Significance: Navigating a contemporary "polycrisis" and weaponized interdependence that directly impacts daily livelihoods. Scope: Examining the geopolitics-technology nexus (geotechnics), non-traditional security, and influential non-state actors like Big Tech. Objectives: Leveraging diverse theoretical lenses to forecast multipolar scenarios and design agile, issue-specific diplomatic solutions. 1. The Significance of the Discipline: Why Must We Understand the World? (The "Why") This section addresses the foundational question: "What core global dilemmas was IR established to resolve, and why does it directly intersect with our daily lives?" Evolution from "Idealism" to "Modern Realism": The institutional birth of IR as an academic discipline post-World War I was animated by Idealism —a paradigm that sought to establish international law and collective security architectures (such as the League o...