International Security: An Analytical Survey

Security has been at the heart of international relations studies for half a century, says Sheehan (international relations, Swansea U., Wales), but no consensus has emerged on what exactly it is. He surveys and critiques the various ways of thinking about and implementing security in international relations; and analyzes their similarities, differences, and relative utility. He does not aspire to synthesize them into a single approach, which he says is unlikely because of their widely divergent epistemological and ontological foundations, but to juxtapose the traditional and post-positivist approaches to help scholars and practitioners understand the breadth of its meaning and purpose. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR