International Relations, Brief Edition

by Shiraev, Eric B.; Zubok, Vladislav M.

• ISBN13: 9780199765560
• ISBN10: 0199765561
• Edition: Brief
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-11-28
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

What do we study in international relations? How do we study it? And how do we apply it?

Using these guiding questions as a framework, International Relations, Brief Edition, shows students how to think critically about issues in world politics. In each chapter, a brief opening case is followed by a description of key developments, an explanation of the main approaches to analyze them, and applications of those approaches in individual, state, and global contexts. The authors provide extensive historical information throughout, giving students a holistic frame of reference from which to understand current events.

FEATURES

* A consistent analytical framework organized around three questions guides students through the material

* A critical-thinking approach is introduced in Chapter 1 and reinforced throughout the text in opening vignettes, "Debate" boxes, "Case in Point" features, and "Visual Review" summaries

* Two chapters on key theoretical approaches introduce realism and liberalism (Ch. 2) and constructivism and other modern perspectives (Ch. 3)

* All chapters incorporate historical material throughout and end with an extended case study, "Past, Present, and Future," that applies learning objectives to classic and contemporary challenges

* The "How Do We Apply It?" section of each chapter examines issues within the individual, state, and global contexts of analysis

* Running "Check Your Knowledge" questions, a glossary of key terms, and bulleted chapter summaries help students assess what they've learned

* A unique conclusion, "Forecasting the World of 2025," serves as a capstone exercise, guiding students in evaluating issues and making predictions for the future

* An Instructor's Resource Manual, a Computerized Test Bank, CNN Videos, a Companion Website (www.oup.com/us/shiraev), and a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/InternationalRelationsTextbook) provide additional resources for instructors and students

Author Biography

Eric B. Shiraev is a researcher and professor at George Mason University. He is the author, coauthor, or coeditor of twelve books and numerous publications, including Russian Government and Politics (2010) and Counting Every Vote: The Most Contentious Elections in American History (2008).
Vladislav M. Zubok is a professor at the London School of Economics. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including the prize-winning Inside the Kremlin's Cold War (1996) and A Failed Empire: The Soviet Union in the Cold War (2007).

Table of Contents

Each chapter ends with a conclusion, a chapter summary, key terms, and a visual review.
PART I. STUDYING INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: FOUNDATIONS AND THEORIES
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCING INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
WHAT DO WE STUDY, AND WHY? THE FIELD OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
What Is International Relations?
What does the United Nations Security Council do?
Who drafted the current Japanese Constitution?
Identify the author of this remark: "Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you."
How much does it cost to protect the United States from foreign threats?
Key Concepts
Sovereignty
CASE IN POINT: The End of a French-German Obsession: Alsace-Lorraine
Nations and states
Key Actors
State government and foreign policy
Intergovernmental organizations
Nongovernmental organizations
Global Issues
Instability, violence, and war
Weapons of mass destruction and their proliferation
Environmental problems
Poverty
Human rights
Population and migration problems
Finding a path to peace and economic improvement
HOW DO WE STUDY IT?
Gathering Information
Governmental and nongovernmental reports
Eyewitness sources
Communications
CASE IN POINT: Facts and Lies
Intelligence
Surveys
Experimental methods
DEBATE: The Corruption Perceptions Index
Analyzing Information
The importance of theory and its applications
Critical Thinking in International Relations
Distinguishing facts from opinions
Looking for multiple causes
Being aware of bias
HOW DO WE APPLY IT?
The Individual Context
The State Context
The Global Context
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: CAN DEMOCRACY BE EXPORTED?
Legacy of ethnic and religious rivalry
History of modern institutions and democratic governance
Geography and territory
Economic development
Political mobilization during occupation
Legitimacy of occupation
International support
CHAPTER 2. REALISM AND LIBERALISM
WHAT DO WE STUDY?
Realism: Main Principles
Power
Anarchy and power distribution
International order and balancing
Neorealism
Liberalism: Main Principles
Sources of Liberalism
DEBATE: Can Realism Be Ethical?
Liberalism on anarchy and cooperation
Liberal institutionalism
Liberalism and wars
Liberal diplomacy
DEBATE: When Should Liberals Go to War?
CASE IN POINT: Diplomatic Efforts in an India-Pakistan Conflict
Democratic peace
Soft power
HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT IT?
Examining Realpolitik
Rules of engagement
Power shifts
Neorealist strategies
Nonmilitary responses
Examining Liberal Policies
Wilsonianism and the League of Nations
CASE IN POINT: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
New beginning for liberalism
Liberal unilateralism and multilateralism
Comparing Realism and Liberalism
HOW DO WE APPLY IT?
Applying Realism: Critical Evaluations
The individual context
DEBATE: Individual Leaders and Their Foreign Policy
The state context
The global context
Applying Liberalism: Critical Evaluations
The individual context
The state context
The global context
CASE IN POINT: U.S. Public Opinion and the Use of Force Abroad
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: THE EUROPEAN UNION
CHAPTER 3. ALTERNATIVE VIEWS
WHAT DO WE STUDY?
HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT IT?
The Constructivist View
Socially constructed meanings
Three types of international environments
History lessons
Conflict Theories
Marxism and Leninism
Dependency and world-systems theory
The politics of gender
Race and ethnic conflict
Identity Factors
Political culture
Identities and civilizations
Nationalism and other political attitudes
DEBATE: Who Are Patriots and Nationalists?
Political Psychology
Rational decision-making
Biased decision-making
Group pressure
Political socialization
HOW DO WE APPLY IT?
The Individual Context
Visionaries and fanatics
Rational and biased choices
Analogies and individuals
Irrational decision-making
Early and late socialization
Conflict theories tested
CASE IN POINT: Obama's Missing Father
The State Context
Bureaucracy and cognitive maps
Access to information and statesmanship
Two-level games
The democratic-authoritarian continuum
Collective experiences
The Global Context
International factors and state interests
Hybrid political cultures
Do cultures clash?
Gender and social confl ict perspectives
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
PART II. THREE FACETS OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
CHAPTER 4. INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
WHAT DO WE STUDY?
Security
Types of War
Security Policies
HOW DO WE STUDY IT?
Realism
Realist principles of security
The security dilemma
Nuclear deterrence
The domino theory
Security regimes
Liberalism
Liberal principles of security
International organizations and the security community
Constructivism
Perceptions, identities, and attitudes
Militarism and pacifism
Conflict Theories
Marxism
Feminism
DEBATE: Why Has Obama Engaged in Several Armed Conflicts?
HOW DO WE APPLY IT?
The Individual Context
Leaders and advisers
DEBATE: Are Veterans More Likely than Non-veterans to Support the Use of Force?
Peace psychology
The State Context
Public opinion
CASE IN POINT: GRIT and the Spiral of Insecurity
Ideology
Lobbying and security bureaucracy
The Global Context
Geopolitics
Regional security
Energy, resources, and security
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: ENDING THE COLD WAR
CHAPTER 5. INTERNATIONAL LAW
WHAT DO WE STUDY?
Law, the Role of IGOs, and International Relations
Principles and Sources of International Law
Development of International Law
Laws of the sea
Laws of war
Humanitarian issues
Human rights
Early legal international institutions
From the League of Nations to the United Nations
HOW DO WE STUDY IT?
The Realist View of International Law
Sovereignty
State interest
CASE IN POINT: Norway's Moral Objection
Law enforcement
The Liberal View of International Law
Reason and shared principles
DEBATE: Why Can't We Outlaw War?
Extraterritoriality and supranationalism
Universal jurisdiction
The legality of war
Constructivism and Other Views of International Law
Constructivism's view of ideology and law
Perceptions of international law
Conflict theories
DEBATE: From Kosovo to the Russian-Georgian War
HOW DO WE APPLY IT?
The Individual Context
Political authority
The State Context
International law and the United States
The Global Context
From nationalism to supranationalism
Back to reality
CASE IN POINT: Rwanda and Belgium Law
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: WAR CRIMES, GENOCIDE, AND THE LEGACY OF NUREMBERG
CHAPTER 6. INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
WHAT DO WE STUDY?
The Major Factors of IPE
Production and consumption
Finances
Trade
DEBATE: Global Interdependence and Local
Prices
HOW DO WE STUDY IT?
Mercantilism: An Economic Realism?
Principles of mercantilism
Mercantilism and realism
DEBATE: National Pride and Foreign Ownership
Economic Liberalism
The roots and principles of economic liberalism
The Keynesian challenge
International organizations
Regional trade agreements
Constructivism
National purpose
Economic climate
Conflict Theories
Marxism
Economic dependency
DEBATE: Fair Trade
HOW DO WE APPLY IT?
The Individual Context
Political leadership
Microeconomics
CASE IN POINT: Discoveries and Innovation
The State Context
Domestic politics
Surplus or manageable deficit?
The Global Context
Which economic policy?
North-South divide and development
Global interdependence
International institutions and the global economy
Economic globalization and conflict
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: "THE BEIJING MIRACLE"
PART III. TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY CHALLENGES
CHAPTER 7. INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
WHAT DO WE STUDY?
Terrorism and Counterterrorism
Why Definitions are Important
Legitimization of military actions
Mobilization of international law
Justification of other policies
How Terrorism Works
Assumptions and methods
DEBATE: The Terrorism Label Can Be Misused
The "logic" of terrorism
Terrorism: In the Name of What?
Anarchism
DEBATE: Terrorism and Global Interactions
Extreme nationalism
Radical Socialism
Religious fundamentalism
HOW DO WE STUDY IT?
The Realist View of Terrorism
DEBATE: Assumptions and Misconceptions About
Terrorism, Radicalism, and Violent Groups
Power balance
Asymmetrical threats and preventive actions
DEBATE: Power Balance and Terrorist Attacks in 1914 and 2001
Counterterrorism
The Liberal View of Terrorism
Understanding causes of terrorism
Criminalizing terrorism
Liberalism and counterterrorism
The Constructivist and Other Views of Terrorism
CASE IN POINT: Northern Ireland
Three pillars of terrorism
Ideology, identity, and international context
DEBATE: On Moral Relativism and Terrorism
Conflict theories
HOW DO WE APPLY IT?
The Individual Context
The terrorist's profile
Rehabilitation as counterterrorism
The State Context
Domestic costs of counterterrorism
Terrorism as a means to gain state power
Democratic governance and terrorism
The Global Context
Threats to the global order
Global waves
Global counterterrorism
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: AL-QAEDA
CHAPTER 8. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WHAT DO WE STUDY?
Environmental Problems
Acid rain
CASE IN POINT: A Disappearing Sea
Air pollution
Ozone depletion
Climate change
Deforestation
Loss of wildlife
Loss of clean water
Disasters and Accidents
Environmental Policies Today
Restriction and regulation
Green investments
Comprehensive policies
Policy implementation
HOW DO WE STUDY IT?
Realism
Accidents, disasters, and security
Global commons
Liberalism
International treaties and organizations
Nongovernment organizations
Public awareness
DEBATE: "Environmental Off enders
Constructivism
Alternative and Critical Views
HOW DO WE APPLY IT?
The Individual Context
Environmentalism and skepticism
CASE IN POINT: Alarming and Skeptical Voices
A sense of mission and leadership
The State Context
National purpose and partisan politics
The democratic context
The Global Context
The environment and business
The need for global efforts
Global policies
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: GREENPEACE
The roots of Greenpeace
Methods and goals
In the end, values
CHAPTER 9. HUMANITARIAN CHALLENGES
WHAT DO WE STUDY?
Types of Humanitarian Challenges
Pandemics and infectious diseases
AIDS
Chronic starvation and malnutrition
Acute suffering
Causes of Humanitarian Crises
Natural disasters
Mismanagement
Politics
Mass violence
Extreme poverty
Overpopulation
Involuntary migration
Interconnected problems
DEBATE: Preventing Migration
Humanitarian Policies
Humanitarian intervention
Relief efforts
Crisis prevention
Population policies
CASE IN POINT: Population Control in China
Antipoverty policies
Refugee policies
HOW DO WE STUDY IT?
Realism
Liberalism
Theoretical principles
Global governance
Constructivism
CASE IN POINT: Global Compact
Conflict Theories
HOW DO WE APPLY IT?
The Individual Context
Leaders' choices
Denying or hiding problems
The State Context
The political climate
Favorable conditions
The Global Context
New and evolving concerns
Policy arguments
Efficiency of aid
Sustainability of success
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: CELEBRITY ACTIVISM
CONCLUSION: FORECASTING THE WORLD OF 2025
Appendix
Glossary
References
Credits
Index