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The perfect book to get you started, or get caught back up, with International Relations. As a ‘Day 0’ beginner’s guide, this textbook condenses the most important information into the smallest space and present concepts in an accessible way. The chapters build up the foundations for understanding how the world works and then explore the key global issues that concern the discipline – 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. The book is designed to capture attention with an engaging narrative that places the reader inside crucial issues and debates so they can understand how things work, and where they fit in the world around them.
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NOTE: this book is now archived in place of a much expanded new version published in partnership with Bloomsbury Academic (first edition 2022, and second edition forthcoming 2028). The new versions build on the foundations of this original book and add an extensive set of new chapters, features and learning resources. You can still download this edition free of charge (in PDF linked above), but this version of the book will not be updated.
Contents
PART ONE – THE BASICS
1. THE MAKING OF THE MODERN WORLD
– Erik Ringmar
2. DIPLOMACY
– Stephen McGlinchey
3. ONE WORLD, MANY ACTORS
– Carmen Gebhard
4. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY
– Dana Gold and Stephen McGlinchey
5. INTERNATIONAL LAW
– Knut Traisbach
6. INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
– Shazelina Z. Abidin
7. GLOBAL CIVIL SOCIETY
– Raffaele Marchetti
8. GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
– Günter Walzenbach
9. RELIGION AND CULTURE
– John A. Rees
PART TWO – GLOBAL ISSUES
10. GLOBAL POVERTY AND WEALTH
– James Arvanitakis and David J. Hornsby
11. PROTECTING PEOPLE
– Alex J. Bellamy
12. CONNECTIVITY, COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY
– Andreas Haggman
13. VOICES OF THE PEOPLE
– Jeffrey Haynes
14. TRANSNATIONAL TERRORISM
– Katherine E. Brown
15. THE ENVIRONMENT
– Raul Pacheco-Vega
16. FEEDING THE WORLD
– Ben Richardson
17. MANAGING GLOBAL SECURITY BEYOND ‘PAX AMERICANA’
– Harvey M. Sapolsky
18. CROSSINGS AND CANDLES
– Peter Vale
Reviews
In today’s volatile and fast moving world, it is important to understand how things really work on the global stage. This book brings together scholars and practitioners from around the world to explain key issues, concepts and dynamics from a variety of perspectives in clear and accessible language. An invaluable and interesting read for anyone who wants to learn the basics of international relations.
— Marta Dyczok, Associate Professor, Departments of History and Political Science, University of Western Ontario.
With the turbulence all around us, everyone is affected by what happens elsewhere and no one can afford not to understand international relations. This is an essential guide to learning how to navigate our interconnected world.
— Mukesh Kapila, CBE., Professor of Global Health & Humanitarian Affairs, University of Manchester.
A succinct guide to International Relations that will be an ideal introduction for high school students and junior undergraduates.
— David R. Marples, Chair, Department of History & Classics, University of Alberta.
A thoughtful, well-written, intelligently presented and engaging narrative introduction to international relations.
— Richard Ned Lebow, Professor of International Political Theory, Department of War Studies, King’s College London.
A concise and comprehensive introduction to the study of international affairs. Adopting a student-centred approach and using strong examples, this book is essential for promoting understanding about international relations.
— Yannis Stivachtis, Associate Chair, Department of Political Science, and International Studies Program Director, Virginia Tech.
International Relations is not simply an academic discipline for understanding states, institutions, and theories. It is a framework for understanding how power moves across borders—and how decisions made far from a conflict zone can ultimately shape the lives of people living inside it.
What makes an accessible introduction like this particularly valuable is that it connects the foundations of the international system with the global issues that increasingly overlap: security, diplomacy, political economy, technology, terrorism, humanitarian protection, and the changing role of international institutions.
From the perspective of Afghanistan, this interconnectedness is not theoretical. Afghanistan has repeatedly demonstrated how international competition, regional interests, diplomacy, security partnerships, economic dependency, and domestic political dynamics can converge in one country and reshape its trajectory.
For practitioners and researchers alike, therefore, studying International Relations should not be about memorising theories. It should be about learning how to read the interaction between power, institutions, interests, geography, history, and human consequences.
The international system is constantly changing. Understanding that change is not a one-time lesson—it is a continuing process of observation, questioning, and discovery.
— Wahidullah Noorzai
Former Senior ANCOP/ANP Officer | Field-informed Security & Strategic Analyst