Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection International Relations and Global Affairs Syllabus

International Relations and Global Affairs syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for International Relations and Global Affairs in Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Theories and Concepts of International Relations

   4 topics

   • Core paradigms
     • Realism, liberalism and constructivism
     • Power, anarchy and the security dilemma
   • Sovereignty and statehood
     • Westphalian sovereignty and recognition
     • Failed and fragile states
   • Soft power, hard power and smart power
     • Instruments of statecraft
     • Influence, deterrence and coercion
   • Globalisation and interdependence
     • Trade, finance and supply chains
     • Non-state actors and transnational issues
2. 2

   Global Order and Multilateral Institutions

   4 topics

   • The United Nations system
     • Security Council, General Assembly and the UK's P5 seat
     • Specialised agencies and peacekeeping
   • Regional and economic organisations
     • NATO, G7, G20 and the OECD
     • EU, African Union and ASEAN
   • The Commonwealth
     • Structure, values and the UK's role
     • Commonwealth summits and cooperation
   • International law and norms
     • Treaties, customary law and the ICJ
     • International humanitarian and human rights law
3. 3

   Contemporary Geopolitics and Security

   4 topics

   • Great power competition
     • US, China and Russia dynamics
     • Strategic competition and the Indo-Pacific tilt
   • Conflict, terrorism and proliferation
     • Counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation
     • Arms control and nuclear policy
   • Emerging security challenges
     • Cyber, hybrid and information threats
     • Climate, energy and resource security
   • Regional flashpoints and crises
     • Middle East, Sahel and Eastern Europe
     • Migration and displacement pressures
4. 4

   Current Affairs and Analytical Awareness

   3 topics

   • Following global news and trends
     • Reputable sources and triangulation
     • Distinguishing fact, analysis and opinion
   • Forming and defending a view
     • Evidence-based argument
     • Acknowledging uncertainty and risk
   • Topical UK foreign policy debates
     • Sanctions and economic statecraft
     • Alliances and treaty commitments

International Relations and Global Affairs flashcards for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection

24 of 51 cards from the International Relations and Global Affairs deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In International Relations theory, what are the core assumptions of classical/structural Realism?

   States are the primary actors in an anarchic international system (no overarching authority); they are rational and pursue national interest defined as power and security; the system is self-help and conflict-prone. Structural (neo)realism (Waltz) locates this behaviour in the anarchic structure rather than human nature.

2. What are the central claims of Liberalism (and Liberal Institutionalism) in IR?

   Cooperation under anarchy is possible; international institutions, interdependence, trade and democracy reduce conflict. Includes 'democratic peace theory' (democracies rarely fight each other) and 'complex interdependence' (Keohane and Nye), where institutions lower transaction costs and build trust.

3. What does Constructivism argue about international politics?

   That key structures (anarchy, power, interests, identity) are socially constructed through ideas, norms and shared understandings rather than fixed material facts. Wendt's phrase 'anarchy is what states make of it' captures it; identities and norms shape interests, which can change over time.

4. Contrast Marxist/critical IR theory with Realism and Liberalism.

   Marxist and critical approaches (including world-systems and dependency theory) see global politics as driven by economic class and capitalist structures, dividing the world into an exploiting core and an exploited periphery. Unlike state-centric Realism/Liberalism, they emphasise transnational economic forces and structural inequality.

5. What are the four constitutive criteria of statehood under the 1933 Montevideo Convention?

   (1) A permanent population; (2) a defined territory; (3) a government; and (4) the capacity to enter into relations with other states. These are the classic legal tests for a state under international law.

6. Distinguish the 'declaratory' and 'constitutive' theories of statehood recognition.

   Declaratory theory (reflected in Montevideo): statehood exists once the factual criteria are met, and recognition merely acknowledges it. Constitutive theory: a state legally exists only once it is recognised by other states; recognition is what creates international legal personality.

7. Define sovereignty and distinguish its internal and external dimensions.

   Sovereignty is supreme authority within a territory. Internal sovereignty is a state's exclusive authority to govern within its borders; external sovereignty is its independence and legal equality with other states, free from outside interference (non-intervention), as in the Westphalian model.

8. What is the significance of the Peace of Westphalia (1648) for the modern state system?

   It is conventionally taken as the origin of the modern sovereign-state system: it established principles of territorial sovereignty, legal equality of states, and non-interference in domestic affairs, ending major religious wars in Europe and shaping the 'Westphalian' order.

9. Define soft power and identify its three main sources (Joseph Nye).

   Soft power is the ability to get desired outcomes through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion or payment. Its three sources are a country's culture, its political values, and its foreign policies (when seen as legitimate and having moral authority).

10. Define hard power and smart power, and how they differ from soft power.

    Hard power is getting what you want through coercion or inducement, i.e. military force ('sticks') and economic payments/sanctions ('carrots'). Smart power (Nye) is the strategic combination of hard and soft power resources into an effective strategy; soft power relies on attraction alone.

11. What is the UK's Soft Power Index / soft-power reputation grounded in, and name key UK soft-power assets.

    The UK consistently ranks among the world's top soft-power states. Key assets include the BBC World Service, the British Council, the English language, the monarchy, the Premier League, world-class universities, the rule of law and the arts/creative industries.

12. Define globalisation and name its main dimensions.

    Globalisation is the increasing interconnection and interdependence of states, economies and societies through flows of trade, capital, people, technology and ideas. Main dimensions: economic (trade/finance), political (governance/institutions), cultural, and technological/informational.

13. Distinguish 'complex interdependence' from realist views of state relations (Keohane and Nye).

    Complex interdependence holds that states are linked by multiple channels (interstate, transgovernmental, transnational), that there is no clear hierarchy of issues (economics matters as much as security), and that military force is less useful. This contrasts with realism's emphasis on states-only, security-first, force-as-decisive.

14. What is the 'globalisation trilemma' (Dani Rodrik)?

    Rodrik argues you cannot simultaneously have all three of: deep economic globalisation (hyperglobalisation), national sovereignty, and democracy. At most two of the three can be fully achieved; pursuing all three creates tension, as seen in backlashes against globalisation.

15. List the six principal organs of the United Nations.

    (1) General Assembly; (2) Security Council; (3) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); (4) International Court of Justice (ICJ); (5) Secretariat; and (6) the Trusteeship Council (suspended/inactive since 1994).

16. How is the UN Security Council composed, and who are the five permanent members (P5)?

    15 members: 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent (elected for two-year terms). The P5 are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China, each holding a veto over substantive (non-procedural) resolutions.

17. What voting threshold is needed to pass a substantive UN Security Council resolution?

    An affirmative vote of at least 9 of the 15 members, with no veto (no negative vote) cast by any of the five permanent members. A P5 abstention does not count as a veto.

18. Distinguish UN Charter Chapter VI from Chapter VII powers.

    Chapter VI deals with the pacific (peaceful) settlement of disputes — negotiation, mediation, recommendations, with no enforcement. Chapter VII allows the Security Council to determine threats to peace and authorise enforcement action, including sanctions (Art. 41) and use of force (Art. 42).

19. What is the 'Uniting for Peace' resolution and when can it be used?

    UNGA Resolution 377 (1950): if the Security Council is deadlocked by a veto and fails to act on a threat to peace, the General Assembly may meet in emergency special session and recommend collective measures, including the use of force, to maintain international peace.

20. Name the founding treaties and core purpose of NATO.

    NATO was established by the North Atlantic Treaty (Washington Treaty), 1949, as a collective defence alliance. Article 5 is its core: an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against all. Article 5 has been invoked only once — after the 9/11 attacks on the US (2001).

21. What is the EU, and distinguish a free trade area, customs union and single market.

    The EU is a political and economic union of European states. A free trade area removes internal tariffs; a customs union adds a common external tariff; a single (common) market additionally guarantees free movement of goods, services, capital and people (the 'four freedoms').

22. What do the WTO, IMF and World Bank each do?

    WTO: sets and enforces rules of international trade and settles trade disputes. IMF: promotes monetary cooperation and financial stability, lending to countries facing balance-of-payments crises. World Bank: provides long-term loans and finance for development and poverty reduction.

23. Identify the membership focus of the G7, G20 and BRICS.

    G7: seven major advanced industrial democracies (US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada). G20: 19 countries plus the EU and AU, covering major advanced and emerging economies (~80% of world GDP). BRICS: emerging economies — originally Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa — expanded from 2024.

24. Name three major regional organisations besides the EU and their regions.

    ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) — Southeast Asia; the African Union (AU) — Africa; and others such as the Arab League — Middle East/North Africa, MERCOSUR — South America, and the Organization of American States (OAS) — the Americas.

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