Contemporary theory of international politics faces a twofold problem: the critical engagement with legacies of national power politics in connection to 20th Century International Relations and the regeneration of notions of humanity. This book contributes to this engagement by a genealogy of thoughts on war, peace, and ethics.

This book offers a timely exploration of the still burgeoning field of International Political Theory (IPT). IPT is approached in this volume not merely as a subfield at the margins of the discipline of International Relations (IR) but rather as a key dimension of theorising international relations that challenges disciplinary, theoretical, methodological, and geographical boundaries and inseminates other theoretical IR traditions. Chapters in this volume approach IPT as a theoretical tradition that emphasises and interrogates the philosophical, historical, ethical, normative, institutional, and aesthetic dimensions of international relations and world politics. In so doing, they explore IPT as a European theoretical tradition to stress that, paradoxically, it is only by provincializing Europe and its intellectual traditions that one may finally appreciate what is truly universal in them. This is a refreshingly different take on IPT sure to be of interest to students and scholars of IPT, IR and political theory.

The idea of international political theory after Hobbes is a timely and lively focus through which to raise key questions about international politics, and to set up dialogues between historical political theory and contemporary theories of international relations about the legacy of Hobbes in international politics. The move by political theorists towards consideration of the international realm and the consequent blurring of the distinction between domestic and international politics over recent years has been marked. In the light of these changes, the role of Hobbes in the dominant realist theory of International Relations requires urgent re-examination. This book makes an important and distinctive contribution to the argument that international political theory is moving beyond the reading of Hobbes as a founding theorist of the modern state in an inter-state system perpetuated by orthodox International Relations. The volume brings together a set of internationally-respected researchers with an expertise on Hobbes’ views on international relations in the context of the history of political thought, Hobbesian realism, and on Hobbes and contemporary international political theory.

'A lucid, comprehensive analysis of normative approaches to international relations, and an original contribution to critical theory' - Andrew Linklater, University of Keele `Hutchings combines a valuable account of the current state of the art with a lucid expositon of her own, highly distinctive, position. This will be required reading for students in international political theory, and indeed anyone interested in normative issues in international relations' - Chris Brown, London School of Economics and Political Science Providing an invaluable overview of the competing schools of thought in traditional and contemporary international theory, this book

This book seeks to offer a general interpretation and critique of both methodlogical and substantive aspects of International theory.

International Relations Theory: The Essentials provides a complete and concise introduction to the study of international relations theory, covering the main theories that you'll encounter on your course. In addition, its helpful study skills section shows you how to apply your knowledge to coursework and examinations, ensuring that you get the most out of your studies. This revised second edition includes: Coverage of the key theories in international relations, including new sections on Democratic Peace Theory, Pluralism and Solidarism and Norms An updated study skills section giving you guidance on responding to feedback and avoiding plagiarism, along with hints and tips for good essay writing, how to get the most out of lectures and seminars, and exam preparation A number of useful learning features; from 'questions to ponder' and 'common pitfalls', to lists of further reading and 'taking it further' boxes, which suggest ways in which you can extend your thinking beyond the classroom Written in a clear and accessible style, International Relations Theory: The Essentials is the perfect primer for both undergraduate and graduate students new to the topic of international relations theory, or for those simply looking for a refresher.

This book provides a much-needed classroom text in international studies that is genuinely interdisciplinary in its approach. International Studies focuses specifically on five core disciplines; history, geography, anthropology, political science and economics, and describes them in relation to one another, as well as their individual and collective contributions to the study of global issues. The expert authors also emphasize the continuing importance of area studies within an interdisciplinary and global framework, applying its interdisciplinary framework to substantive issues in seven regions: Europe, East Asia and the Pacific, South and Central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Latin America and North America. This new edition has been completely updated and substantially revised with two new chapters on Media, Sovereignty and Cybersecurity and Sustainable Development. This disciplinary and regional combination offers a useful and cohesive framework for teaching students a substantive and comprehensive approach to understanding global issues.

Since the field of International Relations was established almost a century ago, many different theoretical approaches have been developed, each offering distinctive accounts of the world, why it has come to be the way it is, and how it might be made a better place. In this illuminating textbook, leading IR scholar, Stephanie Lawson, examines each of these theories in turn, from political realism in its various forms to liberalism, Marxism, critical theory and more recent contributions from social theory, feminism, postcolonialism and green theory. Taking as her focus the major practical issues facing scholars of international relations today, Lawson ably shows how each theory relates to situations ?on the ground?. Each chapter features case studies, questions for discussion to encourage reflection and classroom debate, guides to further reading and web resources. The study of IR is a profoundly normative enterprise, and each theoretical school has its strengths and weaknesses. Theories of International Relations encourages a critical, reflective approach to the study of IR theory, while emphasising the many important and interesting things it has to teach us about the complexities and challenges of international politics today.

In this revised edition of his 1979 classic Political Theory and International Relations, Charles Beitz rejects two highly influential conceptions of international theory as empirically inaccurate and theoretically misleading. In one, international relations is a Hobbesian state of nature in which moral judgments are entirely inappropriate, and in the other, states are analogous to persons in domestic society in having rights of autonomy that insulate them from external moral assessment and political interference. Beitz postulates that a theory of international politics should include a revised principle of state autonomy based on the justice of a state's domestic institutions, and a principle of international distributive justice to establish a fair division of resources and wealth among persons situated in diverse national societies.