International Relations Vs International Politics

International relations and international politics are somewhat similar terms. These words are used interchangeably with one another. However, there are plenty of differences between international relation and international politics.

Table of Contents

What is International Relations?

International relation is the study of foreign affairs and relations among the nations in the international system.
International relation is related to comprehensive relations among people and different groups in the world.
It comprises of all behavior that originates from one country/nation and affects another country/nation.
International relation include relation related to different dimensions like economic, legal, political or any other character.
It is the study of all forms of interactions that exist between the nations within the international system.
IR is a multidisciplinary field.

What is International Politics?

International politics is the core element of international relations.
International politics is the discipline that studies about operation of political power between the states.
It is also known as study of politics in different countries of the world.
It mainly focuses on the operation of political power between the states.
‘International Politics as an inalienable part of International Relations.” – Hans Morganthou, scholar.
International politics is related with the government, political parties, and officials.
It primarily analyzes the political relation and its operation among the state.

Differences between International Relations and International Politics:

International Relations	International Politics
International relations is a magnified phrase for international politics.	International politics lies within international relations.
International relations focuses on cozy, homely and warm relation among political, non-political, governmental, non-governmental groups or organizations.	International politics is only related with the government, political parties, and officials.
International relation describes all types of relations.	International politics describes political relations only
International relation includes all official, non-official, informal, and private relations among the people, group, or associations.	International politics emphasizes more on official relations.
It involves totality of relations. It is related with the relation with state actors, non-state actors, and official relations.	It is related with the politics of international community.
International relations is a wider concept and has broader scope.	International politics is a narrower concept.
The study of International relations is more versatile and uses scientific approaches and methods.	The study of international politics uses descriptive, historical, and analytical method.
It includes diverse range of issues like globalization, sustainability, economic development, finance, terrorism etc.	The range of issues discussed here are quite limited.
It focuses on harmonious relation among the political, non-political, governmental, non-governmental organizations.	It is the political aspect of international relation.
International relations is a broad arena that helps to create bond between the nations through social, economic, and political relationships.	International politics is the subset of international relations.
An expert on international relations can always specialize on the matters on international politics	However, an expert in international politics needs to give additional effort to understand the dimensions of international relations.
It analyzes both political and non-political relation among the states and non-state actors.	It primarily analyzes the political relation and its operation among the state.
International relations fall under the domain of international studies.	International politics fall under the domain of political science.
It looks at multiple subjects of war, peace, economy, diplomacy etc.	It looks at a limited subjects as compared to international relations.

Similarities between International Relations and International Politics:

International Relations (IR) and International Politics (IP) are interrelated with each other. They are complementary disciplines which explore power and politics in different context.
Both International Relations (IR) and International Politics (IP) provide concept for explaining, justifying, and analyzing the modern world.
Both International Relations (IR) and International Politics (IP) analyze social movements that call for justice, development, gender equality and ecological matters.
Both falls within broader category of social sciences.
Both International Relations (IR) and International Politics (IP) need the skills of communication, rapport building, and understanding how people and organization interact, engage, and collaborate.