International politics are the power and influence struggles between nation states that play a central role in shaping world affairs. A fundamental concept is sovereignty, a principle that holds that sovereign powers have absolute power over their territory and can only be deprived of it by the actions of another state. The principle of sovereignty is the basis of military alliances like NATO and the Warsaw Pact and of political cooperation such as the Non-Aligned Movement. Decolonization dramatically reshaped contemporary global politics by creating new sovereign nations that sought to challenge established power structures and seek equality in a globally unequal world.
Realism is a school of thought that views the world as an anarchic environment where state actors seek coercion or consent to realize their interests in the international arena. Realists assert that Great Power politics drive global events and are the primary drivers of conflict.
Liberalism is a school of thought that views countries should pursue foreign policies that reflect their own ethical and political values. Liberalism is usually contrasted with realism.
Dependency theory is an international relations theory based on Marxism that asserts a core set of powerful states exploit a group of weaker periphery states for their economic benefit. This theory was popularized by Madeleine Albright in her 1997 speech on the importance of America’s role in the world.