Henry R. Nau’s bestselling book is admired for its even-handed presentation of realism, liberalism, constructivism, and critical theory—and for expertly applying those perspectives in every chapter, training students to think critically about the world’s most urgent issues. This hallmark of the book hasn’t changed; it highlights different causal perspectives from various levels of analysis to illuminate historical and current controversies in world affairs. But the overall length of the book has. With significantly briefer and more focused chapters, students can better grasp the causal logic and strong explanatory power of each of the perspectives as they explore the roots of major world events and approaches to critical issues.



?New to this Edition:

• Now in full-colour, an eye-catching design showcases how relevant this book is for today’s students, with more than 120 photos and visually stunning maps, tables, and graphs that display important concepts and key data and empirical findings.


• While retaining critical coverage of WWI through the end of the Cold War, deeper historical detail has been significantly cut—context matters, but the book’s emphasis is on today’s critical issues.


• Discussion of the contemporary world from the post-cold war period to today’s current events is now covered in chapters that present sustained analysis from each of the perspectives in turn. Whole chapters devoted to how realism, liberalism, and identity perspectives each view contemporary international relations and globalization give students a deeper understanding of how that theory makes sense of the world.