Foreign Policies of Great, Middle, and Small Powers

About this course

Why do some countries shape the global order while others punch above their weight? Learn how power, national interests, domestic politics, and the international system shape foreign policy—and apply these ideas to real-world cases across major regions. In Foreign Policies of Great, Middle, and Small Powers, you’ll develop a practical framework for understanding international relations and why states behave differently according to their position in the global power structure. Explore hard power, soft power, smart power, foreign policy, national interest, and changing international power configurations, then put these concepts into context through focused case studies. Go beyond theory with in-depth analysis of the United States and China as great powers; India and Nigeria as middle powers; and North Korea and Qatar as small powers. Examine US-China strategic competition, India’s rise and regional strategy, Nigeria’s leadership ambitions in Africa, North Korea’s nuclear deterrence and regime survival, and Qatar’s energy diplomacy, mediation, and soft power. Through videos, readings, discussions, role plays, and graded assignments, you’ll learn to analyze how states pursue influence, respond to constraints, manage rivals and partners, and adapt their foreign policies as global power shifts. Build the international relations and foreign policy expertise you need to make sense of a changing multipolar world. Enroll now and deepen your understanding of how power shapes world politics.