The core: understanding power in global politics

The Core introduces four key concepts that you will use throughout IB Global Politics:

• Power
• Sovereignty
• Legitimacy
• Interdependence

These concepts are not four isolated definitions to memorize. They are analytical tools that help you examine political actors, institutions, relationships and contemporary political issues.

You will continue applying them throughout the thematic studies on rights and justice, development and sustainability, and peace and conflict. They will also support your engagement project and, at Higher Level, your inquiries into global political challenges.

This Core unit has been organized into six notes. The first four notes focus on the four key concepts individually:

1. Power in Global Politics
2. Sovereignty in Global Politics
3. Legitimacy in Global Politics
4. Interdependence in Global Politics

The fifth note examines actors, stakeholders, systems and structures. These ideas help you identify who participates in global politics, who is affected by political decisions and how political relationships operate.

The sixth note compares theoretical perspectives. It introduces different analytical lenses, including realism, liberalism, social constructivism, Marxism, feminism, postcolonial and decolonial perspectives, and critical theory.

The notes also introduce selected political thinkers, adaptable case studies and contemporary examples. You are not expected simply to memorize every definition, theory or case. The aim is to use them to explain political behaviour, contested outcomes and different interpretations of the same issue.

The Core contains four key concepts. Those four concepts and the supporting course content have been organized into six notes.