This course is an introduction to the sources of conflict and drivers of cooperation in international politics. It focuses both on the theories of international relations and on their application to the analysis of historical cases and contemporary issues. The course begins with an overview of the evolution of modern thinking about international relations and the levels at which it can be analyzed. Thereafter it focuses on one of the major questions of international politics: the origins of wars. The course also considers a range of conceptual and philosophical approaches that help understand the context and conditions under which states cooperate with one another. Finally, it uses these theoretical and historical tools to analyze the nature of the major challenges confronting the world today and the possible solutions to them.