The fourth edition of this well-established and popular introductory textbook has been updated to cover recent developments in the field of International Relations and world events, whilst still navigating the complexities of the discipline for new students. Brown and Ainley provide systematic coverage of the classical concerns of International Relations theory - power, national interest, foreign policy and war - alongside analysis of the impact of globalization on security, governance and the world economy. The authors actively avoid using a singular theoretical lens to conduct their survey, instead evaluating and using many throughout this book to further illustrate the nuances of the discipline. This is all while maintaining the focus on the discipline's focus on real world events, with case studies ranging from the recent rise of China and Russia to the global economic downturn, to teach students how the discipline can be applied to understanding the central and difficult questions that the world faces today. Clear and accessible, but also critical and penetrating, this book is an essential text for undergraduate International Relations students today.

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Defining International Relations.- The Development of IR Theory in the Twentieth Century.- International Relations Theory Today.- Agency, Structure and the State.- Power and Security.- The Balance of Power and War.- Global Governance.- The Global Economy.- Globalization.- The International Politics of Identity.- International Relations and the Individual: Human Rights, Humanitarian Law and Humanitarian War.- The Emerging Shape of 21st Century International Politics.