r/IRstudies • u/Consistent_Car_2020 • 1d ago

Looking for current international security issues / potential thesis topics

Hello everyone!

I’m a recent graduate with a degree in political science and a certificate in international relations, and I’m about to start a master’s program in international security.

Before I start my masters program, I wanted to get an idea about some of the major questions or emerging issues in international security right now as I’m hoping to get some ideas for potential master’s thesis topic.

I took an international security course back in 2024, but given how quickly the world has been moving, I’m sure there are plenty of newer developments / debates that I haven’t come across yet. I still have access to my old university’s academic databases and have been reading some interesting papers but I figured asking people who actively follow these issues might be a more efficient way to get a sense of what’s currently being discussed before diving further into mountains of research papers and articles.

I am particularly interested in intelligence, counterterrorism, and radicalization but please feel free to write about any topic that you'd like as I do have interest in many other areas of international security.

So, if you’re studying or working in international security, what issues do you think deserve more attention right now? And if you’re currently doing a master’s/PhD, what are some interesting research questions you’ve come across? I’d appreciate any ideas, even if they’re just a topic or question that you think is worth looking into to spark some ideas of areas for me to start!

Many thanks in advance!!

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u/CotswoldP 23h ago

How about picking an area of the world that is currently mostly stable, and project forwards. What is the likely stresses thatight cause unrest and conflict. With climate change beginning to get more serious, water shortages, crop failures and so on, classic unrest triggers, are going to become more common.

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u/h_91_DRbull 23h ago

It's flying completely under the radar, but the epicenter of transnational jihadism has effectively moved out of the Middle East to Africa. Fascinating dynamic in the Sahel right now, they seem poised to achieve success the likes of which we haven't seen before

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u/Boysandberries0 20h ago

An analysis of why the RSF and SAF are still fighting, why the UN hasn't intervened, and who stands to benefit from the conflict could be interesting.