Understanding International Relations

Description

The fourth edition of this well-established and popular introductory textbook has been updated to cover recent developments in the field of International Relations and world events, whilst still navigating the complexities of the discipline for new students. Brown and Ainley provide systematic coverage of the classical concerns of International Relations theory - power, national interest, foreign policy and war - alongside analysis of the impact of globalization on security, governance and the world economy. The authors actively avoid using a singular theoretical lens to conduct their survey, instead evaluating and using many throughout this book to further illustrate the nuances of the discipline. This is all while maintaining the focus on the discipline's focus on real world events, with case studies ranging from the recent rise of China and Russia to the global economic downturn, to teach students how the discipline can be applied to understanding the central and difficult questions that the world faces today. Clear and accessible, but also critical and penetrating, this book is an essential text for undergraduate International Relations students today.

CHRIS BROWN is Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. KIRSTEN AINLEY is Lecturer in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

Reviews of previous editions 'It is entirely characteristic that Chris Brown's text is unlike anybody else's; it is equally characteristic that it is written with a zest, a pace and a sense of fun that is sadly missing from much of the discipline as a whole. Students - and their teachers - will gain a great deal from it. They will also have a good time!' - N.J. Rengger, Political Studies '[A] very appealing book... The text succeeds in giving a clear account of all the main theoretical possibilities and, in a non-judgemental but not uncritical way, setting them in context... I can think of no book more likely to succeed in persuading a sceptical undergraduate - someone convinced of the existence of a self-evident world of facts - that not only is a knowledge of theory necessary to understand international relations, but it is fun.' - James Mayall, Review of International Studies