Politics, IR or Economics (Neoliberal IR / Realpolitik)

Hello. I've posted this in both Economics & PPE and Social and Political Sciences, as per the nature of the question.

I started off sure I wanted to study maths, given that's what I've been good in at school, and gradually have been drawn further away from this towards more socially relevant issues/topics.

In particular, I've been taken by the study of states as self-interested, rational entities and how they and their leaders might interact with issues within their own state and with others competitively given those assumptions. It's particularly interesting looking at Russia, for instance, with their current Putin regime.

On the other hand, I find the idea of my degree being basically completely essay-based rather daunting, given until now my emphasis in school has been quite science and maths heavy. Further, I find that I am more drawn to topics in a general economics syllabus than I am, say, politics (Especially microeconomics, behavioural economics and management-related stuff in relevant degrees). In IR related issues, of course, the middle east and other 'critical' areas are somewhere I'd probably like to study in more detail, especially with regards to geopolitical (and cultural) importance - for instance, I'd love to study a little on the middle east and issues surrounding the area and perhaps work on potential problems there after graduating.

Given what's been stated above. Do you think it's sensible for me to look at a degree in economics and perhaps try to grab relevant modules in IR where available, or should I really look at international relations/politics if this is my interest area?

Undergraduate Econ is a complete waste of time if you want proper political economy.

However at the same time, if you are really serious, it's actually a better bet to work in policy space but you need at least a master degree (not necessarily in econ) to be taken seriously.

Reading through your posts and your desire to go into banking, top policy positions are infinitely more competitive so unless you are fully devoted, can forget it - that probably means several unpaid interns.

Hope that helps.

P.S. can you speak Arabic or similar languages, if not, probably worth some language classes.

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So are you advising I not study economics? I appreciate you probably aren't willing to give firm recommendations, but I'm struggling here to really get an idea of what I can do as an undergraduate which, according to most, is seemingly not a lot!

It's all dependent on how interesting I find the degree. If I'm absolutely enthralled by the topic, I'll definitely go pursue it. Your advice that I need to be 'all in' is a little concerning when in reality I am reluctant to place all my eggs in one basket without knowing what exactly I'm looking to do. But I appreciate your words of warning. I'll keep it close to mind while figuring this out.

Regarding the degree subject (and the lens I'd want to study this in), would you agree that economics (maybe IR masters after good grounding in economics and game theory) is a feasible option?

I'm bilingual Spanish (speak and always have spoken it at home), and lived and was schooled in Russia until 11 so I have pretty good language ability, besides the French and Latin at school GCSE. Not Arabic yet but I'm learning the script as we speak!