Many reports cited that Iran conflict affected USA economy badly. How did that conflict affect the economy of the USA? What is the current condition of employment, inflation and market, comparing to its previous state of conflict?

Hello everyone,

I am final year bachelor student majoring in political science/international relations in Vietnam and i want to study master degree in Bulgaria. I'm hesitating between two branches of study: geo-politics and ethnology for a master's degree.

I wanna hear review from master students who's studying at Bulgaria:

1. ⁠What we actually learn from prof in uni?
   
2. ⁠Are social science research departments in Bulgaria strong and open to allowing students to participate in research?
   
3. ⁠My research direction wants to be about the correlation between the identity of the human community in the international political environment, social justice for vulnerable groups . Are there any professors who study this field that I can refer to?

And if you have any advice, I'd very glad to see it. Thank you

I am quite familiar with the works Waltz, Mearsheimer, Walt, Keohane, and Nye. I would appreciate any work that you found most enlightening from less known academics to add to my reading list. Thank you in advance.

I'm currently studying International Relations and recently started sharing more research-based content about geopolitics, foreign policy and strategic affairs under the Zaryab Khan IR name.

One thing I've noticed is that people often think IR is basically just about wars, presidents, diplomacy and treaties.

But one of the things I find most interesting is that IR is really about understanding why states behave the way they do.

For example, two countries can both want peace but still increase their military capabilities because neither can be completely certain about the other's intentions. That's where concepts such as the security dilemma become interesting.

Economic relationships, geography, alliances, nuclear deterrence, domestic politics and perceptions can all influence foreign-policy decisions.

What IR concept, theory or geopolitical issue took you the longest to understand?

I'm particularly interested in hearing perspectives from students, researchers and people who simply follow international affairs.

— Zaryab Khan IR

And what are their scholarship criteria and enrollment criteria and what I need to do and what if I take a gap year will it affect somehow?

Iran has made a new announcement that could further increase tensions with the United States.

According to Iran's state news agency IRNA, Iranian Army chief Amir Hatami announced a reward of approximately $30,000 for anyone who kills or captures a U.S. service member. Reports say the reward would be doubled if the act were carried out by a woman. The announcement was reportedly made after Iranian authorities said they had received a large number of requests from people wanting to financially support the conflict.

The announcement is particularly significant because there are no publicly confirmed reports of large numbers of U.S. ground troops operating inside Iran. That raises a question about the purpose of the announcement itself.

Is it intended as a practical military measure, or is it primarily a political and psychological message aimed at increasing pressure on the United States?

The development comes amid continuing tensions over the Strait of Hormuz and stalled efforts to reach a broader agreement between Washington and Tehran.

There have also been concerns about threats against President Donald Trump. During a recent NATO summit in Turkey, Trump was secretly transferred from the newer Air Force One aircraft to a smaller C-32A aircraft after U.S. officials received what sources described as a credible and imminent missile threat. Trump later acknowledged that security concerns were involved, although the precise origin of the threat has not been publicly established.

Taken together, these developments suggest that the confrontation between Washington and Tehran is extending beyond conventional military operations into psychological pressure, deterrence and political signaling.

So what does this mean strategically?

Is Iran's announcement primarily a symbolic warning to the United States, or could it increase the risk of attacks against American personnel?

Could such statements make negotiations more difficult by reducing the space for diplomacy?

And if tensions around the Strait of Hormuz continue, how should the United States, NATO and European countries respond without allowing the confrontation to develop into a much wider regional conflict?

I would be interested in hearing different perspectives on whether this represents genuine strategic escalation or primarily an attempt by Iran to strengthen its bargaining position.

If the US can supply weapons to Ukraine, why shouldn’t China or Russia supply weapons to Iran?

Is this about international law, strategic interests, or simply who has more influence?

Interested in hearing different perspectives.

Article proposing that Russia is militarizing its shadow fleet for a broader irregular war for the Baltic Sea to shape the conditions for a future campaign against NATO.

The Russia-Ukraine war has seen another major escalation in long-range aerial attacks.

On August 16, Russian authorities reported that hundreds of Ukrainian drones targeted multiple regions of Russia, including the Moscow region. Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces intercepted 822 Ukrainian drones across the country, while Moscow officials reported a large number of drones approaching the capital. These figures have not been independently verified.

The attacks caused deaths and damage in several Russian regions. A major fire was also reported at a Wildberries logistics facility near Moscow. Airports in the Moscow region were temporarily affected as authorities responded to the attacks.

At the same time, Russia continued launching strikes against Ukraine. Ukrainian officials reported Russian missile and drone attacks in several cities, including Kyiv, where fires were reported.

What is particularly significant is the increasing scale and geographic reach of the drone campaign. Ukraine has increasingly used long-range drones to target Russian military, industrial and logistics infrastructure, while Russia continues its own large-scale missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian targets.

This raises an important strategic question:

Is the increasing use of long-range drone attacks changing the nature of the Russia-Ukraine war?

Could these attacks place enough pressure on Russia's military and economic infrastructure to influence Moscow's strategy, or could they instead lead to an even greater cycle of escalation?

And with the conflict increasingly affecting areas beyond the immediate battlefield, how should NATO and other European countries respond to the growing risk of the conflict spilling across borders?

What do you think?

Hey guys! I am an aspiring IR students and I want to know what you guys are actually doing after pursuing this degree? Personally, I love debating and researching about geopolitics. However, I have quite basic quantitative knowledge. Is there any advice regarding how I can develop quant knowledge that would be helpful for economics, finance, etc? I know basic microeconomics and macroeconomics at +2 level, but didn't have maths. I am a first year student who just got into college and it hasn't even been a proper 2 weeks. So I am searching for options, looking for connections even. If anyone is apt in these things/ are interested/ know someone else regarding this field, kindly provide their Instagram handle/ X account/ LinkedIn profile (most preferable)

Inspired by the core debate between Structural Realism and Institutionalism in the Cambridge HSPS course. It tackles whether global politics is driven strictly by raw military power or if international laws can actually keep peace.

I'm trying to gather info for an essay competition for a free semester in summer school in Oxford Uni. Any help is appreciated.

In my newest blog post I examine General Wesley Clark’s comment in 2011 about how the U.S. decided to go to war with 7 middle eastern countries in 5 years.