About the Book

Global Politics: A New Introduction is essential reading for core courses on world politics, international politics and international relations.  It examines the most significant issues in global politics - from war, peacebuilding, terrorism, security and authority, to poverty, development, postcolonialism, human rights, gender, inequality, ethnicity and what we can do to change the world.  It provides the following key features:

  • each chapter is written to a common template which is ideal for teaching and learning and features a key question, an illustrative example, general responses and larger issues
  • integrates theory and practice throughout the text, by presenting theoretical ideas and concepts in conjunction with a global range of historical and contemporary case studies
  • draws on theoretical perspectives from a broad range of disciplines including international relations, political theory, postcolonial studies, sociology, geography, peace studies, development
  • extensively illustrated throughout with 169 maps, photos, figures and cartoons as well as extensive pedagogic features to further learning, including a support website which provides audio file interviews with contributors, weblinks and downloadable maps
  • features an international line-up of leading scholars.

Praise for Global Politics: A New Introduction

'Global Politics: A New Introduction explodes the tired axioms, sloppy analogies, common assumptions, and conventional wisdoms of International Relations. This collection, unlike any other, asks all the right questions, troubles the easy answers, and provides a common intellectual stategy for tackling the most pressing global issues of today.' - James Der Derian, Professor of International Studies, Brown University

'One of the freshest, most engaging texts on international politics I've read in ages! ... Jenny Edkins and Maja Zehfuss have done the almost impossible - created a text that is globally aware, conceptually rich AND positively engaging. I can imagine students (and their professors) plunging into these enticing questions, making surprising connections between the cases, testing and refining proposed answers and coming up with fresh insights of their own.' - Cynthia Enloe, Clark University, USA, and author of Globalization and Militarism

'Global Politics: A New Introduction is without doubt an outstanding textbook that will revolutionise the way in which IR is taught. It meets the demands of enquiring minds who all too often come to study IR only to be frustrated and distracted by the parochialism of intra-disciplinary squabbles. The question-based approach is a stunning innovation that opens up the field of IR: overall a teaching and learning aid worthy of its title.' - Nick Vaughan-Williams, University of Exeter, UK

'This text takes students on an important intellectual journey ... it offers a fresh perspective with a different purpose, especially in its focus on political questions. The chapters are of a high standard written by scholars with established reputations for critical-creative thought.' - David Campbell, Durham University, UK

'A very good text that deals with current concerns in an engaging way. The conceptual depth of the chaptersis sometimes really wonderful. Because of the range of authors and the organization of each chapter, it presents many theoretical and ideological points of view.' - Mary Ann Tetreault, Una Chapman Cox Distinguished Professor of International Affairs, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas