Politics in Minutes (2016)

International politics

Governments are responsible not only for the internal, domestic affairs of the state, but also for its interactions with other states. The history of these interactions has been one of conflict - expansionism and defence - but also of alliances and trade. And the modern world of international relations is similarly divided into questions of conflicting national interests and international cooperation.

Traditionally, international politics was concerned with military might and territorial matters, but with the growth of trade has increasingly involved economic cooperation between nations for their mutual benefit. Today, globalization is a buzzword describing the apparent disappearing of national borders in international transactions, and the rise of transnational corporations with huge economic power. But while the world seems to become smaller, there are still political, cultural and economic divisions. Far from becoming homogeneous, the world population remains divided between rich and poor countries.