ABSTRACT

Students come to study International Relations at university driven by a variety of motives and active concern to study great contemporary issues, such as the causes and persistence of war, threats of nuclear proliferation and terrorism, the persistence of global poverty amid globalization’s riches and longer term threats to sustainable development.

Building on the success of the first edition, Issues in International Relations 2ed provides students with a clear, but stimulating, introduction to the most significant issues within international relations in the 21st Century. Written by experienced teachers in a jargon-free way, it assumes no prior knowledge of the subject, and allows students approaching International Relations for the first time to gain confidence in what is an often complicated and confusing discipline.

Completely revised throughout with the addition of ten new chapters, this textbook;

  • introduces key conceptual issues, including theories of international relations, power, sovereignty and globalisation
  • considers contemporary global problems such as: force and security; law and military intervention; terrorism; the environment; religion
  • explains the relationship between global politics and economics with chapters on international organisations, international political economy and development
  • provides students with boxed 'revision-style' notes and case studies throughout the text and a guide to further reading and websites at the end of each chapter.

This book is ideal reading for students on introductory international relations courses.

chapter 1|10 pages

Introduction

chapter 3|13 pages

On Sovereignty

chapter 4|15 pages

Nations and States

chapter 5|13 pages

Power

chapter 6|15 pages

Force and Security

chapter 7|18 pages

International Law and the Use of Force

chapter 8|14 pages

Terrorism

chapter 9|15 pages

International Regimes and Organizations

chapter 10|17 pages

Globalization and Development

chapter 11|16 pages

The Environment

chapter 12|13 pages

Governing the Global Commons

chapter 13|13 pages

Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

chapter 14|12 pages

Gender and Other ‘Others’

chapter 15|11 pages

Religion and International Relations

chapter 16|17 pages

Political Islam

chapter 17|5 pages

Conclusions