Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

A Reexamination of International Relations

Tumult has taken hold of international relations of late. While many of the issues that dominate current events and news cycles in the present day may seem fleeting or sudden, further investigation reveals that many of those instances in which conflict exists represent points along a trend indicating that globalism may not have the ability to continue existing in its current form. This topic has great importance because international relations have far-reaching impacts on the daily lives of individuals around the world. The people within those nations therefore have an interest in how they interact with the rest of the world. Bearing this in mind, this paper seeks to answer the following question: what does the future of globalism look like, given historical context and the state of political affairs, and how can economics play a role in that? Information and evidence from three disciplines contributed to answering that question; political science, history, and economics. Information from political science highlights the issues that plague contemporary international relations, such as conflict, differing interests, and wars that threaten global consonance. Information from history gives context and outlines why the issues that contemporary political scientists assert do not exist in a mere fleeting state. Lastly, information from economics examines problems in international relations on a global scale through a fiscal perspective, as well as policy prescriptions to treat many of the preventable economic ailments in the globalist system. All of this together leads to the thesis that historical evidence and modern-day international relations suggest that globalism cannot last in its present state, but reevaluating how countries conduct their economic policies, at home and abroad, can revitalize the globalist system.