Presented as a successor to the Cold War era book An Introduction to Strategic Studies, this volume explores issues of military security through a framework that links the issues of technology and world politics. Arguing that the technological aspect of the global strategic environment is partway through a centuries- long process of transformation sped up by the advent of the information age, the authors examine such issues as different levels of industrial development on security, what they argue is the relative infrequency of the use of force between states, the use of military threats such as mass destruction, concepts that military means create problems in themselves such as fear of war and insecurity, and finally, ways in which regulatory schemes such as disarmament can be put to use to solve some of those problems. Paper edition (unseen) $22.50. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This volume provides the first comprehensive history of the arms racing phenomenon in modern international politics, drawing both on theoretical approaches and on the latest historical research. Written by an international team of specialists, it is divided into four sections: before 1914; the inter-war years; the Cold War; and extra-European and post-Cold War arms races. Twelve case studies examine land and naval armaments before the First World War; air, land, and naval competition during the 1920s and 1930s; and nuclear as well as conventional weapons since 1945. Armaments policies are placed within the context of technological development, international politics and diplomacy, and social politics and economics. An extended general introduction and conclusion and introductions to each section provide coherence between the specialized chapters and draw out wider implications for policymakers and for political scientists. Arms Races in International Politics addresses two key questions: what causes arms races, and what is the connection between arms races and the outbreak of wars?

A long tradition of theoretical and empirical work has been devoted to the question of the driving forces in the arms race since the 1960s. This book takes up the internal factors of arms dynamics, such as bureaucratic politics, interservice rivalry, and the military-industrial complex, as well as external factors such as interactive arms dynamics between the two superpowers. It also deals with the question of technological determinism - the ideas that what is technically possible will be done as opposed to the idea that `politics is in command'. Finally, factors in the international system affecting arms races are also examined, such as long economic waves and power transitions.

Four major world issues--war and peace, proliferation of nuclear weapons, global energy, and global environment--are analyzed from an interdisciplinary perspective within the context of post-World War II World politics. This is the first and only book on world politics that provides in-depth analyses of major world issues from the perspectives of both interdisciplinary and relational or systems thinking. Contents: The Concept of Systems: Dealing with Complexity; Systems in International Affairs; Relations in the International System; Issues of War and Peace; The Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; Energy and the Life of Nations in a Global Context; The Global Environment.

An Introduction to Strategic Studies addresses some of the major questions that govern both international relations and human survival. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the core concepts of contemporary strategic thinking. It argues that strategic studies is about the impact of military technology on relations between states, and that its specialised contribution must always be seen within the broader context of international economic and political relations.

This title was first publishd in 2002. This work uses the concept of the "arms dynamic" to identify and assess the various factors which influenced arms acquisitions of Southeast Asian states during the second Cold War period from 1979 to 1989, providing an essential basis for understanding contemporary developments. The book provides a comprehensive and systematic explanation of the reasons for arms purchases in SE Asia during the 1980s and aims to fill a gap in the literature by fully exploring arms procurement processes in the region prior to the end of the Cold War.