Introduction to International Relations: Theories and Approaches 5th Edition Robert Jackson

Description

Combining incisive and original analysis with numerous pedagogical features, Introduction to International Relations: Theories and Approaches, Fifth Edition, offers a highly readable and systematic introduction to the principal theories in international relations. Authors Robert Jackson and Georg Sørensen carefully explain how various theories organize and shape our view of the world, providing students with a perspective that integrates theory and practice. First and foremost, this book is an introduction to the academic discipline of IR. What is a ‘discipline’? It is a branch of knowledge, aimed at the systematic understanding of a subject. As is often the case in the social sciences, in IR there is no one best way to master the subject. Instead, what we have are several significant theories and theoretical traditions: Realism, Liberalism, International Society, Social Constructivism, and International Political Economy. They interact and overlap in interesting and important ways that we investigate in the chapters that follow. However, each one explores the subject of IR in its own distinctive way. Realism, for example, is focused on the basic value of security, because according to realists war is always a possibility in a system of sovereign states. Liberals, on the other hand, argue that international relations can be cooperative and not merely conflictive. That belief is based on the idea that the modern, liberal state can bring progress and opportunities to the greatest number of people around the world.

Updated in light of current international events and ongoing debates in the subject, the fifth edition features:

* A new structure that guides students through developments in IR theory, from classical views to contemporary approaches and debates

* A new chapter on feminism, post-structuralism, and post-colonialism

* An updated Companion Website featuring resources for students (case studies, review questions, links, a flashcard glossary, and links to Oxford Scholarship Online) and text boxes from the book for instructors