Customer Reviews

International Organizations: Perspectives on Governance in the Twenty-First Century (2nd Edition)

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this book assumes that you know nothing of international relations and international organizations. thus, in this context it explains things in a very simple straight forward manner. in addition, pease is repetitive in her analysis of realism, liberalism, marxism and feminism. however, i find that her analysis is limited and fails to take a nuanced approach to the aforementioned theories. in short, her analysis is elementary. i really wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, especially in consideration of the price. to me, a book on international organizations should have a brief theory section, but then examine organizations and their problems in greater depth. furthermore, while reading this book, i was struck with the question of whether or not pease actually wrote this book herself, or if her grad students helped her. there appear to be distinct inconsistencies in writing style between chapters. regardless, this book is mediocre, there are plenty of better scholars.

A noble enterprise indeed, in an understudied field. Theoretical perspectives are the end all and be all of international politics, but Pease's book bites off more than it could ever dream of chewing. Critical theory (Marxist and Feminist) is grossly oversimplified, as she not only leaves the reader with a dearth of literary references to actual writers, but moreover gives these marginal perspectives half the page space that she devotes to Realists and liberals/idealists. The organization of the book, though - offering deductive as well as inductive arguments - is intriguing. The case studies make the book worth buying, though the theoretical synopses that precede them, through questionable portrayals, almost negate their practicality. It is a book without rival only because no one else has undertaken the cause. The book is worth buying, although it is a choice of which Faust himself might approve.

Recent world events demonstrate the need to understand that there are multiple world views that differ from US liberal world view. The UN and other international organizations are, simultaneously, tools of the great powers (the US), agents of imperialism and promotors of democracy, development and human rights. They also reflect masculine values and strategies. Pease strikes the right balance between the theory and practice of international organizations, although an Islamist world view would be helpful in understanding how the UN, NATO, WTO and the Arab League are perceived outside of the West. I recommend this text to anyone interested in understanding the governance of world affairs using the world views others.

International organizations by Pease provides a basic overview of how and which organizations change world politics through a variety of theoretical lenses. The four lenses taken are realism, liberalism, Marxism and when applicable feminism. The organizations and issues vary widely and after the United Nations and European Union it breaks down more by a topical formant such as security, environment and so forth. Overall while a basic introduction it does provide a useful starting point for looking at the role international organizations play and critically viewing it through the differ theories provided. If anything more in depth look through the theoretical lenses would be valuable as the information provided on each IO is very good and perfect for an overview like this. For those starting out with international organizations and their role in the world this is a good place to start.

A noble enterprise indeed, in an understudied field. Theoretical perspectives are the end all and be all of international politics, but Pease's book bites off more than it could ever dream of chewing. Critical theory (Marxist and Feminist) is grossly oversimplified, as she not only leaves the reader with a dearth of literary references to actual writers, but moreover gives these marginal perspectives half the page space that she devotes to Realists and liberals/idealists. The organization of the book, though - offering deductive as well as inductive arguments - is intriguing. The case studies make the book worth buying, though the theoretical synopses that precede them, through questionable portrayals, almost negate their practicality. It is a book without rival only because no one else has undertaken the cause. The book is worth buying, although it is a choice of which Faust himself might approve.

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