International Security: The Contemporary Agenda

by Roland Dannreuther

Overview

International Security is a cutting-edge analysis of the key security challenges and developments in the post-Cold War world. Drawing on a wide range of contemporary examples, from the Iraq war to the rise of China, it is an essential guide for students and policy makers seeking to understand the theoretical and empirical debates over the fast-changing nature of international security today.

The book is organized into four main parts. Part 1 provides an analytical framework for the book, identifying the most significant post-Cold War shifts in international security and recent theoretical developments in security studies. Part 2 analyses the root causes for contemporary warfare, the dilemmas and debates over military intervention, and the role played by the UN, NATO and other organizations in maintaining international peace and security. Part 3 assesses the challenges of environmental security, including the threat of resource-based conflict, most notably over oil and water, and the perceived security challenges of international migration. Part 4 discusses the new security challenges posed by international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and cyber warfare. It explores the strategies and policies adopted by the United States, particularly in the aftermath of 9/11 and assesses the implications of the rise of China and other emerging powers.

This book will be essential reading for students and analysts of international relations, international security and strategic studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780745656885
Publisher:	Polity Press
Publication date:	01/28/2014
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	340
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Roland Dannreuther is head of the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables

Acknowledgements

Introduction: The Challenge of the New Security Agenda

Part I Analytical Framework

1 Thinking about Security after the Cold War

2 Theorizing about Security after the Cold War

Part II The 'New Wars' and Intervention

3 Understanding Contemporary War and Insecurity

4 Dilemmas and Challenges of Intervention

5 Collective Security, Alliances and Security Cooperation

Part III Environment, Resources and Migration

6 Environmental Security

7 The Struggle for Resources: Oil and Water

8 People on the Move: Migration as a Security Issue

Part IV Asymmetric Power and Asymmetric Threats

9 International Terrorism and the Impact of 9/11

10 Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

11 Cyber Warfare and New Spaces of Security

Conclusion: The Challenges for the Future

References

Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Essential reading for those who critique rationalism rather than jettison it."
Political Studies Review

"The book sets a very high standard of scholarship which others must now strive to emulate."
Jolyon Howorth, Yale University

"Roland Dannreuther provides a sensitive and analytically strong account of the intellectual dilemmas faced by security studies in the new environment of threat in the post-Cold War era. This book delivers an impressive tour d'horizon of the array of new and challenging issues faced by both academics and practitioners in the area of security and a balanced account of the continuing debates within the subdiscipline."
S. Neil MacFarlane, University of Oxford

"Anyone needing to navigate post-Cold War security studies need look no further than International Security: The Contemporary Agenda. Dannreuther clarifies and advances critical debates even as he provides an unmatched tour d'horizon. He treats often arcane material critically, fairly and insightfully, conveying his arguments in straightforward and effective prose. This is a timely and extremely useful book."
William C. Wohlforth, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire

"Students seeking a sensible guide through the maze of today's security challenges will welcome this book for its clear integration of theoretical analysis with key contemporary issues."
Paul D. Williams, University of Birmingham

Editorial Reviews

"A thought provoking look at both current and future thinking in security and IR."
LSE Review of Books

"In this concise and readable overview, Roland Dannreuther redefines the range and scope of the 'new' threats undermining international security. He does so by skilfully interweaving theoretical approaches inspired by constructivism, and empirical evidence from a wide range of contemporary sources of instability. The book sets a very high standard of scholarship which others must now strive to emulate."
Jolyon Howorth, Yale University

"Roland Dannreuther provides a sensitive and analytically strong account of the intellectual dilemmas faced by security studies in the new environment of threat in the post-Cold War era. This book delivers an impressive account of the new and challenging issues faced by both academics and practitioners in the area of security and a balanced account of the continuing debates within the subdiscipline.
S. Neil MacFarlane, University of Oxford

"Dannreuther clarifies and advances critical debates even as he provides an unmatched tour d'horizon. He treats often arcane material critically, fairly and insightfully, conveying his arguments in straightforward and effective prose. This is a timely and extremely useful book."
William C. Wohlforth, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire

"Students seeking a sensible guide through the maze of today's security challenges will welcome this book for its clear integration of theoretical analysis with key contemporary issues."
Paul D. Williams, George Washington University

From the Publisher