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Introduction to International Relations Theory and Practice

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ISBN-10: 1442221194

ISBN-13: 9781442221192

Edition: 2013

Authors: Joyce P. Kaufman

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How do we understand international relations in a globalized world? This clear and concise text takes as its starting point the theoretical frameworks that are the foundation of current IR. Joyce Kaufman explains the traditional theories, but also makes a place for understanding the areas that lie outside of or cannot be explained by those approaches. Although levels of analysis are the primary unifying force, the book also assesses what this approach does not explain about the contemporary international system. Integrated throughout are applications of the theories so that students can understand that learning the theories will actually help them better understand the real world. That, in…    
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Book details

Copyright year: 2013
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated
Publication date: 4/4/2013
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 240
Size: 6.00" wide x 9.00" long x 0.75" tall
Weight: 0.836
Language: English

Joyce P. Kaufman Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Engagement with Communities at Whittier College. She is the author of A Concise History of U.S. Foreign Policy, 2nd ed. (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2010) and NATO and the Former Yugoslavia: Crisis, Conflict and the Atlantic Alliance (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2002), and co-editor of The Future of Transatlantic Relations: Perceptions, Policy and Practice (with Andrew M. Dorman) (Stanford Security Studies, 2011). She is also the author of numerous articles and papers on U.S. foreign and security policy. With Kristen Williams, she is co-author of Women and War: Gender Identity and Activism…    

Introduction: International Relations in a Globalized World
Why International Relations Is Important
Why Study IR?
IR as a Field of Study
The Levels-of-Analysis Framework
Broad Theoretical Perspectives
International Relations in a Globalized World
The Concept of the Nation-State
Forces of Integration, Disintegration, and Self-Determination
Globalization
What Is Globalization?
Globalization as Historical Phenomenon
What Does Globalization Mean for the Study of IR?
Further Readings
Notes
Theoretical Overview
What Is Theory, and Why Is It Important?
Theory and International Relations: Some Basic Assumptions
Concept of National Interest
Introduction to Levels of Analysis: A Framework for Understanding International Relations
The "System" in the International System
Power
Introduction to Basic IR Theories
Realism and Neo-/Structural Realism
Neorealism/Structural Realism
Limitations and Critique of Realism and Neorealism
Liberalism as a Theoretical Model
Neoliberalism
Limitations and Critique of Liberalism
Constructivism
Limitations and Critique of Constructivism
Other Theoretical Approaches: Marxism
Limitations and Critique of Marxist Theory and Its Offshoots
Theory Continued: Feminist Perspectives
Limitations and Critique of Feminist Theory
Summary
Further Readings
Notes
The Nation-State Level
Definition of Nation-State
History of the Nation-State
Treaty of Westphalia
Balance of Power and Alliances
Balance of Power
Collective Defense, Alliances, and the Cold War
Understanding National Interest
Foreign Policy Orientations
Negotiation as a Tool of Foreign Policy
War and Peace
What Is War?
Just War Doctrine
Feminist Theory and War
Issues of Peace and Nation Building
What Is Peace?
Ending a War?
Summary
Further Readings
Notes
Within the Nation-State
The Government
Democratizing the State
Democratic Peace
Militarizing the State
Democracy and Feminist Perspectives
Culture and Society
Nationalism and Conflict
Intractable Conflicts
The Kurds
Kosovo
Russia and South Ossetia
Ethnic Conflict
Northern Ireland: Religious Conflict?
The Importance of Looking at Culture and Society
The Role of the Individual
Decision Maker as Rational Actor
Crisis Decision Making: The Cuban Missile Crisis
Summary
Further Readings
Notes
Nonstate Actors and the International System
The Changing Nature of the International System
What Are Nonstate Actors?
International Organizations
Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)
The United Nations
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank
Regional Organizations: The European Union (EU)
Other Regional Organizations
IGOs and IR Theory
IGOs and Sovereignty
Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)
Terrorism: A Challenge to the International System
Terrorism: A Historical Perspective
Terrorism as a Political Tool
Women as Terrorists
Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
Summary
Further Readings
Notes
Pulling It All Together
Introduction to the Cases
Environmental Protection as a Common Good
Background of the Issue
Analysis of the Case
The Movement of People in a Globalized World
Background of the Issue
Analysis of the Case
Women's Rights as Human Rights
Background of the Issue
Analysis of the Case
Lessons of the Cases: Understanding International Relations in a Globalized World
Further Readings
Notes
Glossary
Index
About the Author