Understanding International Conflicts (6th Edition) (Longman Classics in Political Science) [Paperback]

Joseph S. Nye (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321393953 | ISBN-13: 978-0321393951 | Publication Date: July 10, 2006 | Edition: 6

Part of the “Longman Classics in Political Science” series, Nye's best-selling text has been completely updated with new discussions about Middle East politics, including the  Israel-Palestine dispute and the Iraq war, terrorism in general and radical Islamic terrorism in particular, the global politics of oil, and much more. Replete with illustrative examples and written in a lively, engaging manner, this is a brief, inexpensive book that students will buy and actually enjoy reading. It deftly balances theory and history to help students develop a well-rounded, informed framework for analyzing the international issues confronting us at the beginning of the 21st Century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Longman; 6 edition (July 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321393953
• ISBN-13: 978-0321393951
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #196,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Rate, Post 9-11 Update, One of Two Core Works, June 10, 2007

By 

Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Understanding International Conflicts (6th Edition) (Longman Classics in Political Science) (Paperback)

First, this is a five-star tutorial on international relations that has been most recently updated after 9-11. If I were to recommend only two books on international relations, for any adult including nominally sophisticated world travelers, this would be the first book; the second would be Shultz, Godson, & Quester's wonderful edited work, Security Studies for the 21st Century.

I really want to stress the utility of this work to adults, including those like myself who earned a couple of graduate degrees in the last century (smile). I was surprised to find no mention of the author's stellar service as Chairman of the National Intelligence Council--not only has he had full access to everything that can be known by secret as well as non-secret means, but he has kept current, and this undergraduate and affordable paperback was a great way for me--despite the 400+ books I've read (most of them reviewed on Amazon.com) in the past four plus years--to come up to speed on the rigorous methodical scholarly understanding of both historical and current theories and practices in international relations. This book is worth anyone's time, no matter how experienced or educated.

Each chapter has a very satisfactory mix of figures, maps, chronologies, and photos--a special value is a block chart showing the causes for major wars or periods of conflict at the three levels of analysis--international system, national, and key individual personalities, and I found these quite original and helpful.

Excellent reference and orientation work. Took five hours to read, with annotation--this is not a mind-glazer, it's a mind-exerciser.

See also my varied lists, but especially (each has a summative review of mine for ease of quick study):
The Fifty-Year Wound: How America's Cold War Victory Has Shaped Our World
The Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence, and the Will of the People
The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (The American Empire Project)
War Is a Racket: The Anti-War Classic by America's Most Decorated General, Two Other Anti=Interventionist Tracts, and Photographs from the Horror of It
Preparing America's Foreign Policy for the 21st Century

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars International Relations Master, June 17, 2008

By 

William J. Romanos "Bill Romanos, III" (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Understanding International Conflicts (6th Edition) (Longman Classics in Political Science) (Paperback)

This book is an excellent introduction to the field of international relations. It describes all the main theoretical approaches used in international relations/politics (realist, complex interdependence, etc.). It provides good historical examples.

I recommend this to anyone interested in reading an excellent overview in the field of international relations (and international conflict).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review for Students, April 25, 2008

By 

Andrew R. Bagley (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Understanding International Conflicts (6th Edition) (Longman Classics in Political Science) (Paperback)

Written and published recently in 2003, Understanding International Conflicts' takes a contemporary focus on international relations, which is particularly critical to a field dealing with security. Joseph Nye's book easily and readily forms a fundamental source for students of international relations as it ties both critical events in history and the evolution of international relations together. Much of the book alternates between explaining complex concepts such as sovereignty or interdependence on a theory level and then historic sections where Nye guides the reader through history while analyzing critical events with the dominant ideology of the time. By putting a theory in context, it is much easier for the reader to comprehend the justifications behind the ideology and also witness potential flaws, which Nye strongly points out, with that theory. Despite Joseph Nye oddly blending theory and history accuracy, his book provides an invaluable introduction to international conflict in historical context.

The most striking difference with this book and other international relations textbooks is how Nye stays chronologically true in the order he analyzes the various major theories of international relations. By leading the reader through the evolution of political thought along with the evolution of mankind you are able to see, if just to a degree, how and why people of that time period did things the way they did. This also includes crossing civilizations and putting perceived cultural norms to rest as when Syria supported Iran rather than Iraq, which doesn't make much sense unless viewed through the balance of power lens. Many of the classical international relations theories are historically tied to certain eras such as realism in the Peloponnesian War, the balance of power in World War I, and essentially need such historic placements to help understand why decisions were made during certain times. Additionally, many of the classical authors such as Kenneth Waltz are called to attention as dominant theorists of the time and so provide potential fortifying readings on top of the already listed additional readings at the end of each chapter. This provides an excellent start for a student who might have to focus on a specific time period or theory without aimlessly searching a library. As with any other evolving entity, Nye is able to significantly draw on earlier examples in the book later on in the book to fortify concepts as leaders and theorists did in the real world. By thus looking at the whole picture, the reader gains a far deeper understanding of international relations as a whole, its various goals, and the empathetic ability to have a meaningful intellectual conversation by knowing exactly where each ideology is originating.

Alternating between an analysis of history and a discussion of theory keeps the pace of the book compellingly quick. It might be that any other theory books are usually incredibly boring or that Joseph Nye engineered his book to sell but when reading this book I rarely got disinterested or witnessed fatigue commonly associated with academia. It is almost that with this book the reader is simultaneously switching between two different classes, history of international relations and theory of international relations. I think this combination greatly increases the length at which the reader can endure sessions of the book without becoming over loaded with historical facts or inundated with deep philosophy. Another benefit of reading this book is a general understanding of the major historical events in world history. While probably over simplifying and not getting particularly deep on a subject, Nye is able to adequately explain events in such a way that you are able to draw from your understanding of them in the future. While maybe a characteristic unique to myself, knowing the general story of world events is paramount to enriching your individual knowledge and aggressive persuasive skills. Explaining the complex alliances, among others, of WWI and the opposing opinions of Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs provides an informative source for students not familiar with such issues.

Having such a lively blend of theory and history brings as many problems as benefits to the reader. When reading a history book, an individual will general accept being lead by the author who has obviously done much more research than the reader could ever hope of doing and the pure non partisan analysis most people practice with reflecting on history. If reading a philosophy book however, a reader expects a much greater degree of opinion and wanted participation on the part of the readers to explore the theory for themselves. This brings about a blurring of the lines separating these two categories and so initially, at least for me, challenge preconceived ideas of how books get across their information. Either as being an introductory book and having to fully explain the development of ideas or the merge of theory and history but the majority of Nye's interpretation of historical events seemed noticeably forceful in guiding the reader in a certain direction. While not being blatantly biased, as I occasionally only felt a modest neo-liberal bias, Joseph Nye certainly adds his own element to how he interprets history. In no instance does he ever out rightly dismiss ideologies and actually takes significant space to explain why he disagrees with certain theories. Nye spends a few pages critiquing Hitler's Third Reich into a much more potent regime and spends nearly half of the third chapter dissecting the balance of power and why WWI had such a high risk of happening anyway.

Overall, Understanding International Conflicts is a very important read to any international relations or security studies student. By chronologically matching the evolution of mankind and the study of international relations together, a reader is more able to comprehend the entire idea of international relations much more, which significantly helps on a fundamental level only.