International Relations

Since the establishment of the world’s first “states” back in antiquity, “international relations” have exerted a major influence on human societies, with respect to war, peace, trade, and cultural diffusion. The term “international relations” refers, above all, to connections and exchanges. Specifically, it concerns the cross-border interactions between states, organisations, and people, in the spheres of politics, law, culture, economics, religion, and science. For historians, the study of “international relations” – often referred to as “diplomatic history” or “international history” – not only encompasses diplomacy between sovereign states, but also the governance of international bodies such as the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Trade Organization; as well as the trajectories of international military and political conflicts. Today, we are more connected than ever before and, for that reason, the theme of “International Relations” is critical to understanding our shared history.

At BOA, the theme of “International Relations” relates to a diverse range of historical developments and, in turn, overlaps with themes such as “Politics and Social Movements”, “Economics”, “War, Security, and Intelligence”, and “Colonialism and Empire”. Accordingly, the collections featured below shed light on a rich variety of historical experiences: from the earliest years of British-American diplomacy to the partition of India; from the Paris Peace Conference after the First World War to the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict; and from Canadian foreign policy to Cold War espionage.