International Relations and Foreign Policy
International Relations and Foreign Policy is a research topic within Political Science and International Relations. Science Explorer counts 24k research works in it since 1950. 28.7% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers encompasses a wide range of topics related to international relations, including power dynamics, the role of international institutions and global governance, the influence of norms and soft power, the security dilemma, international law and diplomacy, globalization, and hegemonic structures. The papers explore various theoretical perspectives and empirical case studies to understand the complexities of interactions between states and non-state actors in the global arena.
- Power
- International Institutions
- Global Governance
- Norms
- Soft Power
- Security Dilemma
- International Law
- Diplomacy
- Globalization
- Hegemony
- Research works
- 24k fractional, since 1950
- In the world top 10%
- 6.8k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 28.7% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- +22% the tick is no change
Which countries lead International Relations and Foreign Policy research?
By volume, the United States and the United Kingdom publish the most (850 and 377 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 United States 850 works
- 2 United Kingdom 377 works
- 3 China 311 works
- 4 Türkiye 252 works
- 5 Russia 242 works
- 6 Germany 238 works
- 7 India 167 works
- 8 Australia 142 works
- 9 Pakistan 137 works
- 10 Canada 106 works
How concentrated that is
The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.
Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.
Which institutions lead International Relations and Foreign Policy research?
By volume in 2022–2025, Moscow State Institute of International Relations publishes the most International Relations and Foreign Policy research, followed by King's College London and Australian National University.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 Moscow State Institute of International Relations Russia 51 works
- 2 King's College London United Kingdom 33 works
- 3 Australian National University Australia 31 works
- 4 University of Chicago United States 26 works
- 5 London School of Economics and Political Science United Kingdom 21 works
- 6 University of Oxford United Kingdom 21 works
- 7 Institute of World Economy and International Relations Russia 21 works
- 8 National Research University Higher School of Economics Russia 21 works
- 9 University of Cambridge United Kingdom 20 works
- 10 Fudan University China 20 works
Who are the leading researchers in International Relations and Foreign Policy?
The most-cited researchers publishing on International Relations and Foreign Policy include James A. Russell, Francis Fukuyama and William Diebold.
- 1 James A. Russell 5k citations
- 2 Francis Fukuyama 4.1k citations
- 3 William Diebold 3.8k citations
- 4 G. John Ikenberry 3k citations
- 5 Th. Müller 2.8k citations
- 6 Robert O. Keohane 2.7k citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is International Relations and Foreign Policy research done?
The largest centres of International Relations and Foreign Policy research in 2022–2025 are Moscow (Russia), London (United Kingdom), Beijing (China) and Washington D.C. (United States). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Islamabad.
Largest cities, 2022–2025
Where it is the local speciality
- IslamabadPK · 45.3 works7.1×
Location quotient: how much more of its research is in International Relations and Foreign Policy than the world average.
Where is the best place to study International Relations and Foreign Policy?
Among universities, judged by research, King's College London, Moscow State Institute of International Relations and Swedish Defence University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.
One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.
| # | University | Score | Top 10% | Specialisation | Works | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King's College London United Kingdom | 76.5 | 33.8% | 10.4× | 33 | +175.7% |
| 2 | Moscow State Institute of International Relations Russia | 72.6 | 27.2% | 68.1× | 51 | +174.9% |
| 3 | Swedish Defence University Sweden | 71.5 | 54.0% | 149.5× | 10 | +258.3% |
| 4 | Australian National University Australia | 71.2 | 45.7% | 14.5× | 31 | +14.5% |
| 5 | Leiden University Netherlands | 68.7 | 42.8% | 8.8× | 13 | +308.2% |
| 6 | Charles University Czechia | 66.1 | 46.1% | 7.2× | 14 | +297.1% |
| 7 | London School of Economics and Political Science United Kingdom | 62.8 | 37.9% | 20.9× | 21 | +3.2% |
| 8 | Nanyang Technological University Singapore | 60.7 | 50.1% | 5.5× | 19 | +44.1% |
| 9 | European University Institute Italy | 60.1 | 37.8% | 44.5× | 15 | +26.3% |
| 10 | National Research University Higher School of Economics Russia | 59.0 | 25.8% | 11.9× | 21 | +87.3% |
Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.
Is International Relations and Foreign Policy research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 22% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are International Relations and Foreign Policy.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Which topics inside it are moving
Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.