International relations are often said to be in a state of ‘anarchy’, understood as a state or system in which no central authority exists to enforce contracts and implement order. The question we will pose is: how can order, cooperation, and peace emerge under conditions of anarchy? We start the course by asking theoretical questions about the emergence of cooperation under anarchy. We continue by probing funda- mental questions about the effects of institutions (formal and informal) on behavior, the construction of institutions, the durability and form of international organizations.