Meaning & use
international affairs
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Meanings
nounplural
Political, economic and diplomatic matters involving relations between different countries.
Grammar: Takes a plural verb in most usage: international affairs are complicated.
Patterns
- an expert in international affairs
- international affairs of a region
She studies international affairs at university and hopes to join the diplomatic service.
The newspaper's international affairs section covers treaties and trade deals.
He has a deep interest in international affairs.
nounplural
A field of academic study or a career area that deals with global politics, diplomacy and cooperation.
Grammar: Often found in course and job titles: a degree in international affairs.
Patterns
- a degree in international affairs
- a career in international affairs
He earned a master's degree in international affairs.
A career in international affairs may involve living abroad.
Common combinations
- study international affairs
- She plans to study international affairs.
- expert on international affairs
- The professor is an expert on international affairs.
- follow international affairs
- He follows international affairs closely.
- international affairs editor
- The international affairs editor wrote the column.
- in international affairs
- The country plays a growing role in international affairs.
- school of international affairs
- She applied to the school of international affairs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- foreign affairs
- Foreign affairs usually concerns one country's dealings with others, whereas international affairs takes a wider global view.
- world affairs
- World affairs sounds more general and journalistic.
- diplomacy
- Diplomacy is the managing of relations between countries, only one part of international affairs.
- geopolitics
- Geopolitics focuses on how geography shapes power and is narrower than international affairs.
Opposites
Word family
- international adjective
- involving more than one nation
- internationally adverb
- across or between countries
- affair noun
- a matter or event
- internationalism noun
- the belief in cooperation between nations
Commonly confused: international affairs or international relations?
international affairs vs international relations
International relations is the academic field that studies how states interact. International affairs is broader and also covers current events.
Practice
Someone who studies international affairs is most likely interested in ____.
Choose one answer.
International affairs deals with relations between countries. The other topics are domestic or personal matters.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “international affairs”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.