International political and economic relations 2102-L-D3MSPG

Policy in international relations
The manifestation of political phenomena and processes in international relations; types of systems of international relations: suzereign and sovereign; historical and contemporary patterns; the formation of nation states and their evolution. Perception of international political relations through the prism of the Hobbes, Grocius and Cantonese traditions.
The economy in international relations
The emergence and development of the world economy; contemporary international trade and its importance to individual countries; political barriers to international economic relations; selected international economic problems.
Motivational factors and forms of international behaviour of countries
Identification of national interest and raison d'êtat . The role of the national interest in the internal and foreign policy of a country; the influence of raison d'êtat on the international polystrategy of a country. Mechanisms and decision-making processes in foreign policy. Foreign policy functions; the role of the foreign service; methods and means of diplomatic communication; forms of cooperation and international competition between countries.
Processes of sovereignty and desunification of states in international relations
The historical process of shaping the idea of sovereignty; disputes over the content of sovereignty; sovereignty of states and the principle of national sovereignty; the legal concept of the exclusive competence of states and of sovereign equality; the limits of sovereignty; the redefinition and re-evaluation of state sovereignty in contemporary international relations in the context of integration and globalisation processes.
International security
Understanding of state security; unilateral and multilateral state security policies; the role of international alliances. Threats to international security; international disputes and conflicts; peaceful settlement of international disputes.
UN Security System
The principles of the UN Charter and the universality of the Organisation's membership; the UN's responsibility for international peace and security; UN sanctions; peacekeeping and enforcement operations after the 'Cold War'; the fight against terrorism; the issue of authorising the use of force; the legality of the use of force by regional organisations; the right of a government to invite foreign intervention; the legal nature and functions of the Organisation; the assessment of the effectiveness of the UN and proposals for reform.
The Atlantic Community in international relations
The origins of the system, structure, evolution; Western European and Euro-Atlantic security structures; NATO's doctrinal and structural transformations after the end of the Cold War.
Security and cooperation in Europe
The origins of the pan-European process; the course and functions of the CSCE during the East-West confrontation; the Final Act of the CSCE and subsequent documents; the institutionalisation of the pan-European process, the transformation in the 1990s, the functions of the OSCE at the beginning of the 21st century; the challenges of European security related to migration; the role of the European Union in building a European security system.
The right of peoples to self-determination
Historical and contemporary processes of self-determination. Revaluation of the right of nations to self-determination and its limits. Nationalism as an inclusive ideology and political principle; ethno-nationalism, Revanchist nationalism and territorial revisionism, irredenta and separatism. The demands for autonomy.
International roles of powers
The responsibility of the United States for international governance after the 'Cold War'; US unilateralism and the erosion of US monocentrism; the rise of China; the powerful roles of Russia; BRICS; multilateralism and polycentrism.
Central European governance and changes in post-Soviet space
Transformation of the regional order after the "Cold War"; consequences of the break-up of the USSR and the reunification of Germany; new geopolitical map; western affiliations and Russia's return to the power play; reintegration processes in post-Soviet space; the phenomenon of "colourful revolutions".
Religious fundamentalism and the expansion of Islam in the modern world
Characteristics of the 'Islamic world'; Islam as a religious doctrine and concept of social order; fundamentalism as a source of religious extremism; Islam and armed conflicts; the Middle East conflict; controversies over Iran's foreign policy; the 'Arab Spring' - internal and international aspects; the Islamic State and the self-proclaimed caliphate in the Middle East.
The Ukrainian crisis and its international implications
Historical background to the crisis; Ukraine as an object of competition between the West and Russia; consequences of the Ukrainian crisis for the stability of the international order; prospects for resolving the Ukrainian-Russian conflict.
International economic integration and the transformation of the international order
Integration trends in the modern world economy; mechanisms, forms and types of international economic integration; the economic mechanism of customs in the free trade area and the customs union; the trade creation and trade diversion effect; the review of integration groups.