Synopses & Reviews
The GLOBAL FUTURE is a brief introduction to the study of international relations, based on the framework of Charles Kegley's best selling WORLD POLITICS: TREND AND TRANSFORMATION. Written in a clear, accessible style that speaks to students with a wide range of backgrounds and abilities, this textbook provides a set of concepts and analytic tools to help them understand contemporary events and emerging global trends. Every chapter contains thought-provoking case studies, box inserts with rival views on current controversies, and a marginal glossary, as well as vivid graphs, maps, and photographs. With an emphasis on engaging students in the latest international developments, THE GLOBAL FUTURE encourages them to think critically about contemporary issues and form their own opinions on how to address the pressing security, economic, and environmental problems of the twenty-first century.
Review
"[The Global Future] a clear, concise text for today's students with great supporting supplements. Well written, with good coverage of all major topics. CHP 5 does an excellent job of describing the relationship between the poor and rich. This was my favorite discussion topic for my students to date. CHP 3 provides a clear concise breakdown of the decision making process."
Review
"One significant strength is the shorter chapters, which would make it easier for me to divide the material across the semester and should make the information less overwhelming to students. I particularly liked that The Global Future provides students with information about online resources, "Where on the World Wide Web?" The third benefit I see is the quality of THE GLOBAL FUTURE'S bibliography. Throughout the text, scholarly sources are cited, compared and contrasted. Most texts make it appear that the author provides all the information, whereas The Global Future more clearly shows the scholarly community that contributed to the ideas and materials."
Review
"If you are looking for the best value for the money on the IR textbook market, THE GLOBAL FUTURE is absolutely the best book for you to use in your courses! It covers the big issues in enough depth to help students understand international affairs, and provides plenty of theoretical-conceptual tools for them to use. And, it does so in a very accessible way due to how well it is written. Finding a textbook like this which doesn't break the bank of my students also makes them more likely to buy it and read it for my courses." "I was delighted to see THE GLOBAL FUTURE come out. It maintained the quality of the WORLD POLITICS book (though not as detailed) and was still extremely well-written. Essentially a pared down version of the other textbook at less than half the price of the previous textbook. I was able to require it without feeling guilty."
Review
"I really think that [THE GLOBAL FUTURE] is head and shoulders above others I have examined for the intended audience. The authors--and I am familiar with Kegley's work dating back 25 years--do an outstanding job of making unfamiliar subject matter accessible and comprehensible for student texts." "A clear, concise approach to explaining the complexities of the world political system for beginning and intermediate students." "[Compared to its competitors, Kegley is a] clearer, better melding of Theory and Practice; the style seems more accessible." "[Compared to Goldstein, Kegley has] . . . [m]ore thorough coverage of actors in global system; more thorough discussion of International Political Economy." "I believe each chapter is clear, accessible by students of all levels, and logically organized. In fact, if I were to write a textbook (which I have thought about) I would not change anything relating to organization or logic."
Review
"[THE GLOBAL FUTURE] provides a multi-perspective view in terms of ideology, its authoritative analyses and information, and solid historical approach." "It provides greater depth in terms of analysis, clarity, and content. The pedagogy is helpful because its approach is multifaceted, that is, several ideological approaches are provided." "On the 'Controversy' boxes presenting essential debates . . . captivating."
Review
"Kegley and Raymond cover the widest array of essential IR concepts, theories, and topics in a clear and neutral manner." "[Regarding bias, THE GLOBAL FUTURE is] [r]efreshingly [unbiased]; Kegley and Raymond are scholars, not advocates, and this is good."
Review
"THE GLOBAL FUTURE fills a valuable niche in the IR textbook community by offering a condensed, abridged version of the larger work . . . one of the most manageable textbooks on the market today."
Synopsis
The GLOBAL FUTURE is a brief introduction to the study of international relations, based on the framework of Charles Kegley's best selling WORLD POLITICS: TREND AND TRANSFORMATION. Written in a clear, accessible style that speaks to students with a wide range of backgrounds and abilities, this textbook provides a set of concepts and analytic tools to help them understand contemporary events and emerging global trends. Every chapter contains thought-provoking case studies, box inserts with rival views on current controversies, and a marginal glossary, as well as vivid graphs, maps, and photographs. With an emphasis on engaging students in the latest international developments, THE GLOBAL FUTURE encourages them to think critically about contemporary issues and form their own opinions on how to address the pressing security, economic, and environmental problems of the twenty-first century.
About the Author
Charles W. Kegley, Jr., is currently Corporate Secretary of the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs in New York Professor and is teaching as the Moynihan Faculty Research Associate in the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. The Distinguished Pearce Professor of International Relations Emeritus at the University of South Carolina, Kegley is also a post President of the International Studies Association (1993-1994). A graduate of the American University (B.A.) and Syracuse University (Ph.D.) and a Pew Faculty Fellow at Harvard University, Kegley as held faculty appointments at Georgetown University, the University of Texas, Rutgers University, the People's University of China, and the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva. A founding partner of Kegley International, Inc., a publishing, research and consulting foundation, Kegley is also a recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award in Foreign Policy of the International Studies Association, and he has widely published his primary research in the leading scholarly journals. He has written and edited over 45 books and over 100 articles published in scholarly journals on international relations and world politics.Gregory A. Raymond is the Frank Church Professor of International Relations at Boise State University, where is also director of the Honors College. A graduate of Park College and the University of South Carolina, and a Pew Faculty Fellow at Harvard University, Raymond was selected in 1994 as the Idaho Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Raymond has received nine major teaching awards and has lectured on international issues at universities and research institutes in 22 countries. He has published extensively in scholarly journals and is the author of CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE STATE SYSTEM (1980), coauthor of THE OTHER WESTERN EUROPE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE SMALLER DEMOCRACIES (19803), and coeditor of THIRD WORLD POLITIES OF INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS (1982), which received an Outstanding Academic Book Award from the American Library Association.
Together Kegley and Raymond have coauthored AFTER IRAQ: THE IMPERILED AMERICAN IMPERIUM (2007), FROM WAR TO PEACE: FATEFUL DECISIONS IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS (2002); EXORCISING THE GHOST OF WESTPHALIA: BUILDING INTERNATIONAL PEACE IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM (2002), HOW NATIONS MAKE PEACE (1999), A MULTIPOLAR PEACE? GREAT-POWER POLITICS IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY (1994), and WHEN TRUST BREAKS DOWN: ALLIANCE NORMS AND WORLD POLITICS (1990). The have also coedited INTERNATIONAL EVENTS AND THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FOREIGN POLICY (1975) and coauthored over two dozen articles in such periodicals as the "International Studies Quarterly," "The Journal of Conflict Resolution," "The Journal of Politics," "The Journal of Peace Research," "International Interactions," and "The Harvard International Review."
Table of Contents
"I really enjoy this book. It performs several tasks efficiently, from covering a large amount of material in a restricted amount of space to explaining the theoretical relevance of current events. The vignettes that introduce each chapter are great teaching aides. . . ." "THE GLOBAL FUTURE fills a valuable niche in the IR textbook community by offering a condensed, abridged version of the larger work . . . one of the most manageable textbooks on the market today." "One significant strength is the shorter chapters, which would make it easier for me to divide the material across the semester and should make the information less overwhelming to students. I particularly liked that The Global Future provides students with information about online resources, "Where on the World Wide Web?" The third benefit I see is the quality of THE GLOBAL FUTURE'S bibliography. Throughout the text, scholarly sources are cited, compared and contrasted. Most texts make it appear that the author provides all the information, whereas The Global Future more clearly shows the scholarly community that contributed to the ideas and materials." "The text does a good job of balancing ideas from multiple sides of the issues. I particularly liked the extensive use of quotes from scholars and politicians." "I like that each chapter opens with a real-life example of the chapter's theme. I think such examples help students envision the theme and understand its meaning." "THE GLOBAL FUTURE'S strengths are its emphasis on scholarship, short chapters, and clear layout." "I especially like that is clearly covers the major theories of IR and offers a thorough discussion of IPE." "The main strength of the book for me is the range of topics, specifically that it includes discussion of the major IR and IPE theories, the major conflicts of the 20th century, and IPE. I have yet to find another text that does all of this in such concise form."