This article aims to list some critical aspects of the International Political Economy in its current configuration, i.e., as a field of reflection and interpretation of the economic and political reality, as wellas to briefly point out some fundamental elements of the economic thought to comprehend the relations between economics and politics on the international level put forth by classical authors. This is the case of Smith, Ricardo, List and Keynes who had a strong involvement with such issues. Therefore, the study is largely exploratory and searches only to simulate a debate to promote the construction of a cornerstone for the development of this area of thought and its applicability in Brazil even recovering its interdisciplinary character. For this reason, the Marxist analysis of the international reality is excluded from this article.
International political economy; international relations; field of knowledge; economists; ideology; methodology