International Relations: A Concise Introduction

by Nicholson, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780814758229
• ISBN10: 0814758223
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-10-01
• Publisher: Ingram Pub Services

Summary

Fully updated and revised, the second edition ofInternational Relations: A Concise Introductionoffers a clear and succinct overview of the forces that govern our world. Outlining key theories, traditional approaches, and controversies old and new, Michael Nicholson also importantly addresses the relationship and incongruities between abstract theories of International Relations and contemporary realities of the international system in an increasingly globalized post-Cold War world.As international players-from vast and immensely diverse conglomerate corporations to the UN, and a host of other non-state actors-increasingly influence the world agenda, the question begs itself whether states and their interactions should still comprise the exclusive, or even primary, focus of any study of international relations. Accordingly, Nicholson provides an overview of such pressing concerns as global warming, the growing disparities between rich and poor, the resurgence of ethnic and nationalist conflict, and the health of the environment, and how these affect international relations. He further examines the moral problems inherent in any discussion of international relations, including questions of international law, terrorism and freedom fighters, and human rights. Crucial to any introduction to the field, the book serves up a brief history of the last century, focusing on the legacies of imperialism and the accelerating pace of globalization.

Author Biography

Michael Nicholson was formerly Professor of International Relations, University of Sussex.

Table of Contents

Foreword to the Second Edition	xi
K. M. Fierke
Preface to the First Edition	xiii
Introduction: Aspects of Anarchy	1	(15)
The Nature of International Relations	1	(2)
War and Peace; Poverty and Wealth	3	(1)
A Brief Portrait of the World in Figures	4	(4)
Theory and the Search for Patterns	8	(2)
The Structure of the Book	10	(3)
An Invitation to an Argument	13	(3)
Further Reading and Sources	14	(2)
States, Nations and Governments	16	(18)
States	16	(1)
States, Nations and Governments	17	(4)
The Structure of State Decision-Making	21	(5)
Quasi States and Failing States	26	(3)
Crisis Decision-Making	29	(5)
Further Reading and Sources	32	(2)
Beyond the State: Non-State Actors in the Modern World	34	(16)
Actors and Movements	34	(2)
The United Nations	36	(4)
The World Bank and International Monetary Fund	40	(2)
The European Union	42	(1)
Multinational Corporations	43	(2)
International Non-Governmental Organizations	45	(1)
Religions	46	(4)
Further Reading and Source	48	(2)
A Brief History of the Twentieth Century	50	(18)
Introduction	50	(1)
The First World War	50	(3)
The Interwar Period and the Second World War	53	(5)
The Post-1945 Era	58	(4)
The Collapse of the Soviet Union and the End of the Cold War	62	(2)
The Middle East since 1945	64	(4)
Further Reading and Sources	66	(2)
Imperialism, Post-Imperialism and Neo-Imperialism	68	(22)
Empires and Colonies	68	(2)
Imperial Expansion	70	(4)
The Stability of Empires	74	(2)
The Decline of Empires	76	(4)
Settlers, Immigrants and Native Populations	80	(3)
Neo-Colonialism and Informal Empires	83	(2)
The Post-Imperial World	85	(2)
Cultural Imperialism	87	(3)
Further Reading and sources	89	(1)
Theories of International Relations	90	(24)
The Nature of Theory	90	(1)
Realism	91	(5)
Variants of Realism	96	(2)
Pluralism	98	(2)
Structuralism	100	(3)
A Comparison Between the Different Viewpoints	103	(3)
Why Do We Need Theories?	106	(4)
Can Theories `Tell the Truth'?	110	(4)
Further Reading and Sources	111	(3)
Post-Positivist Theories and Change	114	(14)
The Role of Theory	114	(1)
Marxism and Critical Theory	115	(2)
Postmodernism	117	(3)
Feminist Theories of International Relations	120	(2)
Constructivism	122	(1)
Theory, Policy and Change	123	(5)
Further Reading and Sources	126	(2)
Security, Violence and the Military	128	(25)
The Study of Security	128	(1)
Nuclear Weapons and Deterrence	129	(5)
Did Nuclear Deterrence Prevent a Superpower War?	134	(1)
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons	135	(5)
Alternatives to Nuclear Deterrence	140	(2)
Who Fights Whom and Why?	142	(3)
Economic Sanctions	145	(3)
Women, Violence and the Military	148	(5)
Further Reading and Sources	151	(2)
The Global Political Economy	153	(15)
The Significance of Economic Factors	153	(3)
The Liberal Approach	156	(2)
The Nationalist Approach	158	(3)
Dependency Approaches	161	(1)
The Relationship Between the Approaches	162	(2)
The Direction of the Global Political Economy	164	(4)
Further Reading and Sources	167	(1)
Globalization	168	(17)
Introduction	168	(2)
Global Interrelations	170	(3)
The Growth of Globalization	173	(5)
Globalization and Economic Sovereignty	178	(7)
Further Reading and Sources	183	(2)
The Global Environment	185	(20)
The Global Environmental Problem	185	(3)
The Free-Rider Problem	188	(4)
Global Warming	192	(3)
Water	195	(2)
The Mediterranean Agreement	197	(2)
Global Environmental Policy	199	(6)
Further Reading and Sources	204	(1)
Moral Issues in International Relations	205	(24)
Introduction: Moral Arguments	205	(4)
International Law	209	(4)
Morality and War	213	(5)
Terrorists and Freedom Fighters	218	(1)
Nuclear War	219	(1)
International Societies	220	(3)
Human Rights	223	(3)
Poverty and Wealth	226	(3)
Further Reading and Sources	227	(2)
Conclusion	229	(5)
Index	234