Description

Thoroughly updated to cover world affairs through 2012, the brief version of International Relations presents the same approach and coverage but in a streamlined and flexible format.

From war and trade to human rights and the environment, this text is praised for being the most current introduction to international relations theory as well as security, economic, and global issues. Applying a broad range of theoretical perspectives to help students analyze what is happening in the world today, International Relations, Brief Edition is perfect for courses where multiple texts are assigned.

Teaching and Learning Experience

• Personalize Learning: MyPoliSciLab delivers proven results in helping students succeed, provides engaging experiences that personalize learning, and comes from a trusted partner with educational expertise and a deep commitment to helping students and instructors achieve their goals.
• Explore Concepts and Current Events: Drawing on recent political events from Europe’s sovereign debt crisis to the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, this text provides a balanced survey of security, economic, and transnational issues and covers a diverse range of theoretical perspectives.
• Improve Critical Thinking: 'Policy Perspectives' boxes helps students apply international relations theory to current world problems.
• Engage Students: A four-color design and numerous figures, maps, and photos offer a current and lively reading experience.
• Emphasize Learning Outcomes: In MyPoliSciLab, study plans based on book-specific learning objectives give students follow-up reading, video, and multimedia activities for further practice.
• Instructor Support: An instructor’s manual, test bank, and PowerPoint presentation provide more teaching resources. In MyPoliSciLab, ClassPrep collects class presentation resources in one convenient online destination.

Features

Comprehensive coverage of international relations theory.International Relations offers the widest survey of theoretical perspectives, ranging from realism and liberalism to feminism, peace studies, postmodernism, and constructivism. In addition, text-wide discussion of three core principles–dominance, reciprocity, and identity–offer a consistent opportunity to consider the application of theory to different issues. (ex. p. iii)

Balanced emphasis on international security and international political economy. Goldstein/Pevehouse is the only text that equally covers security and economic issues and illustrates how these issues overlap and affect each other. (ex. p. 9)

Historical context throughout the text. To place recent trends in the context of the international system’s evolution in the 20th and 21stcenturies, Chapter 1 presents a brief historical survey, and timelines throughout the text provide historical background when needed. (ex. p. 20)

“Policy Perspectives” boxes ask students to take the perspective of a national leader faced with a real-world situation and to develop a policy in response. These boxes bridge theory and policy and reveal the tradeoffs inherent to decision-making and the connections between foreign and domestic politics. (ex. p. 55)

The most extensive use of illustrations. The numerous four-color figures, tables, photos, and maps enliven the text’s narrative, make abstract concepts more concrete, and facilitate critical thinking. (ex. p. 239)

Integrated study guide. Each chapter concludes with a chapter summary, list of key terms, and critical thinking questions. (ex. p. 61)

New to this Edition

• The most up-to-date analysis of world affairs available in any introductory text helps you learn about—and analyze—political, economic, and cultural events throughout the world, including:
  • The Arab Spring uprisings that overthrew governments in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, threw Syria and Yemen in crisis, and sustain the waves of democratization that are reshaping the international community. (ex. p. 31)
  • The U.S. killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, its withdrawal from Iraq, and the start of its withdrawal from Afghanistan. (ex. p. 126)
  • Palestine’s bid for membership in the United Nations, South Sudan’s independence, and Ivory Coast’s installation of a legitimate president. (ex. p. 214)
  • The European financial crisis and the struggle for the future of the euro zone amid street clashes in Greece, bailout negotiations in Brussels, and funding appeals directed to China and Brazil. (ex. p. 197)
  • The success of Russia’s quest to join the World Trade Organization, which now brings the largest of the remaining non-members into the fold and corresponds with Vladimir Putin’s return to Russia’s presidency. (ex. p. 173)
  • The U.S. finalization of trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. (ex. p. 175)
  • The role of new technologies in organizing protests against repressive governments throughout the world and the success of the U.S.-Israeli Stuxnet computer worm in setting back Iran’s nuclear weapons program. (ex. p. 31)
  • The growth of the world’s population past seven billion and the heightening of conflicts over natural resources. (ex. Ch. 8)
• Tables and figures with most recent data, including new data on GDP after the global recession, migration and refugees, debt in the developing world, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, UN peacekeeping operations, and more. (ex. p. 22)
• Numerous new photographs from 2011 draw visual attention to current events while reinforcing key concepts in the text. (ex. p. 31)
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Table of Contents

Chapter 1. The Globalization of International Relations

Chapter 2. Realist Theories

Chapter 3. Liberal and Social Theories

Chapter 4. Conflict, War, and Terrorism

Chapter 5. Trade and Finances

Chapter 6. International Organization, Law, and Human Rights

Chapter 7. North-South Relations

Chapter 8. Environment and Technology