International Relations Dissertation Topics and Titles – Free Advice
Published by at January 9th, 2023 , Revised On May 2, 2024
Introduction
International relations studies the relationships between different countries, economies, regions, and governments whilst considering the importance of trade, economic relations, foreign policies, international security, and diplomacy.
International relations do not focus on a single country but discuss how a particular event or incident affects countries in one or more regions. Thus, each country needs to ensure that its international and economic relations with other countries are valuable and longstanding.
International relations are essential to understanding current political events and their impact on different countries. Whether it is the world war, oil crisis, 9/11, Brexit, or any other major event, the subject of international relations explores them in detail and provides insight into how they will affect other countries.
Studying international relations helps us understand how the world operates, how countries connect, and how they are affected by policy changes in another country or when a major incident occurs.
To help you get started with brainstorming for international relations topic ideas, we have developed a list of the latest topics that can be used for writing your dissertation.
These topics have been developed by PhD qualified writers of our team, so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.
You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting a brief research proposal from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an introduction to the topic, research question, aim and objectives, literature review, and the proposed methodology of research to be conducted. Let us know if you need any help in getting started.
Check our dissertation examples to get an idea of how to structure your dissertation.
Review the full list of dissertation topics here.
Top IR Dissertation Topics
Research Aim: This research aims to find the role of economic security in foreign policymaking in developing countries. It will review the concept of economic security and its introduction into the international relations discourse. Moreover, it will show why it helps developing countries. And how can they incorporate it into their foreign policymaking? How much progress have they made so far while implementing it? And what can they do about it in the future?
Research Aim: This study intends to analyse the actual cause of Russia-Ukraine from geostrategic and ideological lenses. It will be a comparative study using various international relations (IR) lenses such as realism, liberalism, geostrategic, geo-economics, geo-political, etc., to show which lens finds appropriate reasoning for the Russia-Ukraine going to war. Moreover, it will identify various economic, political, and social forces driving this war. Lastly, it will find out who will be the prime beneficiary of this war other than Russia.
Research Aim: This research sheds light on the political and economic forces behind global terrorism. It will find how various political and economic powers, such as states, organisations, business groups, politicians, etc., deliberately promote terrorism for their political and financial motives. It will use various case studies such as terrorism in Pakistan and other developing countries and significant conflicts such as Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, etc. Moreover, it will show how small governments can create a political-economic-security framework to avoid terrorism for the benefit of foreign powers.
Research Aim: This research assesses the role of Western powers such as the US, UK, and EU in the Israel-Palestine conflict from a third-world country viewpoint, such as India, Pakistan, etc. It will show how third-world countries evaluate this conflict on political, economic, social, and national security bases. Moreover, it will show what lessons these countries can learn from this conflict to save themselves from significant future disputes and formulate their foreign policy according to these lessons. Lastly, it shows which side these countries take in Israel-Palestine and on which grounds.
Research Aim: This research will show why the Middle East is crucial for the West through a geo-economic and geostrategic analysis. It will find why Western powers, such as the US, Europe, etc., invaded the Middle East from a geo-economic and geostrategic lens. It will show what these powers gained and lost in these invasions. And do geo-economic and geostrategic factors incentivize Western powers to invade the Middle East again? Lastly, how can the Middle East protect its rights and gains in the future by applying geo-economic and geostrategic analysis?
This research analyses the dynamics between terrorism and religion and their influence on the bilateral relations between Afghanistan and the United States, to understand how these factors have shaped diplomatic, political, and socio-cultural interactions.
This study critically examines the complexities and challenges of the Afghanistan peace process. It focuses on understanding the various stakeholders involved, their motivations, the negotiation dynamics, and the impact of historical, political, and socio-cultural factors on the prospects for sustainable peace and stability in the region.
The research investigates the role of Arab nations in the Israel-Palestine conflict. It focuses on their historical, political, diplomatic, and socio-cultural contributions, interventions, and impact on the conflict dynamics and the prospects for peace in the region.
The study explores the effect of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on international trade. The research investigates USMCA’s impact on its economic, political, and social implications for the member countries and the broader global trade landscape.
This study critically analyses the participation of women in the field of international relations. It examines the factors influencing their involvement, the challenges they face, the contributions they make, and the implications for global governance, diplomacy, and security.
The study analyses the factors contributing to the failure of the United Nations’ nuclear disarmament plans. It examines the historical attempts, diplomatic challenges, political obstacles, and the role of state actors, non-state actors, and international power dynamics in hindering progress toward global nuclear disarmament goals.
The research aims to investigate the complex factors and events that led to the transformation of the Syrian crisis into a civil war, examining socio-political, historical, economic, and regional dynamics, as well as the roles of state and non-state actors, to gain insights into the escalation and perpetuation of the conflict.
COVID-19 International Relations Research Topics
Research Aim: This study will address the geopolitical issues and International relations during COVID-19
Research Aim: COVID-19 has disturbed everything from health to the world’s economy, and it has also created tensions among the nations of the world. This study will identify whether Coronavirus is a geopolitical instrument or not.
Research Aim: This study will reveal the opinions and role of International relations scholars and COVID-19
Research Aim: This study will focus on the meta-geopolitics during the COVID-19 crisis
Research Aim: This study will predict the global order of the Coronavirus pandemic, including international relations, geopolitics, and geo-economics after COVID-19.
International Relations Research Topics
Research Aim: This research aims to address the conflicts between India and China, the history and current situation of the two nations, and their government’s role.
Research Aim: This research aims to conduct an in-depth study on the contribution of the organisation of Islamic cooperation during a pandemic
Research Aim: This research aims to highlight the new immigration rules of the UK and their impacts on immigrants.
Research Aim: This research aims to highlight the impact of China’s economic growth on the world
Research Aim: This research aims to address the role of the UN in resolving the Indo-Pak conflict on the matter of Kashmir
9/11: How has it Shaped International Trade between the West and the Arab Countries?
Research Aim: There is no doubt that 9/11 is one of the major incidents that shook the entire world. An attack on the twin towers killed hundreds and left thousands injured. Loss of lives, property, and money were not the only losses resulting from this incident.
With Al-Qaeda accepting the attack’s responsibility, the American government cut ties with many countries responsible for funding the terrorist organisation. The country initiated the war on terror shortly after the incident; however, the effects were experienced worldwide and long-term.
This dissertation will focus on how trade was affected by post 9/11 and how the US ties with the Arab world were severely affected.
China’s Growth as the Superpower: Is the US threatened?
Research Aim: China is the next superpower; there is no second thought about it. However, the growth of this economic giant has left huge gaps in the international trade market. With America being the superpower for ages, the country is now threatened with China’s economic progress.
The two countries may have good terms on the surface; however, they compete on a whole new level in the international market. This research will talk about China’s progress, how the country has evolved as a superpower, and how it poses a threat to the United States of America. All aspects, including trade, policy framing, etc., will be discussed to provide a detailed analysis.
How Can ResearchProspect Help?
ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service, which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions, literature review, methodology, expected results, and conclusion. The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service!
Does Germany’s Foreign Policy Influence the Rest of Europe?
Research Aim: Germany dominates the European Union. Policies, tariffs, currency, trade, international business, etc., are designed keeping in mind Germany. This research will discuss how the European Union is dominated by Germany, particularly after the Brexit.
Every country can draft policies considering its economic position and ties with other countries. However, the European Union has to consider Germany while formulating any new foreign policy. The dissertation will discuss why this happens and how European countries draft their foreign policy considering Germany.
Exploring the Causes of Conflicts between the African Nations and their Relationships with the West
Research Aim: African countries have suffered a lot over the last several centuries. Some countries are poor and do not have enough resources to provide facilities to the country’s people, while the rest do not enjoy healthy political relations with the rest of the world.
Many African countries have different policies compared to the Western world, which is why conflicts arise. Moreover, racial discrimination is another major factor why the two regions have never shared healthy relations.
This research will investigate the underlying reasons for conflicts between the African and the Western world and how they can be bridged.
Is Africa a Concern for the Western World?
Research Aim: A few African nations are rich in natural resources but in political turmoil, so other countries have always tried to take advantage of them. However, all international trades must be conducted concerning foreign policies in place. It is only through international trade laws that such businesses must avoid any unfair and biased distribution.
Unfortunately, the western world has always dominated the African nations and have barely given them their right. This thesis will explore the notion that western countries always try and find a way to dominate the African countries even when they deserve a larger share of the pie.
Russia and the Western World: A look into History
Research Aim: The relations between Russia and the Western world, specifically the US, are known worldwide. The Cold War and the aftermath of the war will all be discussed in detail in this dissertation. Many histories and international relations experts believe that the cold war has not ended and is going on to date. This notion will be researched, discussed, and analysed in this research to provide a complete insight into the current political situation. However, a major part of the thesis will focus on the history of these countries and the events.
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China’s Economic Growth – The Effects and Consequences on the World
Research Aim: China is taking over the world – this is a fact. Whether a country or a nation accepts it or not, China is slowly making its way to becoming a superpower. Be it technology, daily products, banking, financial services, or any other thing. China has outclassed all other countries of the world.
Considering China’s rapid progress, many countries have accepted China as the future superpower and tried to maintain a good relationship. However, on the other hand, other countries do not accept China as the next superpower and are ready to fight for it.
An example is the United States, the current superpower and is not ready to lose China. This research will discuss China’s impact on its products and services and its consequences of becoming an economic superpower.
The Role of United Nations in Resolving the Arab-Israel Conflict
Research Aim: The Arab-Israel Conflict is an ancient battle. The war broke out for reasons that are not to all and is still going on to date. However, the stance of the Arab countries has not changed since Israel first started to occupy Arab lands.
The Arab world does not accept Israel as a state. Instead, it has been termed as a terrorist funding state. Moreover, the Israel-Palestine conflict has added fuel to the fire. Many Muslim countries, until now, are not ready to accept Israel. This research will talk about the conflict and how the United Nations have played their part in bridging the gap between the two nations.
Understanding the Role of the EU in International Relations
Research Aim: European Union is a critical region in trade, business, political relations, etc. Thus, the region has tremendous effects on the international relations of the world.
This thesis will discuss the role of the European Union in international relations, how European Union is a key player in international politics, and how other nations should work on their policies and frameworks to develop healthy relations with the EU.
Assessing the Role of the United Nations as a Law Enforcement Agency
Research Aim: The United Nations is an organisation formed to help countries and regions resolve conflicts between them. Issues such as Kashmir (India-Pakistan) and Israel-Palestine are longstanding and must be solved by the United Nations. There is a complete framework that forms the basis of the actions and decisions taken by the United Nations.
Votes are collected from the members on a particular issue, and then a decision or a statement is issued over the conflict. This research will assess the role of the United Nations in resolving world conflicts and how successful or unsuccessful the organisation has been in resolving world conflicts.
Important Notes:
As a student of international relations looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment with existing international relations theories – i.e., to add value and interest to your research topic.
International relations are vast and interrelated to many other academic disciplines like politics, law, geopolitics, history, and even business. That is why it is imperative to create an international relations dissertation topic that is particular and sound and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.
We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic based on your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong: your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, and there is a possibility that the study is not viable.
This impacts your time and efforts in writing your dissertation, as you may end up in a cycle of rejection at the initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.
Keeping our advice in mind while developing a research topic will allow you to pick one of the best international relations dissertation topics that fulfil your requirement of writing a research paper and adds to the body of knowledge.
Therefore, it is recommended that when finalizing your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.
Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please look at some of our sample international relations dissertation topics to get an idea for your own dissertation.
How to Structure Your Dissertation on International Relations
A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.
- A Title Page
- Acknowledgments
- Declaration
- Abstract: A summary of the research completed
- Table of Contents
- Introduction: This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
- Literature Review: This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analysing published and unpublished literature on the chosen research topic to address research questions. The purpose is to highlight and discuss the selected research area’s relative weaknesses and strengths whilst identifying any research gaps. Break down the topic and key terms that can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
- Methodology: The data collection and analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter, which usually includes research design, research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and data analysis strategy.
- Findings and Analysis: The findings of the research are analysed in detail in the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include graphs, charts, and tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
- Discussion and Conclusion: The researcher presents his interpretation of the results in this chapter and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section of the paper is to link the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regard to the implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
- References: This should be completed following your University’s requirements
- Bibliography
- Appendices: Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to complete the dissertation but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.
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Frequently Asked Questions
For international relations dissertation topics:
- Examine global issues and conflicts.
- Analyse diplomacy, treaties, or organisations.
- Explore cultural, economic, or political influences.
- Review current events and debates.
- Consider regional dynamics.
- Opt for a topic resonating with your passion and research scope.
