,Understanding Global Politics
Contemporary international affairs are largely shaped by widely differing thematic
issues and actors, such as nation states, international institutions, NGOs and
multinational companies. Obtaining a deeper understanding of these multifaceted
themes and actors is crucial for developing a genuine understanding of contemporary
international affairs. This book provides undergraduate and postgraduate students
of global politics and international relations with the necessary knowledge of the
forces that shape and dominate our global political, economic and social/cultural
environment. The book significantly enhances our understanding of the essentials of
contemporary international affairs.
Understanding Global Politics takes a pragmatic approach to international
relations, with each chapter written by an expert in his or her respective field:
• Part I provides the historical background that has led to the current state of world
affairs. It also provides clear outlines of the major yet often complex theories of
international relations.
• Part II is dedicated to the main actors in global politics. It discusses actors such
as the most important nation states, the UN, EU, international organisations,
NGOs and multinational companies.
• Part III considers important contemporary themes and challenges in global
politics, including non-state centered challenges. Chapters focus on international
terrorism, energy and climate change issues, religious fundamentalism and
demographic changes.
The comprehensive structure of this book makes it particularly viable to students
who wish to pursue careers in international organisations, diplomacy, consultancy,
the think tank world and the media.
Klaus Larres is the Richard M. Krasno Distinguished Professor in History and
International Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, US. He
served as Counselor and Senior Policy Adviser at the German Embassy in Beijing,
China. Previously he was Professor at the University of London, UK, Queen's
University Belfast and the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland and Johns
Hopkins University/SAIS in Washington, DC, US. He held visiting professorships
and senior fellowships at Yale, Tsinghua University in Beijing, the German Institute
of International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin and the Institute for Advanced
Study (IAS) in Princeton, New Jersey. He also held the Henry A. Kissinger Chair at
,the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. He has published widely on post-1945
global affairs, including several books. In particular, his publications focus on the
global Cold War, transatlantic relations in the post-1945 and post-Cold War years
and trilateral relations among the US, China and Europe/Germany. Find his website
at www.klauslarres.org.
Ruth Wittlinger is Professor in the School of Government and International Affairs
at Durham University, UK. She has published extensively on memory and identity
in post-unification Germany and Europe. She is the author of the monograph
German National Identity in the Twenty-First Century: A Different Republic After
All? and her research has been published in a number of journals, including West
European Politics, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, German Politics, German
Politics and Society and Cooperation and Conflict. She has held research fellowships
at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies in Washington, DC,
and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is currently working on a project
which examines the state of the German diaspora in the former Soviet Union,
which involves field research in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia/Western
Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. In 2018, she became Chair of the International
Association for the Study of German Politics.
, Understanding
Global Politics
Actors and Themes in
International Affairs
Edited by Klaus Larres and
Ruth Wittlinger
Contemporary international affairs are largely shaped by widely differing thematic
issues and actors, such as nation states, international institutions, NGOs and
multinational companies. Obtaining a deeper understanding of these multifaceted
themes and actors is crucial for developing a genuine understanding of contemporary
international affairs. This book provides undergraduate and postgraduate students
of global politics and international relations with the necessary knowledge of the
forces that shape and dominate our global political, economic and social/cultural
environment. The book significantly enhances our understanding of the essentials of
contemporary international affairs.
Understanding Global Politics takes a pragmatic approach to international
relations, with each chapter written by an expert in his or her respective field:
• Part I provides the historical background that has led to the current state of world
affairs. It also provides clear outlines of the major yet often complex theories of
international relations.
• Part II is dedicated to the main actors in global politics. It discusses actors such
as the most important nation states, the UN, EU, international organisations,
NGOs and multinational companies.
• Part III considers important contemporary themes and challenges in global
politics, including non-state centered challenges. Chapters focus on international
terrorism, energy and climate change issues, religious fundamentalism and
demographic changes.
The comprehensive structure of this book makes it particularly viable to students
who wish to pursue careers in international organisations, diplomacy, consultancy,
the think tank world and the media.
Klaus Larres is the Richard M. Krasno Distinguished Professor in History and
International Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, US. He
served as Counselor and Senior Policy Adviser at the German Embassy in Beijing,
China. Previously he was Professor at the University of London, UK, Queen's
University Belfast and the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland and Johns
Hopkins University/SAIS in Washington, DC, US. He held visiting professorships
and senior fellowships at Yale, Tsinghua University in Beijing, the German Institute
of International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin and the Institute for Advanced
Study (IAS) in Princeton, New Jersey. He also held the Henry A. Kissinger Chair at
,the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. He has published widely on post-1945
global affairs, including several books. In particular, his publications focus on the
global Cold War, transatlantic relations in the post-1945 and post-Cold War years
and trilateral relations among the US, China and Europe/Germany. Find his website
at www.klauslarres.org.
Ruth Wittlinger is Professor in the School of Government and International Affairs
at Durham University, UK. She has published extensively on memory and identity
in post-unification Germany and Europe. She is the author of the monograph
German National Identity in the Twenty-First Century: A Different Republic After
All? and her research has been published in a number of journals, including West
European Politics, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, German Politics, German
Politics and Society and Cooperation and Conflict. She has held research fellowships
at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies in Washington, DC,
and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is currently working on a project
which examines the state of the German diaspora in the former Soviet Union,
which involves field research in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia/Western
Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. In 2018, she became Chair of the International
Association for the Study of German Politics.
, Understanding
Global Politics
Actors and Themes in
International Affairs
Edited by Klaus Larres and
Ruth Wittlinger
