Security has long been a central organizing concept of international relations. Until the 1980s, students of the discipline understood its simple essence in terms of arms races and balances of power. However, the issues have changed considerably in the 1990s, and this text aims to help students understand these changes. Many attempts have been made to redefine the concept, leading to a proliferation of terms such as true security, global security, common security and environmental security, but there has been little precision associated with the use of these terms which have often been used...

Written for students who are approaching world politics for the first time, this text covers the historical backdrop to today's political situations, the complex interactions of states and non-state actors, the role of political economy, human security in all its forms, and the ways in which culture, religion and identity influence events.

Given the end of the cold war, economic development of the Asia-Pacific region, the emergence of Neo-Liberal democratisation and the further marginalisation of Africa in the global political economy, this book provides a timely theoretical analysis of current trends in the third world/global politics.