Professional International Relations
29/09/2005An interface with the world: the international relations analyst
Since the end of the Cold War, the world has been facing profound political and economic changes. The advancement of technologies has allowed a drastic increase in the speed of exchange of goods and information, making the various societies become increasingly sensitive to what happens in distant points of the planet.
Since the end of the Cold War, the world has been facing profound political and economic changes. The advancement of technologies has allowed a drastic increase in the speed of exchange of goods and information, making the various societies become increasingly sensitive to what happens in distant points of the planet.
The intensity of communications adds to the increasing complexity of global issues, requiring a professional capable of analyzing and acting in the dynamic international scenario. If until then this challenge was performed by economists, social scientists, foreign trade analysts or lawyers, the need for a broader action capable of mapping the international reality as a whole created the demand for a new professional: the international relations analyst.
The way in which this demand occurred influences one of the most important characteristics of the training of this professional.: applied scholarship. The training of the international relations analyst is constantly confused with a broad and eclectic training; However, it is necessary to realize that erudition is not enough to act in today's world, it is also necessary a set of applied technical knowledge that allows us to design scenarios and formulate action strategies.
Contrary to what some people might imagine, an international relations professional does not explain all the international facts. Distance from events of different natures – as is the case with wars, economic integrations, diplomatic relations and transnational movements – makes the professional have to choose only one of these areas.Just like any other course, you must be careful not to be misled by the glamor of the profession, usually confused with diplomacy. Certainly diplomacy is a possible path for this professional., but statistically it is noticed that only a tiny part of bachelors in international relations ends up in diplomacy. The vast majority is absorbed by the private sector, with emphasis on the commercial areas, media and non-governmental organizations. The constant contact with other parts of the world makes this professional also have to master other languages, mainly english, spanish and french. To language proficiency must be added the ability to adapt quickly to other cultures., since travels or even changes in countries are constant. In undergraduate courses, the reading load tends to be high due to the need to enable the student to perceive major international trends. Another important point for choosing this career is the willingness that the student must have to do analysis. Generally, this professional must draw critical scenarios about the international reality and, thereby, suggest action strategies and sometimes even execute them. This makes the good international relations professional be one with a proactive profile and is always willing to seek new challenges. A good college is one that strikes a balance between offering a wide range of subjects and the existence of a thematic axis that can give meaning to the entire training process.. Even so, the international relations professional will have to complete their training in a postgraduate course in order to reach the degree of specialization expected by the market.
Degrees in international relations are emerging across the country, significantly increasing the supply of vacancies. However, as in Brazil the course is relatively recent (except for the University of Brasilia, who have been on the course for a few decades), there are not enough professionals to fill teaching positions. Like this, one of the main concerns that the student must have when looking for a college is to verify how much of the faculty is effectively trained in the area.. If this doesn't seem to matter in chairs such as economics and law, becomes decisive in training when we think about the more specific disciplines and focused on the area itself (negotiates & ccedil; & otilde; s International, international system analysis, international policy…).
With regard to postgraduate studies, in Brazil there are still few that focus exclusively on the area of international relations (the main ones are those who participate in the Santiago Dantas Project, of the MEC). This brings up two options: (1) search for postgraduate degrees abroad, in which case pay attention not only to the faculty you choose, but also for the country in which the course is located since the training is given as a whole.; e (2) the choice of national postgraduate courses that are not specifically in international relations but that can complement the training, directing the professional to the work area in which they want to work.
The field of work of international relations is still under construction in Brazil, so that there is still a lot of difficulty and lack of knowledge in professional insertion. Even so, as companies make a first contact with this professional, realize its importance and no longer fail to count on it within their staff. It is believed that in the next five to ten years, the profession will be well known enough that companies already have in their programs for trainees vacancies especially dedicated to the international relations analyst.
Finally, it should be noted that the main places of activity of this professional are multinational companies (who need to draw up strategic plans), as tradings and other companies that work with foreign trade (who have constant relationships with the outside world), non-governmental organizations (in project design and fundraising) and the media (who need international events analysts).
Rodrigo Cintra holds a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from PUC-SP, Master in Political Science from USP, Doctoral Student in International Relations at UnB, Coordinating Professor of the International Relations Studies Nucleus at Unibero, Vice President of the Argentine-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce of São Paulo and International Relations Consultant.
Originally published in:
Study Comex 2004
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