Working Paper Sites of Political Science
International Relations Readings List

International Relations
Patrick Fagan
Year 2002

Paul Wilkinson.  International Relations: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2002).

This is a primer on foreign policy, globalization, arms control, environment, world poverty, and the world economy. The academic theories that embody each of the subjects are discussed. The author discusses the role of the United Nations and the European Union.

Michael Roskin and Nicholas Berry.  IR: The new world of international relations (Prentice Hall, 2002).

Cold War material is presented by these authors. Other themes include South Africa and the end of colonialism, the uniting of Europe, the Persian Gulf, national security, nuclear politics, globalization, international law, and diplomacy.

Richard Mansbach and Edward Rhodes.  Global Politics in a Changing World: A reader (Houghton Mifflin, 2000).

Designed as a supplement for any main IR book, this collection of readings provides a comprehensive picture of the post-Cold War era.

Bruce Jentleson.  The Dynamics of Choice in the 21st Century (W.W. Norton, 2000).

Jentleson looks at theory and history of IR. He also explores the involvement of Congress, the president, the Supreme Court, the news media, and interest groups in the process of IR. The author examines the following great debates in IR: going to war, isolationism vs. internationalism, how big a military, how much for defense, US imperialism, US relations with Latin America, and the US as a Pacific Power. He also goes into great detail about the Cold War (3 chapters). Jentleson concludes with an examination of globalization and democratization. There is also a reader available, which is listed below.

Bruce Jentleson.  Perspectives on American Foreign Policy: Readings and Cases (W.W. Norton, 2000).

This is the book of essays that accompanies the reading above. Well-known authors, such as Morgenthau, Kolko, Leffler, Brodie, Holsti, Lippmann, and Strobel, have provided writings on each of the topics listed above.

Robert J. Lieber.  No Common Power: Understanding international relations (Prentice Hall, 2001).

Lieber describes the largest changes in IR since WWII. More specifically, he delves into more post-Cold War subject matter, European Union information, the Asian economic crisis, and nuclear weapons proliferation. The author also introduces the reader to implied penetration of the nation-state. Lieber highlights basic defense concepts so that the reader can better understand nuclear deterrence and arms control. The book also provides the reader with an overview of increased efforts of the United Nations at peacekeeping and humanitarian intervention. Lieber touches on the World Criminal Court and other aspects of the international justice system. Issues about Kosovo and Rwanda are included in this edition. Globalization and international political economy, integrated with world politics, is also a feature.

Joseph Frankel.  International Relations in a Changing World (Oxford University Press, 1988).

Frankel explores how state power is expressed through propaganda, economics, diplomacy, and military force. The author also examines multinational corporations, new states, terrorist groups, the volatile condition of the Middle East and Africa, and the success and failure of the United Nations.