Suitable for undergraduate courses in International Relations. The most comprehensive and inclusive survey and synthesis available on the subject, Contending Theories of International Relations makes the rich, ever-evolving complexity of IR theories accessible and fascinating for undergraduates and graduate students. Widely acclaimed for its vast scope, engaging writing style, and abundant citation of reference sources, the Fifth Edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the various paradigmatic and theoretical debates that have emerged since the end of the Cold War. It incorporates the most significant current writings on all areas of theory from neorealism, neoliberal theory, postmodernism, and contructivism to globalization, ethnic conflict, international terrorism, and new approaches to deterrence amidst proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction technologies. *UPDATED! Theories of structuralism and institutionalism; anarchy, cooperation and integration; structure-agent relationships within and among levels of analysis; recent developments in decision making, crisis and crisis management theories; the continuing debate about state, substate, and nonstate actors in an increasingly pluralist world of alliances, regions, and international institutions. *Interdisciplinary approach: Drawing from traditional, behavioral-scientific, and post-behavioral fields, as well as normative theory, this text gives students a comprehensive and well-rounded introduction to IR theory. *Ample citation of scholarly sources: Proof of the text's rigorous scholarship, the ample citations insure that students know the important works in the field and can go to the original sources for further exploration.

Table of Contents:
(Most chapters end with Conclusion and each chapter ends with Notes.) Preface. 1. Theoretical Approaches to International Relations. Introduction. Early Approaches to International-Relations Theory. Modern Approaches to International-Relations Theory. The Development of International-Relations Theory. The Definition and Scope of International Relations. Traditional Theory: Balance of Power. 2. From Realist to Neorealist and Neoclassical Realist Theory. Theoretical Foundations. Neorealist Theory. Realism, Neorealism, Neoclassical Realist Theory: Limitations and Contributions. 3. System, Structure, Agent, and International Relations Theory. System and Structure. Structuralism and Structuration. Other Uses of System. Systems at the International Level. Theories of Polarity and International Stability. System Structure and Stability. Regional Subsystems in the International System. 4. The Physical/Social/Environing Context: Constructing Reality. From Structure-Agent to Constructivism. Environing Factors: Earlier Twentieth-Century Approaches. Geographic Factors of National Power. Mahan, the Seas, and National Power. The Sprouts and Human-Milieu Relationships. Spatial Relationships and Conflict: Recent Work. The Clash of Civilizations? Redefining the Meaning of Borders. Critiques of Environmental Theories. 5. The Older Theories of Conflict and War. Prerequisites of a General Theory of Conflict and War. Micro- and Macro-Theories of Conflict. Individuals and International Conflict. Conflict and Social Integration. Varieties of Conflict. Theories of War and Its Causes in Antiquity. The Philosophical Theories of the Nation-State Period. Modern Pacifist Theories. Bellicist Theories. Bellicists and Antidemocratic Theories. Anarchism and the Marxist Socialists. The Normative Theory of Just War in the Nuclear Age. 6. Microcosmic Theories of Violent Conflict. Modern Studies of Motivations and War. Biological and Psychological Theories. Instinct Theories of Aggression. Animal Behavior Studies. Lorenz: Intraspecific Aggression. Frustration-Aggression Theory. Socialization, Displacement, and Projection. Learned Aggression and Military Training. Learning, Images, and International Conflict. Aggression Diversion and Reduction. Other Psychological Theories. Conclusion: Microcosmic Theories in Perspective. 7. Macrocosmic Theories of Violent Conflict: International War. Inside Versus Outside Dimensions of Conflict. Lessons from Primitive and Other Societies. Other Insights from Theorists of Society. Revolution and War. The Internationalization of Internal War and Low-Intensity Conflict. Political Science and the Causes of War. The Scientific Study of War. The Correlates of War Project and Statistical Analyses of War. Arms Races, Alliances, and War. National Growth and International Violence. Power as Distance and Power Transition. Capability, Risk, Expected Utility, and Probability of War. Cyclical and Long-Cycle Theories of War. Democracies, War, and Peace. 8. Theories of Deterrence: Arms Control and Strategic Stability. Historical Background. The Theoretical Debate. Dilemmas of Deterrence. Rationality Versus Irrationality. Nuclear Deterrence and Conventional Defense. Empirical Studies of Deterrence. Disarmament, Arms Control, and Deterrence. The End of the Cold War. Rethinking Deterrence After the Cold War. International Terrorism. Deterrence in the Twenty-First Century. 9. International Political Economy. Mercantilism. Liberalism. The Resurgence of Realism/Nationalism in the Interwar Period. Marxist/Dependency Theory. The Theory of Imperialism. Lenin and Conflict Theory. Marxist/Leninist Theory Since the 1950s. Realist and Liberal Critics of the Economic Theories of Imperialism. Post-World War II Economic Liberalism. Marxists, Neo-Marxists, and the Third World. Critique of Marxists and Neo-Marxists. Imperialism as Political Slogan. The Theory of Dependency. The Capitalist World Economy. Oil, Inflation, and the Debt Crisis. The North-South Debate and the NIEO. Multinational Corporations and Governments. Post-Marxist Critical International Theory. The Three Models Revisited. The Global Financial Crisis. 10. Theories of International Cooperation and Integration. Cooperation and International Integration. Joseph Nye and Neofunctionalism. Transactions and Communications: Implications for Security Communities. Alliances. NATO After the Cold War. Integration Theory: Problems of Conceptualization and Measurement. Limitations of Functionalism and Neofunctionalism. The Development of Theories of Integration and Cooperation. 11. Decision-Making Theories: Choice and the Unit Level Actor. Decision-Making Analysis: Its Nature and Origins. Approaches to Decision-Making Theory. Bureaucratic Politics. Motivations and Characteristics of Decision Makers. The Decision-Making Process. Game Theory and Decision Making. International Relations as a Game. Allison's Three Models. The Refinements of Snyder and Diesing. The Cybernetic Theory of Decision Making. Decision Making in Crisis. Toward a Theory of Crisis Behavior. The Systematic Study of International Crisis Behavior. Psychology and Decision Making. Foreign Policy Decision Making and Domestic Politics. 12. International Relations Theory: Into the Third Millennium. Major Focal Points of Contemporary Theory. Emerging Substantive Interests. Policymaking and International-Relations Theory. Theorizing about the Future. The Role of Normative Theory. Index.