Understanding International Relations

The fifth edition of this bestselling textbook offers a comprehensive and engaging introduction to International relations and has been fully updated to cover the dramatic changes in recent world politics. Written in the author’s unique and engaging style, the text explores everything from foreign policy and security to global governance and the global economy, to show how the theories and concepts Brown outlines are the only way to make sense of contemporary issues and events. With reference to such diverse events as Brexit, the Russian armed conflict in Ukraine, the financial crisis, the rise of China, and the challenges of identity politics, the author expertly shows how the range of theories presented in the book allow for an understanding of the destabilising events and developments that characterise global politics today, and will continue to do so in the future. This text remains the definitive guide to understanding international relations, and is suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students of international relations at any stage of their studies. Cover Contents Preface to the Fifth Edition List of Abbreviations 1 Defining International Relations Introduction Perspectives and theories Conclusion Further reading 2 The Development of International Relations Theory in the Twentieth Century Introduction Liberal internationalism and the origins of the discipline The ‘realist’ critique of liberal internationalism The postwar synthesis IR and the behavioural sciences Challenges to the realist synthesis Pluralism and complex interdependence Further reading 3 International Relations Theory Today Introduction From classical realism to structural realism From structural realism to liberal institutionalism Constructivism and the ‘English School’ Critical international thought Feminist theory, gender studies and postcolonialism Conclusion: the end of IR theory? Further reading 4 Agency, Structure and the State Introduction The agent–structure problem and levels of analysis The state and international relations Foreign and domestic policy: agency within the state Conclusion: from foreign policy to power Further reading 5 Power and Security Introduction: statecraft, influence and power Dimensions of power Power, fear and insecurity Conclusion: managing insecurity Further reading 6 The Balance of Power and War Introduction The balance of power The political conception of war War in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries Conclusion: the end of state-centric IR? Further reading 7 Global Governance Introduction: sovereignty, anarchy and global governance Functionalism Integration theory, federalism and neofunctionalism Global economic institutions: Bretton Woods and after International regimes and regime theory Global governance and (collective) security Conclusion Further reading 8 The Global Economy Introduction The growth of the world economy Problems and perspectives Structuralism The new global economy The end of the Global South? Conclusion Further reading 9 Globalization Introduction A new economy? Neoliberalism and its critics New global problems: ‘Westfailure’ and the environment Global civil society? Further reading 10 The International Politics of Identity Introduction Politics in industrial societies Identity politics post-1989 Globalization and postindustrial society Democracy promotion, Asian values and the ‘clash of civilizations’ Pluralism and international society Conclusion Further reading 11 The Individual and International Relations Introduction Human rights International criminal law The juridification of world politics? Humanitarian intervention Sovereignty as responsibility and the Responsibility to Protect Conclusion Further reading 12 International (Dis) Order Today Introduction The central system The rise of ‘populism’ Terrorism and the Islamic State Reasons to be cheerful Conclusion Further reading Bibliography Index "From Brexit and Trump, to the continued rise of China and armed conflict in Ukraine, how can we understand the unprecedented and destabilizing events shaping world politics today? In the fifth edition of this bestselling textbook, Chris Brown offers a comprehensive, engaging and eminently readable introduction to theories of International Relations, explaining how such theories can help us understand historical and contemporary world politics. The text explores everything from foreign policy and security to global governance and global economy."--Page 4 de la couverture From Brexit and Trump, to the continued rise of China and armed conflict in Ukraine, how can we understand the unprecedented and destabilizing events shaping world politics today? The author offers a comprehensive introduction to theories of International Relations, explaining how such theories can help us understand historical and contemporary world politics. The text explores everything from foreign policy and security to global governance and global economy