Though international relations (IR) as a field of study intends to construct knowledge of
cooperation and conflicts between states, it is undeniable that, in current world politics, there are
non-state actors that comprise world citizens who have gathered to voice and protect public interests, as
well as to make changes in public policies, in the name of “social movements.” That is because state
and foreign policies are explicit decisions and commitments portrayed by authorized representatives of
the states. Apart from domestic social movements, there are also transnational social movements, such
as Amnesty International and Human Right Watch, along with terrorism organizations that could also be
recognized as transnational social movements that are highly active in the world politics.
This paper aims to provide an understanding in transnational social movements as one of nonstate
actors and their ability to manipulate states’ foreign policies. The paper’s literature review covers
both electronic and printed documents on social movement theories; foreign policy process and empirical
data. Finally, it concludes that transnational social movements are not only crucial non-state actors that
should be studied in order to understand the world politics, but also provide space for people to
participate in the politics more effectively.