What's the Point of International Relations?

'Enlightening self-reflection without unhelpful narcissism or drama! These are twenty smart, thoughtful, and really productive chapters. I learned things I will use in my classes and in my own work.' - Robert A. Denemark, University of Delaware, USA

'Through a collection of consistently excellent (and valuably divergent) chapters, this timely and provocative volume calls for - and succeeds in modelling - a 'pluralist', 'dialogical', and 'political' discipline of IR. This is essential reading for anyone interested in the purposes of IR and how these relate to its contested past, current dynamism, and yet-uncertain future.' - Toni Erskine, Professor of International Politics, UNSW, Australia

'A wonderful collection of insightful essays that reveal why international relations has become one of the most exciting areas of academic work, one that has not only absorbed innovative perspectives from economics, politics, and political economy but is also becoming an influential source of ideas for these disciplines.' - Walden Bello, State University of New York at Binghamton, USA

'We've needed this superb volume sorely for some time - a collection of fresh and invigorating essays, all responding to the editors' call for a newly 'open, political and humble' approach to our discipline. IR emerges through this fresh look not as irrelevant or hamstrung by disciplinary limitations, but as vibrant, diverse and important, and, most of all, as having a very bright future.' - Nicola Phillips, University of Sheffield, UK

'This is an excellent collection of essays on the current state of the field - and, fortunately, much more oriented towards real-world problems than its title would suggest.' - Chris Brown, London School of Economics, UK