The Wonderful World of International Relations – A Portfolio & Archive

I began my degree in 2019, now a very, very long time ago. Since then, there have been innumerable changes to university learning and to the political landscape.

Enough time has now passed to call the period from 2019-2025 a significant global and political turning point. Surprisingly, I am not only talking about COVID-19, and I believe if COVID-19 had not occurred I would still feel that I could say that this period marked a significant global political shift.

On a political level, we’ve seen an obvious increase in conflict between states- while this is not new, I remember for most of my childhood conflict was contained to civil wars or proxy wars- and while these are no less awful, the rise of direct conflict between states has greatly impacted culture, not only domestically but globally.

Excerpt from Pakistan Position Paper– Diplomacy and the UN 2024

“The recent increase in military conflict globally has posed issues not only to the states directly involved in conflict, but to the wider global political arena.”

On a socio-cultural level, arguably as a partial result of these rising tensions, we’ve seen an increase in political polarisation and far right sentiments internationally.

“This political sea change is in large part the (delayed) consequence of demographic, economic and social shifts. After 9/11, the political debate in many countries shifted from socio-economic to socio-cultural issues. Even the Great Recession only changed this temporarily; once the dust over the bailouts had settled, immigration and security quickly replaced austerity and economic inequality as defining issues once again.”

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/06/2010s-legacy-far-right-politics

This article posits that the 2010s was the ‘decade of the far right’, and I actually disagree- I think, if anything, naming a decade the ‘decade of the far right’ implies that we had seen the worst of far-right governments by 2020, which I don’t know how many people would agree with in 2025.

International Relations, typically a more moderate area than a state’s domestic politics, has also been impacted by rising political polarisation and conflict. There is a growing trend towards isolationism, nationalism, and a preference for self-sufficiency among many states.

However, from a university perspective, I feel that, in particular for a degree such as International Studies, being able to take more time and see and experience these societal and political changes has not detracted from my degree. I feel that this has allowed me to explore a wider range of topics and issues, and their evolution over time.

I have also had more time to grow and reflect on past study and assignments- and I feel that my improvement has been far beyond what it would’ve been if I completed my degree in fewer years.

Furthermore, on a personal level, I have learnt the importance of being able to create your own happiness if the world will not do so for you. Almost in spite of my degree, I will prioritise seeing the beauty in the world, and letting that guide my choices rather than cynicism.