International politics is the study of the behaviour and power of governments in relation to other states and their citizens across state boundaries. Its research topics are wide and varied but all have a link to the pattern of political relations that exists between sovereign states.
There are many different approaches to international politics and it is unlikely that one grand theory will emerge in the foreseeable future. However, many of the different approaches offer explanations for some aspects of international life.
For example, some scholars believe that the state is a social construct, and it is these constructs that generate international politics. These constructs can include the ideas, norms and identities of various entities that are socialised into roles within the international system. This is known as a constructivist framework.
In this perspective the world’s states are entangled in a complex web of intergovernmental and supranational arrangements. This has led to a variety of strategies that aim to maintain balance and prevent a single power from becoming dominant. These strategies are called balance of powers.
While these balances of power occur at all levels, they are most obvious on the global level. There are also regional and local balances of power. Another approach is that of naming and shaming at the international level, which is used to try to influence state behaviour by publicly exposing their shortcomings. This is most commonly done by large human rights NGOs such as Amnesty International.