Welcome to the International Relations (IR) Department. As a Department we are now in our 84th year, making us one of the oldest as well as largest in the world. Read more about the department.

News
Blog
Publications
Student FAQs

IR Dept Public Lecture: The 'Rio+20' UN Summit: Global Crisis or Global Rescue?|

Date: Thursday 31 May 2012
Time: 6.30-8pm
Venue: Old Theatre, Old Building
Speakers: Tom Burke, Professor Andrew Hurrell, Bernice Lee
Chair: Dr Robert Falkner

All welcome, first come first served.

More info on our News| page and LSE Events| page

IR Department launches new MSc course introductory videos|

We are pleased to announce that you can now view a number of short introductory videos by the Course Co-ordinators to give you a flavour of several of our MSc courses.

They are available to watch or download here|, on in a YouTube playlist|.

IR article included in MIT Press’s “50 Influential Journal Articles” anniversary celebration|

Dr Falkner’s article “Private Environmental Governance and International Relations: Exploring the Links” (Global Environmental Politics 3:2, 2003) has been included in the list of 50 influential journal articles published in MIT Press journals in honour of the Press’ 50th anniversary.

Full details of MIT list here|.

Obama and the Middle East: The End of America's Moment?|

(Macmillan Palgrave, 2012)

Fawaz A Gerges

Taking stock of Obama's first two and a half years in the White House, this book places his engagement in the Middle East within the broader context of U.S. foreign policy since 9/11 and examines key areas that have posed a challenge to his administration: negotiation with Israel and Palestine, troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan, engagement with the Arab Spring, intervention in Libya, and the death of Osama bin Laden.

International Affairs special issue on ‘Rio+20 and the Global Environment: Reflections on Theory and Practice’

The latest special issue of International Affairs (88:3, May 2012) reviews International Relations approaches to global environmental politics. It was guest-edited by Dr Robert Falkner, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at LSE, and Bernice Lee, Head of the Energy Environment and Development Programme at Chatham House, and includes contributions from internationally renowned scholars, including Andrew Hurrell, Robert Keohane, Eric Helleiner, Kenneth Abbott and Steven Bernstein, among others. Topics covered include the role of emerging powers in climate politics, private governance initiatives, institutional diffusion, differential treatment and the North-South conflict, as well as UNEP reform. Dr Falkner’s contribution explores the normative foundations of international society and asks whether these have been ‘greened’ over time.

The articles in this special issue are available online for free until the end of May 2012 at Chatham House online and Wiley online.

For more news for the IR Department, visit our News| page.

Barry Buzan: Tedx lecture on why there will be no more superpowers in the future
On 28 March 2012, Professor Barry Buzan gave a short (21 mins) Tedx lecture at Central Saint Martins on why there will be no more superpowers in the future. Watch it here:

EFPU roundtable: The EU Foreign Policy after Lisbon – A view from ASEAN
Various perception studies conducted by scholars over the past few years (Lucarelli and Fioramonti; Holland, et al.) on the European Union’s external image have revealed that it is largely seen as an economic or trading power, but is not widely … Continue reading →

EFPU roundtable: ‘The European External Action Service’
On 15 March 2012 the LSE’s European Foreign Policy Unit hosted the sixth of ten roundtables on ‘EU Foreign Policy after Lisbon’, entitled ‘The European External Action Service’. The panellists were Professor Sophie Vanhoonacker (University of Maastricht), Professor Richard Whitman … Continue reading →

EFPU roundtable: ‘Influencing the EU Foreign Policy Process’
In a world where the presence of non-state actors (e.g. multinational corporations, NGOs, international organisations, etc.) has increased exponentially, it has become a burning issue to investigate the influence that they have on the EU. While much ink has been … Continue reading →

Cumberland Lodge Conference 2011
After having struggled through the Friday afternoon traffic to get out of London, this year’s group of attendees from LSE’s international relations department enjoyed the ‘informal reception’ at Cumberland Lodge to get ready for a weekend of good food, merry … Continue reading →

EFPU roundtable: ‘The EU’s Influence in its Eastern Neighbourhood’
On 2 February 2012 the LSE’s European Foreign Policy Unit hosted the fourth of ten roundtables on ‘EU Foreign Policy after Lisbon’ addressing the highly topical issue of “The EU’s Influence in its Eastern Neighbourhood”. The panellists were Professor Hiski … Continue reading →

Obama and the Middle East: The End of America's Moment? |
(Macmillan Palgrave, 2012)
Fawaz A Gerges

European Union Economic Diplomacy|
(Ashgate, 2012)
Stephen Woolcock

The first comprehensive analysis of the factors that determine the role of the EU in economic diplomacy. It contains a comprehensive explanation of decision making and negotiating processes in the core areas of trade, financial market regulation, environmental diplomacy and development co-operation.

The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda
|(Oxford University Press, 2011)
Fawaz A Gerges

In this concise and fascinating book, Fawaz A. Gerges argues that Al-Qaeda has degenerated into a fractured, marginal body kept alive largely by the self-serving anti-terrorist bureaucracy it helped to spawn.

Foreign Policy Analysis: New Approaches
|(Routledge, Oct 2011)
Chris Alden and Amnon Aran

This work builds on and expands the theoretical canvas of foreign policy analysis, shaping its ongoing dialogue with international relations and offering an important introduction to the field. It is essential reading for all students of foreign policy and international relations

For more publications by members of the IR Department, visit the pages on Staff Publications: new books|, older books| and Staff Publications: articles and chapters|.

Prospective applicants|

Applicants wishing to apply for the BSc IR, MSc IR and MSc IR Research, the MSc IR Theory, the MSc IPE and MSc IPE Research and the MPhil/PhD programme should read the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS):

FAQs for prospective BSc International Relations applicants|
FAQs for prospective MSc International Relations applicants|
FAQs for prospective MSc in International Political Economy (IPE) applicants|
FAQs for prospective MSc International Relations Theory applicants|
FAQ for prospective MPhil/PhD International Relations applicants|

Incoming and current students|

These are divided into the following sections:

General questions|
Questions for first-year undergraduates|
Questions for taught course graduate students|
Questions for first-year research students (MPhil/PhD)|

International Relations Student Handbooks|

Those on the LSE network can read and download the IR Taught Courses Student Handbook (BSc and MSc) or the IR Research Student Handbook here|.

Programmes of study

IR research

MSc course introductory videos

Centres and units|