International Society, Global Polity
An Introduction to International Political Theory
- Chris Brown - London School of Economics & Political Science, UK
This book provides an overview of the current state of the art in International Political Theory (IPT). It offers a coherent account of the field of IPT, placing both traditional and modern work in a clear and logical framework.
The text moves from conventional accounts of the society of states to non-state-centric understandings of global politics. The first part covers international law, war, human rights and humanitarianism. The second part looks at the new human rights regime, the responsibility to protect, the ethics of war and global justice.
Each chapter includes annotated reading lists, highlighting directions you can take to further your reading.
International Society, Global Polity is perfect for students taking courses on International Political Theory, International Theory, Global Ethics and Global Justice.
Chris Brown brings a wealth of experience and insight to understanding the unsettled surface of modern international relations. The connecting threads of the enterprise are the propositions that we are in transition from making the world intelligible in terms of the idea of the world as an international society, and alternatively as a global polity. The second proposition is that international political theory is applied political philosophy. What this means is that the book is driven by a strong argument which demonstrates the implications of viewing the world from the different perspectives, and a firm grounding in empirical international politics to keep theory securely anchored to the questions that animate the theory and practice of the discipline.
Very useful introduction to IPT for students without prior knowledge
This is a very helpful text for those students accessing this interdisciplinary course who have not previously studied international relations
Too theoretically driven, which does not exactly match the more empirical focus of the module.
The book touches upon the key challenges for pursuing a more just international society. It is written in a clear fashion and makes reading of very complex problems extremely inspiring. The theoretical arguments are well grounded on both historical and up-to-date empirical evidence. It offers arguments with relevant foreign policy implications.
Used by some students, however they considered the book a heavy reading next to other class assignments. Therefore I have decided to recommend the book in the course manual, but not mandatory reading
