preeminent military power in the world' with regional balances of power favoring US interests
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| 2018 |
Liberal international order
John Ikenberry refines his definition of the liberal international order, emphasizing its multilayered and multifaceted nature, highlighting that it is not a simple political formation imposed by a leading state.
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| 2015 |
Deterrence theory
First publicly acknowledged cyber attack causing a power outage occurred in Ukraine, demonstrating the potential destructive capabilities of cyber warfare.
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| 2014 |
Liberal international order
Russia provided support for Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine and conducted a military intervention using troops without insignia, further challenging the liberal international order.
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| 2014 |
Liberal international order
The National Front (now National Rally) in France obtained a 9 million euro loan from a Russian bank, potentially influencing the party's policy, such as Marine Le Pen's support for the annexation of Crimea.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Environmental security, Copenhagen School (international relations), Liberal international order, Deterrence theory, Nuclear ethics & Balance of power (international relations), which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.