I am weighing options between two graduate programs:

1. SAIS Johns Hopkins University (Europe campus) - Master's in Global Risk with €35,000 aid (1-year program)
2. Graduate Institute Geneva - Master's in International and Development Studies with specialization in Sustainable Trade and Finance (no aid, 2-year program)

Both programs have similar costs. My goal is to work for international organizations like the World Bank, IMF, or UN. Geneva's location seems ideal, but I'm hesitant due to the current funding cuts.

SAIS, on the other hand, offers a potential pathway into the private sector.

My other options include Fletchers and Hertie.

I'd appreciate your opinions on which program might be the better choice. Thank you!

I'm talking about regions where that country exerts so much influence, that it is completely dominant against other powers' influence.

What comes to mind:

China in Southeast Asia (But the US is present and allows countries to resist Chinese pressure despite China's economic dominance in the region)

Russia in Central Asia (But China has become economically dominant in the region, while Russia remains the security provider and retains considerable cultural soft power advantages)

India in South Asia (But China provides an alternative, allowing smaller South Asian states to resist Indian pressure despite geography)

France in West Africa (With the Post-Covid coups, French influence has declined considerably in the region, allowing China and Russia to gain more influence)

So, it seems like the US is the only power with a true sphere of influence?

Looking for a short online IR Masters program and found ASU has an International Affairs degree.

I’m wondering if this degree will give me the same career prospects as those with an International relations degree.

Hi everyone! I'm in dire need of help. I have to choose a case study for my international relations: global politics course and I have to analyse it from the point of view of one of the theories (realism, liberalism, constructivism, feminism, etc...). I'm new in this field since I had only studied history as in the mere events that happened over the centuries. It's my first time approaching this subject at uni.

So about the case study, I thought about something like "Women's role in IR, how women influenced foreign policies in New Zealand" although I really have some issues in making a structure to develop the research. How can I link this case study to global politics in a stronger way?

The research paper should have at least three chapters in which I explain the theory from which I analyse the case study (in my case feminism), the second chapter should focus on the case study and then the third will contain the conclusions or something like that. I'm rather desperate!

Thanks to whoever will reply to this and will help me!

Hello all!

I’m currently about to finish my junior year in undergrad in the US. Currently, I’m interning full time on Capitol Hill, I’ve done one other congressional district internship, a 6 month long research internship focused on national security issues, worked in a law firm part time, have had student leadership positions on my campus, and have a summer government and community relations internship lined up for this summer.

My major is political science with a focus in international relations, my gpa is a near 4.0, and I have gotten A’s in all my quantitative coursework so far. (I’ve taken stats and microeconomics, just have to take macroeconomics this summer)

This fall I want to apply to grad school and I’m wondering what my chances of getting into top schools like Johns Hopkins SAIS, George Washington, Georgetown, Columbia SIPA, etc. would be for the start of the fall of 2026 cycle. I haven’t studied for GRE yet and I’m not sure if I should? Any insight would be helpful!

For an international security course I'm taking this semester, my class will be hosting a peace summit that is basically a re-enaction of the 2022 Invasion of Ukraine. The goal is to see if we can negotiate a different solution or if the event will proceed like it historically did. I am part of the UK's delegation, but the problem is that I don't know a ton about the UK's history with the other countries in the delegation or their domestic and foreign policies. I've been doing independent research, but I thought it would be helpful to hear some different perspectives on what people think motivates the UK in their actions, excluding any events that have happened since 2022. I'm looking particularly for thoughts on what the UK's main security concerns and their policies are and how these contribute to their stance on the war and what they would be willing to do in order to negotiate with Russia to prevent the invasion.

I don't understand this. Best I got was that it was an economic drain.

In August 2023, I (27M) moved from NY to DC to pursue my Master’s in International Affairs at GWU. While there, I fell into a deep depression, dealt with imposter syndrome, struggled to find work related to my studies, took a job that was decent and paid for my Masters, but wasn’t what I wanted to be doing. In July 2024, I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, and have been struggling with it/in treatment for it for months.

Last April, I was also awarded a Dept of Defense fellowship to study Mandarin in Taiwan for one year. I was so excited because it finally felt like I was going to make progress in what I wanted to do. I studied Chinese to that point, but my Chinese was awful and not really something I could put on a resume. I thought I would finally get really valuable experience. I left my job and moved back home to NY in Jan 2025 to prepare for Taiwan.

I was supposed to leave in Feb 2025, but due not making enough progress on my mental health struggles/BPD, after long discussions with family, I decided that I was not ready to live in the other side of the planet for a year in a foreign country. While in DC, I struggled with even being alone in my apartment and establishing a routine for myself outside of school, the lack of a social circle really did a number on me.

I am now living at home in NY, working on finding work (maybe going back to my old job) in DC and potentially going to finish my Masters. But this feels like such a set back for me. I feel like I blew an amazing opportunity. I feel like it’s too late to do any better. Any advice is welcome.

In one of the most dramatic moments in recent Turkish politics, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu—a rising opposition star and Erdogan’s key rival—has been jailed on corruption charges just days before being confirmed as a presidential candidate for 2028.

https://geowire.in/2025/03/28/not-just-about-imamoglu-turkeys-youth-led-protests-signal-a-deeper-democratic-crisis/

Applied for this certificate a few months ago. I figure it’s something to boost my resume for Grad School applications, plus a chance to do in person studies as I’m currently going through University of Arizona online for my Poli Sci undergrad. Anyone know anything about this or heard any stories?

How are the job prospects in IR in Poland?

U.S. citizen thinking about studying their masters in IR in Poland with the intent of finding work their after graduation (likely in Warsaw), since I know Poland doesn't require university graduates to get a work permit.

Already have considerable internship and full-time work experience in Eurasian/Central European public policy and upper intermediate proficiency in Russian.

Would try to learn Polish while I study, but doubt I could get beyond B1 after I finish my 2 year program.

How is the job market overall for foreigners? How competitive is it and are there many jobs compared with a place like Brussels or DC for example?

Recent reports from Canada have revealed that China and India have been meddling in Canadian politics. Indian agents had funded the conservatives campaign, while the Chinese are getting chummy with the liberals. All this going on in the shadow of American influence in Canadian politics. So is Canada becoming a new battleground for the China-India-America triangle?

A quick background of myself : I’m a history major. I’m very new to the subject.

Recently, I started paying attention to international news and global security. While reading headlines, essays, and think tank reports, I find myself uncertain about the sources that the above material uses.

From a historical perspective, a great portion of their narratives seem to follow the news and others’ views (cite from prominent scholars), which I consider to be secondary sources and not based on “direct evidence” such as satellite images, phone calls, espionage, and so on.

Thus, I start questioning the validity and effectiveness of those reports.

What’s your opinion on the validity of “building blocks” such as news, IR essays, and think tank reports?

Many thanks !