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    International Relations

    (19 reviews)

    Stephen McGlinchey, University of the West of England

    Copyright Year:

    ISBN 13: 9781910814185

    Publisher: E-International Relations

    Language: English

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    Attribution-NonCommercial Attribution-NonCommercial
    CC BY-NC

    Reviews

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    Reviewed by Yi Edward Yang, Professor, James Madison University on 3/18/24

    This textbook is divided into two parts. The first part introduces the readers to the conceptual and analytical building blocks of international relations. The second part applies the above building blocks to discuss and assess relevant global... read more

    Reviewed by Corina Ladd, Adjunct Professor, Tidewater Community College on 4/29/23

    Many reviewers have noted that the book doesn't talk about war. This is incorrect. The chapter on protecting people is really about war and civil war presented in a novel way. The chapter on Pax Americana is also about security. There should... read more

    Reviewed by Robert Asaadi, Instructor, Portland State University on 1/27/22

    Part One of the text lays out the basic building blocks that one would expect to find in an introductory international relations textbook, and then in Part Two the authors compellingly explore these concepts across a wide range of relevant global... read more

    Reviewed by Hakseon Lee, Professor, James Madison University on 11/26/21

    It is pretty much comprehensive. Possibly, below stuffs can be added: democratic peace theory, capitalist peace theory, domestic audience costs, power transition theory, etc. read more

    Reviewed by Michelle Allendoerfer, Assistant Professor, The George Washington University on 12/17/20

    The book covers a very wide and comprehensive set of topics in a concise way. There are many topics that I don't typically cover in an Intro to IR course but that I could see being interesting to students (e.g. technology, food) and the short... read more

    Reviewed by Sahil Mathur, Adjunct Instructor, American University on 12/6/20

    Given the inherently interdisciplinary nature of the academic field of International Relations (IR), any textbook on the subject is bound to be lacking in some aspects. Despite the daunting task it takes on, this textbook does an impressive job of... read more

    Reviewed by Abigail Post, Assistant Professor of Political Science and National Security, Anderson University on 12/4/20

    I would not classify this as a comprehensive text of introductory international relations. It misses some key components, the most obvious being interstate and intrastate war. My sense is that this omission emerges from its European perspective.... read more

    Reviewed by George Amedee, Professor, SUNO on 12/12/19

    The book is very comprehensive. It clearly covers all of the major themes, theories, concepts and trends in an extremely dynamic subject matters. It does well in covering traditional, enduring, and emerging issues and problems in international... read more

    Reviewed by Michael McNeal, Adjunct Instructor, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 10/24/19

    See review pasted into the text window below. read more

    Reviewed by Stephen Bagwell, Visiting Assistant Professor, DePauw University on 10/10/19

    Overall, very comprehensive for an introductory textbook. In my introductory course, I tend to delve a bit deeper into a number of issues, but this textbook overall provides a good framework to build those discussions off of. Still, I'd have liked... read more

    Reviewed by Xiaowen Zhang, Associate Professor, Augustana College on 7/17/19

    A wide range of topics are covered. However, there is no index or glossary. read more

    Reviewed by Elissa Alzate, Associate Professor, Winona State University on 6/19/18

    The first section of the book, "The Basics," did not cover the basics in as much detail as I would have liked to see. The first 4 chapters are really foundational for the rest of IR and the rest of the topics in the book, but the information is... read more

    Reviewed by Boris Barkanov, Teaching assistant professor, West Virginia University on 5/21/18

    This book covers an impressive range of topics. However, there is not much on IR theory. read more

    Reviewed by Peter Funke, Associate Professor, University of South Florida on 3/27/18

    While comprehensiveness is not achievable, this edited volume covers main areas of the field. read more

    Reviewed by Azamat Sakiev, Assistant Professor, Pennsylvania State University on 2/1/18

    The textbook is comprehensive in range of concepts it covers. Some topics, however, are dispersed throughout various chapters and could benefit from being looked at in a single section/chapter. The textbook does not provide and index or glossary,... read more

    Reviewed by David Mislan, Assistant Professor, American University on 2/1/18

    International Relations is an edited volume that attempts to cover all of the common themes in an introduction to IR course. On this, it does relatively well. It follows the basic format that most intro texts cover-- it starts with big themes and... read more

    Reviewed by Doga Eralp, Professorial Lecturer, American University on 2/1/18

    This edited volume provides a comprehensive yet not so well integrated coverage of the issues and theories that define the international relations field today. Although the book lacks an index, as the editor noted as being too costly to compile. read more

    Reviewed by Emily Channell-Justice, Visiting Assistant Professor, Miami University of Ohio on 6/20/17

    The book is presented as a beginner's guide to International Relations and in this way is comprehensive in its presentation of basic issues relevant to the subject. But the book refuses to use "buzzwords" like "globalization" because the authors... read more

    Reviewed by Alexis Henshaw, Visiting Assistant Professor, Miami University on 6/20/17

    The book at least touches on all of the subjects that I routinely cover in my introductory course on international relations, but the coverage of the subjects vary greatly. I thought the chapters on the environment and food security were... read more

    Table of Contents

    Part One - The Basics

    • 1. The Making Of The Modern World
    • 2. Diplomacy
    • 3. One World, Many Actors
    • 4. International Relations Theory
    • 5. International Law
    • 6. International Organisations
    • 7. Global Civil Society
    • 8. Global Political Economy
    • 9. Religion And Culture

    Part Two - Global Issues

    • 10. Global Poverty And Wealth
    • 11. Protecting People
    • 12. Connectivity, Communications And Technology
    • 13. Voices Of The People
    • 14. Transnational Terrorism
    • 15. The Environment
    • 16. Feeding The World
    • 17. Managing Global Security Beyond ‘Pax Americana'
    • 18. Crossings And Candles

    References
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    About the Book

    This book is designed to be a ‘Day 0' introduction to International Relations. As a beginner's guide, it has been structured to condense the most important information into the smallest space and present that information in the most accessible way. The chapters offer a broad sweep of the basic components of International Relations and the key contemporary issues that concern the discipline. The narrative arc forms a complete circle, taking readers from no knowledge to competency. The journey starts by examining how the international system was formed and ends by reflecting that International Relations is always adapting to events and is therefore a never-ending journey of discovery. Unlike typical textbooks, there are no boxes, charts, pictures or exercises. The philosophy underpinning this book is that these things can be a distraction. This book, like others in the E-IR Foundations series, is designed to capture attention with an engaging narrative. The chapters are short, with simple paragraphs and clear sentences placing the reader inside crucial issues and debates so they can understand how things work, and where they fit in the world around them.

    About the Contributors

    Author

    Stephen McGlinchey is Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of the West of England, Bristol and Editor-in-Chief of E-International Relations. His main research interests are in US-Iran relations during the Cold War.

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