Welcome to International Relations Week!

Sydney Bichsel

What are international relations? Why are they important? How can you possibly keep up with it all?

While normally the welcoming post for the week gives a general overview of a broad topic and seeks to explain why the history and the current relevance is important to each individual, it is near impossible to do that for a topic like international relations.

International relations is the history of, as well as the current, relationships between economics, ethics, politics, human rights, poverty, and so much more. To attempt to encapsulate the history and meaning of international relations is to attempt to summarize the history of the world and why it is important to know and understand the history of humankind.

Instead, this week, the answer to these questions will be given in the form of highlighting the importance of staying up to date with your current events, whether they be domestic or international. By understanding what is happening in the world around you and by knowing the troubles and successes facing others, you will be able to have better knowledge of what you are passionate about, what to care about, and what has the power to effect you in your daily life. By understanding what is happening in the world around you, you build a better bond with your own humanity and with your own neighbors.

International relations are important because the course of humanity rests in these careful blends of interactions. Whether or not you see a direct impact on your own life does not mean that someone else’s life hasn’t been radically altered. To take a stand or not comes from being informed. Back up your opinion with examples of importance and relevance. Stay educated.

If news source bias concerns you, here is a quick read, with survey results, to better help direct your understanding of which outlets are biased:

https://www.businessinsider.com/most-and-least-biased-news-outlets-in-america-2018-6

If you’re looking for a conservative source, look here.

If you’re looking for a liberal source, look here.

If you’re looking for a source that has been shown to be less biased towards either party, check out this extensive list.

Despite user based content, Wikipedia is a good source to gain general knowledge and understanding of situations.