International Relations

Using a three-part framework of Ideas, Arguments, and Contexts and Applications, International Relations, Second Edition, shows students how to think critically about issues and current events in world politics. Each chapter first describes key concepts and developments in the field (Ideas), then presents the main theoretical and analytical approaches (Arguments), and finally applies the main theories and approaches within the individual, state, and global contexts (Contexts and Applications). Historical information is woven throughout the text, and every chapter ends with an extended case study ("The Uses of History") that demonstrates how what we have learned from the past can influence our future actions. Three full chapters on key approaches--realism (chapter 2), liberalism (chapter 3), and constructivism and other alternative views (chapter 4)--introduce students to a broad spectrum of approaches, and each chapter integrates discussions of relevant theories and levels of analysis. Visual Reviews at the end of each chapter not only recap key points but include Critical Thinking questions that reflect the chapter learning objectives.

Eric B. Shiraev is Professor and Senior Research Associate in the Department of Public and International Affairs at George Mason University. Recent works includeCross-Cultural Psychology, People and Their Opinions, The Soviet Union: Internal and External Perspectives on Soviet Society, andCounting Every Vote: The Most Contentious Elections In American History.

Vladislav M. Zubok is Professor of History at the London School of Economics. Recent works includeZhivago's Children: The Last Russian Intelligentsia, A Failed Empire: The Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev, andAnti-Americanism in Russia: From Stalin to Putin.