Following are the trends that emerged with time in the context of international relations:

  1. The End of European Dominance – Before or during the end of World War – II, Europe was a very powerful nation both economically and on military basis. It held supremacy all over the world. But after the end of the World War – II, its supremacy gets destroyed because it faced huge economic loss as world war was mainly by Europe. Along with this, independence movements among the colonies of Europe got momentum and its colonisation got weak and Europe’s supremacy shifted to the USA and the USSR.
  2. Advent of Nuclear Warfare – On 6th August 1945, a bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, and on 9th August 1945, a bomb was dropped on Nagasaki in Japan. This led to Japan’s surrender and the end of second world war. Other nations also started to create new atomic bombs, like the USA and USSR, which were in conflict with each other. Other countries like France, China, India, and Pakistan started nuclear testing. This increased the danger of disaster in the world.
  3. Awakening of nations of Asia and Africa – The awakening of independence struggles in Asia and Africa posed challenges to colonial rule. After the Word War – II, Britain became weaker, making it weak administratively and militarily. Suddenly, there was an increase in membership of the United Nations (UNO), which reached the present number of 193.
  4. Expansion of Communism – Countries like Germany, China, and Italy saw the expansion of communism. Other countries, like India were under the influence of the USSR.
  5. Military Alliances – There were increase or changes in the military alliances. Earlier, there were axis nations and military alliances, but after some time, new military alliances emerged like NATO, led by the USA. In response, the USSR signed the Warsaw Pact, and other military alliances were led by the USA, like CENTO and SEATO.
  6. Advent of Cold War – The USA and the USSR were majorly involved in the cold war. The USA supported capitalism, while the USSR supported socialism and communism. All means were used to downgrade one another without the use of arms and ammunition.
  7. Non-Alignment – There were factions that did not support either the USA or the USSR. These were nations that supported equal peace and world stability. The Non Alignment Movement (NAM) emerged in 1961 at Belgrade, led by Nasser of Egypt, Nehru of India, and Tito of Yugoslavia.
  8. End of Imperialism and Communism – Imperialism became a trend in the 16th century and continued until the Word War – II. Colonial nations started growing weaker, and nations became independent. International politics became global politics, and the focal point spread to various nations in Asia, Latin America, etc. With the decrease in European military and power, other superpowers emerged.
  9. Decrease in the number of superpowers and emergence of new powers – The superpowers of the European continent decreased, while new powers emerged in the 21st century, like India, Brazil, and China.
  10. Shift from Bipolarity to Multi Centralism – From 1945 to 1989, there were two superpowers. Now, many nations have nuclear power. Even if they are not nuclear powers, they have other form of power, such as economic and political influence.
  11. Increase in importance of 3rd world countries – Third world countries now have a voice in international politics. They have organised themselves in many ways, like SAARC and ASEAN.
  12. North-South Conflict - Carbon emission is a major problem between the North and South. Most nations in the North are developed, while the south consists of either developing nations or underdeveloped nations.
  13. Increase in the number of members in UNO – The members of the UNO increased from 51 to 193. The number of developing nations is greater. Permanent members of the UNSC are allied nations. Now, there is demand by developing countries to become permanent members.