What do we study in international relations? How do we study it? And how do we apply it? Using these guiding questions as a framework, International Relations shows students how to think critically about issues in world politics. In each chapter, a brief opening case is followed by a description of key developments, an explanation of the main approaches to analyze them, and applications of those approaches in individual, state, and global contexts. The authors provide extensive historical information throughout, giving students a holistic frame of reference from which to understand current events. * A consistent analytical framework organized around three questions encourages critical thinking * Three full chapters on key approaches—realism (Ch. 2), liberalism (Ch. 3), and constructivist and other modern perspectives (Ch. 4)—along with coverage of relevant theories and levels of analysis in each chapter introduce students to a broad spectrum of approaches * Two chapters give unique emphasis to cultural and identity factors (Ch. 8) and predictions for the future (Ch. 12) * "Visual Review" summaries enable students to visualize how all the material fits together * Concluding "Past, Present, and Future" sections apply each chapter's material to both classic and contemporary challenges * "Debate" boxes focus on controversial questions and issues and ask students to consider their own views * "Case in Point" features provide in-depth examinations of current or historical events and include critical-thinking questions that ask students to think about these events, using the approaches they have learned * An Instructor's Resource Manual, a Computerized Test Bank, Videos, and a Companion Website www.oup.com/us/shiraev provide additional resources for students and instructors