Secession is one of the richest veins yet to be mined in international relations. The unexplored concept of secession implicates a host of historical accomplices related to the development of industrial modernity and considerable changes in the nature of sovereignty and the state. By historicizing secession it becomes possible not only to explain the historical transformations that have led to the theoretical impasse on secession but to better articulate the possibilities for current transformative interactions. In Forgetting Ourselves, Linda Bishai thoroughly examines why secession has been...

Why does the academic study of international relations have limited impact on the policy community? In New Directions for International Relations, Mintz and Russett identify differences in methods of analysis as one cause of problematic, unreliable results. They discuss the problem and set the stage for nine chapters by diverse scholars to demonstrate innovative new developments in IR theory and creative new methods that can lay the basis for greater consensus.

Does economic interdependence lead to peace or conflict between nations? When two countries enter an economic relationship characterized by interdependence, are they constrained in their military behavior toward one another or are they adding one more source of disagreement over which conflict may emerge? Economic Interdependence and Conflict in World Politics aims to solve the interdependence-conflict puzzle by providing answers to these questions. Mark J.C. Crescenzi breaks new ground in his explication of the strategic causal mechanism linking economic interdependence and conflict between...

Redrawing the Map to Promote Peace, by Jaroslav Tir, primarily focuses on the management of territorial disputes and how they are altered by territorial change. Territorial shifts can sometimes lead to war, which is why Tir explores the contributing factors that lead to these disputes. He states two primary variables associated with the change-dispute relationship: the value of the territory in question and how the territorial changes occur. Tir also discusses three types of territorial change: interstate territorial transfers, secessions, and unifications. Despite the likelihood of...

Redrawing the Map to Promote Peace, by Jaroslav Tir, primarily focuses on the management of territorial disputes and how they are altered by territorial change. Territorial shifts can sometimes lead to war, which is why Tir explores the contributing factors that lead to these disputes. He states two primary variables associated with the change-dispute relationship: the value of the territory in question and how the territorial changes occur. Tir also discusses three types of territorial change: interstate territorial transfers, secessions, and unifications. Despite the likelihood of...

Israel's Materialist Militarism explains the fluctuations in Israel's military policies during the 1990s-2000s from the Oslo Accords to the al-Aqsa Intifada and the Second Lebanon War. A conceptual framework is offered that relies on materialist militarism, the relations of exchange between the state and social groups, by which the groups exchange their military sacrifice for social rewards, that in turn nutures militarism. The dynamic balancing of the sacrifice/reward equation explains the dynamics of war versus de-escalation.

Israel's Materialist Militarism explains the fluctuations in Israel's military policies during the 1990s-2000s from the Oslo Accords to the al-Aqsa Intifada and the Second Lebanon War. A conceptual framework is offered that relies on materialist militarism, the relations of exchange between the state and social groups, by which the groups exchange their military sacrifice for social rewards, that in turn nutures militarism. The dynamic balancing of the sacrifice/reward equation explains the dynamics of war versus de-escalation.

Multiple Paths to Knowledge in International Relations provides a uniquely valuable view of current approaches and findings in conflict studies. While expanding our knowledge of particular conflicts, from the Crimean War to the Vietnam War to ongoing Palestinian-Israeli instability, the notable contributors also further our understanding of how to conduct research in international relations.