Theories of International Relations

International relations theory is a diverse and constantly evolving area of scholarly research reflecting the fluctuations in world politics. This volume brings together a number of the most important research papers published on this subject during the last sixty years. Divided into five thematic sections, this work provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of developments and debates in this area of study. Topics covered include the history and development of alternative approaches to international relations theory; the importance of domestic politics in shaping a state's foreign policy; the absence of a global 'government' and the meaning and implications of this 'state of international anarchy'; power and its role as a variable in international relations theory and the challenges of state security, war and peace. The introduction anchors the collection, putting the articles within the context of the evolution of this field to date.

Contents: Introduction; Part I Approaches: Nobody loves a political realist, Robert G. Gilpin; Realist thought and neorealist theory, Kenneth N. Waltz; Taking preferences seriously: a liberal theory of international politics, Andrew Moravcsik; International theory: the case for a classical approach, Hedley Bull; Rationalizing politics: the emerging synthesis of international, American, and comparative politics, Helen V. Milner; International norm dynamics and political change, Martha Finnemore and Kathryn Sikkink. Part II Domestic Politics: The second image reversed: the international sources of domestic politics, Peter Gourevitch; Diplomacy and domestic politics: the logic of 2-level games, Robert D. Putnam; Domestic political audiences and the escalation of international disputes, James D. Fearon; Liberalism and world politics, Michael W. Doyle. Part III International Anarchy and Institutions: The assumption of anarchy in international relations theory: a critique, Helen Milner; Anarchy is what states make of it; the social construction of power politics, Alexander Wendt; The end of the old order? Globalization and the prospects for world order, David Held and Anthony McGrew; Globalization: what's new? What's not? (And so what?), Robert O. Keohane and Joseph S. Nye Jr; The false promise of international institutions, John J. Mearsheimer; The promise of institutionalist theory, Robert O. Keohane and Lisa L. Martin; Theories and empirical studies of international institutions, Lisa L. Martin and Beth A. Simmons. Part IV Power: The balance of power: prescription, concept, or propaganda?, Ernst B. Haas; Power analysis and world politics: new trends versus old tendencies, David A. Baldwin; Power in international politics, Michael Barnett and Raymond Duvall. Part V War, Peace and Security: 'National security' as an ambiguous symbol, Arnold Wolfers; Cooperation under the security dilemma, Robert Jervis; Rationalist explanations for war, James D. Fearon; The causes of war and the conditions of peace, Jack S. Levy; Name index.

David A. Baldwin is Senior Political Scientist at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, USA.