Additionally, the authors state clearly that the chapters should not be "cherry picked" and must be read one after another--I did not find this to be the case and had no issues jumping around. Reviewed by Xiaowen Zhang, Associate Professor, Augustana College on 7/17/19, A wide range of topics are covered. The chapter on Pax Americana is also about security. E-International Relations has partnered with Bloomsbury to produce a fully featured textbook for beginners. The book is mostly well structured. Yet another compilation of IR chapters from a very western oriented set of authors. The core strength of this textbook is the clarity it brings to explaining the many concepts and theories that make up International Relations it introduces students to the nuance and complexity of the field in an exciting and accessible way. The author begins with the UN and moves through a clear description of the forms governmental organizations take, their geographical limitations, and their various aims are examined. This is especially useful given the previously noted inconsistency in quality across chapters. Still, I believe it's highly consistent, and any small discrepancy across authors would not generate any confusion to students. The only downside is lack of index, which I presume is a costly endeavor. The organization of the text results in clarity and presents logically arranged ideas to support a comprehensive, cohesive portrait of the discipline for the introductory level. The chapters offer a broad sweep of the basic components of International Relations and the key contemporary issues that concern the discipline. Part One provides excellent, succinct overviews of the fundamentals, or basics, of the field, while Part Two delves into specific global issues of contemporary importance. It's easy to read, however. I appreciate the editor's note indicating that these items were sacrificed in order to produce a free text, but I feel there were some extremely low- or no-cost ways of enhancing the text that would have been beneficial. On this, it does relatively well. However, there is no index or glossary. The chapter on protecting people is really about war and civil war presented in a novel way. Each chapter looks quite the same, although several of the "global issues" chapters are quite short. It misses some key components, the most obvious being interstate and intrastate war. The book is also complimented by a bespoke curated website, featuring a regularly updated collection of interactive learning material and hosted on E-International Relations, the world's leading open access IR website.Portraying the most compelling issues of our time, and presenting the necessary tools to analyse and debate the subject, this is an invaluable resource for anyone studying international relations. There are no images or any other illustrations. In an intro IR class, instructors may assign readings from Foreign Affairs or Foreign Policy to cover the most recent events in IR. The most recent emergence of the IR world Post Trump is the addressed in this text,especially with respect to the recent threats to NATO. Traditional and Middle Ground Theories Stephen McGlinchey and Dana Gold There are some basic style issues for some of the authors, though. However, using it as the primary text for college students in the United States would require a lot of extra work (developing a glossary,discussion questions, finding the images,charts, figures going along with the text, etc.). Most importantly, I personally would not want to adopt this textbook without understanding the plan for updating it, as some of this information will likely seem outdated or obsolete in the next 5-10 years. As a field of study, international relations focuses on the political, military, economic, and cultural interaction of state and non-state actors at the global level. A glossary might be helpful. The organization, structure, and flow of the text are effective, and assigning the sections in a different order would not be detrimental to this. As such it is a valuable resources in instances when textbook costs are a prohibitive barrier. As mentioned above, I appreciate that the book acknowledges the ways that IR as a discipline traditionally takes a Western approach. 5. Because the chapters can each stand alone, I think it's a great resource for instructors to be able to assign one or a few chapters to supplement other materials in the course. Stephen McGlinchey is a Senior Lecturer in Interna. Each chapter was well laid out with subheadings. It has a bibliography, but throughout the text, is uses very few references, even when it seems obvious that the reader would like to know more. The book presents itself as NOT predisposed to modularity. Stephen McGlinchey has brought together a fantastic collection of authors who together present a wide-ranging, critical and accessible introduction to International Relations. A wide range of topics are covered. 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. I would not classify this as a comprehensive text of introductory international relations. Both the terminology and framework of the chapters is internally consistent. I would also like to have seen each chapter end with a brief Further Reading list for students interested in the topic of the chapter, particularly since the main chapters in the first section are quite short. This democratic peace proposition not only challenges the validity of other political systems (i.e., fascism, communism, authoritarianism, totalitarianism), but also the prevailing realist account of international relations, which emphasises balance-of-power calculations and common strategic interests in order to explain the peace and stability The historical context given to today's political world is also a bit shaky. Featuring a combination of chapters authored by leading scholars, researchers and practitioners from around the world, this textbook takes into account the historical development of international relations and the web of dynamics that forms the subject, resulting in a clear analysis of the field from . 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. Finally, the chapter concludes by illuminating the ways in which international organizations shape the world. However, updates should be relatively easy. read more. The fourth chapter, which introduces international relations theory, is co-authored by Dana Gold and Stephen McGlitchy. I would not classify this as a comprehensive text of introductory international relations. International Relations (17 reviews) Stephen McGlinchey, University of the West of England Copyright Year: 2016 ISBN 13: 9781910814185 Publisher: E-International Relations Language: English Formats Available PDF Conditions of Use Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NC Reviews Learn more about reviews. The updates should be fairly straightforward to implement. Overall, each chapter is well written, and each chapter and section has a number of natural breaks. organization of the edited volume seems to be all over the place. Environment and Climate Raul Pacheco-Vega This course provides a broad introduction to the study of international relations. You must sign in to add this item to your wishlist. We'll see exactly how much effort is required when I begin developing the syllabus for next semester. The second case he focuses on is that of the 19791980 Iranian hostage crisis, the transformation of U.S. Iranian relations in its wake and the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran in the future. Your School account is not valid for the United Kingdom site. Since the undergraduate audience is the primary target, pictures, graphics and other visual representations would significantly increase the textbooks appeal. The chapter on the internet and devices includes examples from many countries, giving students a wider perspective on the world. read more. Please sign in or create an account. Stephen McGlinchey is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE Bristol). No major inaccuracies were detected as of this review. On one side of the controversy was a revival of the school of realism, known as neorealism, which emerged with the publication of Kenneth Waltz's Theory of International Politics in 1979. 13. She was a PhD candidate in Political Science at the Western University between 2012 and 2018. However, it requires a more explicit and systematic theoretical/conceptual framework to operate as a stand-alone text for an Introduction to IR class. As mentioned previously, the inclusion pre-state history that focus on Europe only, makes one wonder about areas outside of Europe. Most, but not all, chapters are designed to first briefly introduce the topic or concept, followed by illustrative cases to help the readers comprehension. The textbooks content is up to date in two ways: the topics explored in Part Two (Global Issues) are contemporary, pressing problems in international relations, and the case studies peppered throughout are largely drawn from recent, relevant events. Anthony F Lang, Professor of International Political Theory, University of St Andrews, UK. Even having authors use bold font for key terms would facilitate student learning. It can be easily adopted as an Intro IR textbook in any English-speaking college/university in the world. Since there are no images or suggestions for discussion or further reading, a faculty member using this book would have to do a huge amount of work to make the text engaging for students. The chapter on protecting people is really about war and civil war presented in a novel way. read more. Managing Global Security Beyond Pax Americana'. While the text provides a good picture of the field overall, each chapter covers a distinct topic or issue and stands on its own. It would have been nice to get some more introductory concepts from some of the later chapters such as levels of analysis and actors before addressing one particular foreign policy tool. He then explicates how the resulting international system that is with us today operates and persists according to the post-war institutional framework for cooperation and conflict resolution. In addition, the chapter on the making of the modern world suggests that the European colonies copied the European ideas of how to run a country. The content is up-to-date and incorporates both canonical and contemporary case studies in its explication of the material. Still, some materials (e.g., religion, colonialism, etc.) From broader and theoretical debates to issue areas. Jindal Global University. 1. It would be great if at least the issue chapters in the second part are written under the same framework. Some topics, however, are dispersed throughout various chapters and could benefit from being looked at in a single section/chapter. The broad organization of the text into The Basics (Part One) and Global Issues (Part Two) and the sequencing of the chapters in Part One are logical. read more. there is a number of redundant discussions along with a lack of integration of different topics. Connectivity and Exploitation in the Digital Age Clare Stevens and Andreas Haggman. This chapter covers the individual, group, state, and systems levels of analysis and the implication of it for comprehending international relations. Introduction to International Relations - Stephen McGlinchey PART ONE: HISTORY AND THEORY 2. International Relations and the Global System - Stephen McGlinchey 3. Journalism, Media Studies & Communications, 12. Andreas Haggman is Head of Cyber Advocacy at the United Kingdoms Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. For instance, the chapter on the environment focuses almost exclusively on international agreements, but not on differential expectations for countries, debates around these policies, and the real-life impacts of climate change and environmental policy. Foundations of International Relations delivers a comprehensive explanation of International Relations that includes a thorough introduction to critical theories and non-western viewpoints alongside established IR theories and narratives. I think the aspects that are current could easily be updated without a complete overhaul of the book. The "global issues" section is extremely weak. For my purposes, the book is probably about 4.75/5 stars- as good or better than many existing textbooks, and close enough to the best textbooks to justify the switch given my desire to adopt open access educational resources. The approachability of the text and relevant case studies will leave students with the tools needed to understand and analyse international events. Mukesh Kapila CBE is Professor Emeritus of Global Health and Humanitarian Affairs at the University of Manchester. The text is appropriate to a lower-division undergraduate level student. 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. There are no major presentation errors in the book. This book is not that. I'm not sure if this is normal for an e-book. Possibly, below stuffs can be added: democratic peace theory, capitalist peace theory, domestic audience costs, power transition theory, etc. In the first case he examines efforts to regulate and prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, including the recent case of Iran. Your donations allow us to invest in new open access titles and pay our A few of the chapters reference current events or contemporary individuals, and thus will appear dated soon. Introduction to International Relations Stephen McGlinchey, 2. International Relations and the Global System Stephen McGlinchey Global Civil Society Raffaele Marchetti The 2016 free edition can be used as a textbook but the textbook has been updated, but the update is no longer free. This is a decent textbook. I don't think it has culturally offensive parts. This book is designed as a foundational entry point to International Relations theory. They will find it challenging and rewarding in equal measure. It is mostly up to date and relevant. International Relations, Stephen McGlinchy, ed. It sends the message to the reader that "here are these theories, let me show you how irrelevant they are with the rest of this book.) $130.00 Other new and used from $119.08. 17. Moreover, each chapter begins with a few sentences tying it to the preceding chapter(s). Your School account is not valid for the United States site. It seems that the editor chose breath over depth. For example, the chapters 8 and 10 cover topics that are usually taught in sequence. Related ideas are well-grouped and the presentation of topics is logical and clear. A Court of Thorns and Roses Paperback Box Set, Teachers, Librarians, Parents & Caregivers. I found no errors related to accuracy in the book. Article A Brief Introduction to the Study of International Relations A feature for those interested in becoming familiar with the study of IR and also for students struggling to grasp how IR fits together. The writing is clear and concise.