Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to Theory and History

by David A. Welch and Joseph S. Nye Jr.

Book Overview

Written by celebrated scholar Joseph Nye and new co-author David Welch, Understanding Global Conflict and Cooperation is a concise and penetrating introduction to world politics in an era of complex... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0205658873
• ISBN13: 9780205658879
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Longman Publishing Group
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A Succint Explanation for the Nature of International Politics

I am reading Professor Joseph Nye's Understanding Internaitonal Conflicts and it is a fascinating book. First of all, I like its succintness and clarity. Second, I beleive this book is well-balanced in presenting history and theory of international politics. I am sure that anyone who wants to know more about the dynamics of international conflicts can get a huge benefit by reading this book.

International Relations Master

This book is an excellent introduction to the field of international relations. It describes all the main theoretical approaches used in international relations/politics (realist, complex interdependence, etc.). It provides good historical examples. I recommend this to anyone interested in reading an excellent overview in the field of international relations (and international conflict).

Book Review for Students

Written and published recently in 2003, Understanding International Conflicts' takes a contemporary focus on international relations, which is particularly critical to a field dealing with security. Joseph Nye's book easily and readily forms a fundamental source for students of international relations as it ties both critical events in history and the evolution of international relations together. Much of the book alternates between explaining complex concepts such as sovereignty or interdependence on a theory level and then historic sections where Nye guides the reader through history while analyzing critical events with the dominant ideology of the time. By putting a theory in context, it is much easier for the reader to comprehend the justifications behind the ideology and also witness potential flaws, which Nye strongly points out, with that theory. Despite Joseph Nye oddly blending theory and history accuracy, his book provides an invaluable introduction to international conflict in historical context. The most striking difference with this book and other international relations textbooks is how Nye stays chronologically true in the order he analyzes the various major theories of international relations. By leading the reader through the evolution of political thought along with the evolution of mankind you are able to see, if just to a degree, how and why people of that time period did things the way they did. This also includes crossing civilizations and putting perceived cultural norms to rest as when Syria supported Iran rather than Iraq, which doesn't make much sense unless viewed through the balance of power lens. Many of the classical international relations theories are historically tied to certain eras such as realism in the Peloponnesian War, the balance of power in World War I, and essentially need such historic placements to help understand why decisions were made during certain times. Additionally, many of the classical authors such as Kenneth Waltz are called to attention as dominant theorists of the time and so provide potential fortifying readings on top of the already listed additional readings at the end of each chapter. This provides an excellent start for a student who might have to focus on a specific time period or theory without aimlessly searching a library. As with any other evolving entity, Nye is able to significantly draw on earlier examples in the book later on in the book to fortify concepts as leaders and theorists did in the real world. By thus looking at the whole picture, the reader gains a far deeper understanding of international relations as a whole, its various goals, and the empathetic ability to have a meaningful intellectual conversation by knowing exactly where each ideology is originating. Alternating between an analysis of history and a discussion of theory keeps the pace of the book compellingly quick. It might be that any other theory books are usually incredibly boring or that Joseph Nye engin

Primer on Conflict Theory

A good introduction to political theory in relation to conflict and war, especially if you are not political science student. We used it for a class on US intelligence and social trends at our university (National Defense Intelligence College)

Excellent book :)

The basis for "Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to Theory and History" is, as the author explains in the preface, a course on international conflicts in the modern world he taught for a long time in Harvard. Nye says that the aim of the book is "to introduce students to the complexities of international politics by giving them a good grounding in the traditional realist theory before turning to liberal and constructivist approaches that became more prominent after the Cold War". I believe he excels at doing exactly that...I found the book very interesting, and full of examples taken from history that made the concepts easier to grasp. Moreover, it takes into account the three levels of causation: the individual, the state and the international system. It also includes suggested reading material, that allows the reader to delve deeper in those subjects she/he finds more interesting...The book is very well organized. It was a foreword, a preface, 9 chapters and an index. Each chapter deals with a main theme, and some related topics. The themes of the chapters are: chapter 1:"Is there an enduring logic of conflict in world politics?"; chapter 2: "Origins of the great 20th century conflicts";chapter 3: "Balance of power and World War I"; chapter 4: "The failure of collective security and World War II"; chapter 5: "The Cold War"; chapter 6: "Intervention, institutions and regional and ethnic conflicts"; chapter 7: "Globalization and interdependence"; chapter 8: "The information revolution, transnational actors, and the diffusion of power"; chapter 9: "A new world order?". All in all, I strongly recommend this book to those interested in international relations... I think the author was successful in doing what he set out to do: he didn't want to give all the answers, he merely tried to help the readers to look for them. In his own words: "provide our students with conceptual tools that will help them shape their own answers as the future unfolds".On the whole, a keeper :) Enjoy it !!!