The big idea: Global politics is the study of power and how people share it, fight over it and use it — beyond the borders of any single country. It asks: who gets what, and who decides?
Politics is not only about governments and elections. It is about power: who has it, how they use it, and who is left out. Global politics zooms out to look at this across the whole world.
The subject is built around a political issue. Climate change, migration, war, poverty and human rights are all political issues, because people disagree about what to do and who should decide.
One key skill is to study an issue at different levels. A problem can be global, but it also plays out nationally and locally — and it can look very different depending on where you stand.
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Let's make 'levels' real with one issue you already know: climate change. The same problem looks different at each level.
Case study — climate change at three levels: Climate change is one issue, but it is fought over at every level of politics at once.
One issue, three levels
Global level
Nearly 200 countries made the Paris Agreement to slow warming for the whole planet.
National level
Each country decides its own plan — one government may tax pollution, while another protects its coal industry.
Local level
A city council may add cycle lanes or ban old cars, and local people may protest or support the change.
See how the people in charge change as you move down the levels. At the global level, it is world leaders and the UN. At the national level, it is each country's own government. At the local level, it is city councils and ordinary residents.
It is the same issue — but a different group holds the power at each level. That is why 'which level am I looking at?' is such a useful question.
The key point: A good Global Politics student always asks: at what level am I looking, and who holds power at that level? Zooming in and out is one of your most useful skills.
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Here is what makes the subject interesting: people see the same issue very differently. Global politics is contested — full of disagreement — and that is a good thing to explore.
To handle that disagreement, you use the four key concepts as lenses. Each one is a different question you can ask about any issue.
The four key concepts — your toolkit
1 · Power (the master concept)
Who can make others act or bring about change? Everything in the course comes back to power. E.g. a rich country pressures a poorer one over trade.
2 · Sovereignty
Who has the supreme authority over a territory? Normally a state rules its own land and no one else can give it orders. E.g. a country controls its own borders and laws.
3 · Legitimacy
Is that authority accepted as rightful? People obey a government they see as legitimate, not just powerful. E.g. a leader who won a free and fair election.
4 · Interdependence
How much do actors rely on one another? In a connected world, what one does affects the rest. E.g. countries depending on each other for trade and energy.
Explore AND evaluate perspectives: The single biggest exam skill is to show different perspectives on an issue, then weigh them. Whenever you study a case, ask: who sees this differently, and who has the stronger argument?
Here is what that looks like. Take migration — people moving to live in another country. Three actors can look at the very same issue and see three different things.
A government
- Often sees a security worry
- Focus: borders and control
- Question: who is coming in?
A business
- Often sees useful workers
- Focus: jobs and the economy
- Question: who can we hire?
A charity
- Often sees people needing help
- Focus: safety and rights
- Question: who is in danger?
The key point: All three views are looking at the same issue with different eyes — and all of them matter. Strong answers show more than one perspective, then decide which is most convincing.
How you will be assessed: Global Politics (SL) has two exam papers, plus your own Engagement Project.
Paper 1 — you read four sources and answer short questions on the core topics.
Paper 2 — you write essays on the three themes (rights, development, peace).
The golden rule for every paper: Whatever the question, the top marks go to answers that explore different perspectives AND evaluate them, backed by a real case study from roughly the last 20 years. Never just describe — always weigh and judge.
With reference to one example you have studied, explain why climate change is a global political issue.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Easy marks to lose: 1. Only describing an issue. Always explain why it is political.
2. No example. Back your point with one real case.
3. Forgetting power. Global politics is about power and who decides.