An engaging and sophisticated new IR text that will inspire a new generation of scholars and practitioners

First Published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

International relations is a vibrant field of significant growth and change. This book guides students through the complexities of the major theories of international relations and the debates that surround them, the core theoretical concepts, and the key contemporary issues. Introduced by an overview of the discipline′s development and general structure, the more than 40 entries are broken down as follows: Parts one and two introduce the key theories and each chapter includes: A broad overview A discussion of methodologies A review of empirical applications A guide to further reading and useful websites Part three discusses the major concepts and for each concept provides: An introduction to the core questions An overview of the definitions and theoretical perspectives A review of empirical problems Links to other entries, further reading and useful websites Clear and highly readable, Key Concepts in International Relations is an essential guide for students on politics and international relations courses.

Good addition to handbooks programme, no direct competitiors HIST section of ISA is growing each year Faced with an uncertain future, an increasing number of scholars have looked to the past for guidance, patterns and ideas. This tendency has been clear, despite theoretical and methodological difference, this book will fill a lacuna.

International relations emerged as a distinct academic discipline in the early twentieth century, but its philosophic foundations draw on centuries of thinking about human nature, power and authority, justice and injustice, the idea of sovereignty and the implications for relations within and between political communities. The historic sources of these ideas appear to draw largely on European or Western experiences but, as this book shows, influences have emanated from much further afield, while contemporary thought is becoming more open to insights from non-Western sources. In this fully updated and expanded fourth edition of her popular text, Stephanie Lawson retains a broad world historical and contextual approach to the central themes and theoretical perspectives in IR, while also addressing the most pressing issues facing the world today. Topics covered include the emergence of states and empires, theories ranging from classical realism and liberalism to postcolonial and green theory, twentieth-century international history, security and insecurity, global governance and world order, international political economy and the prospects for a ‘post-international’ world in an era that has seen both deepening globalization and accompanying challenges to the sovereign state, as well as the reassertion of nationalist ideas around the world. With a range of additional pedagogical features to assist learning and class discussion, this lively and accessible text is an ideal primer for beginner and intermediate students alike.

This text combines passages from major writers on international relations over the ages, together with a brief commentary on each. The collection is divided into three main sections - the individual, the state and the society of states - the three main alternative ways of conceiving the subject.