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
"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. . . ."
Review
"[Kegley is] an excellent, brief introduction to international relations. The research is relatively current, the material is easily accessible and comprehensible to students, and the layout is well organized, clear, speaks to contemporary debates within the field, and utilizes well-thought-out pedagogical tools. It is a well-written and researched introductory textbook that presents the topic of international relations in an exciting and dynamic fashion."
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
"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. . . ."
Review
"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."
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
'[Kegley is] an excellent, brief introduction to international relations. The research is relatively current, the material is easily accessible and comprehensible to students, and the layout is well organized, clear, speaks to contemporary debates within the field, and utilizes well-thought-out pedagogical tools. It is a well-written and researched introductory textbook that presents the topic of international relations in an exciting and dynamic fashion.'
Review
"Overall for me the Kegley text's strength is its scholarship. The authors do an admirable job incorporating recent relevant scholarship and providing an analytical perspective for today's critical issues. They clearly contrast liberal and realist approaches, which I appreciate. They also incorporate much of the latest IPE scholarship."
Review
"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."
About the Author
Charles W. Kegley, Jr. is the Corporate Secretary of the Carnegie Council for Thics in International Affairs and the Pearce Professor of International Relations Emeritus at the University of South Carolina. A graduate of American University and Syracuse University, and a Pew faculty Fellow at Harvard University, Kegley is a past president of the International Studies Association (1993-1994) and has held faculty appointments at Georgetown University, the University of Texas, the People's University of China, and the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva. Recently published among his four dozen books are WORLD POLITICS: TREND AND TRANSFORMATION (11th edition, 2007) and THE NEW GLOBAL TERRORISM (2003). He has also published his primary research in many scholarly journals.
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."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
About the Authors. Preface. Part I: TREND AND TRANSFORMATION IN WORLD POLITICS. 1. Exploring the Twenty-First-Century World Politics. 2. Theories of World Politics. Part II: THE ACTORS IN WORLD POLITICS. 3. Foreign Policy Decision Making. 4. Great-Power Rivalry and the Lure of Hegemony: Cycles of War and Peace in Modern World History. 5. Rich and Poor in World Politics: The Plight of the Global South. 6. Nonstate Actors and the Challenge of Global Governance. Part III: THE POLITICS OF GLOBAL SECURITY. 7. Armed Conflict in the Twenty-First Century. 8. Military Power and National Security in a Turbulent World. 9. Realist Paths to Peace: Alliance, Arms Control, and the Balance of Power. 10. Liberal Paths to Peace: International Law and Organization. Part IV: THE POLITICS OF GLOBAL WARFARE. 11. The Globalization of World Politics. 12. Markets and Money in a Global Political Economy. 13. Human Rights and the Quest for Global Justice. 14. Population Dynamics and Global Environmental Politics. Part V: ALTERNATIVE WORLD FUTURES. 15. Prospects for a New World Order. References. Index.