World Politics: The Menu for Choice

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I have used this book in the World Politics class that I have been teaching at the local community college. In many ways, it seems more in line with an advanced undergraduate or even graduate level introductory text on various conceptual issues and frameworks possible for the analysis of international relations. The idea of the `menu' of choices is introduced early, and this menu draws upon the different levels of analysis available from schemes such as that by James Rosenau (which identifies six levels: individual decisionmakers, decisionmaker roles, government structures, society, relations between state and international actors, and world system). These are options within the menu, but then there are elements of opportunity and willingness that are coupled with other elements for a more complex analysis. From this beginning, different paradigms are given, including realist (realpolitick), idealist/liberal (idealpolitick), and radical (Marxist and other) paradigms. The same events, actors and issues can be explored in each of these paradigms, yielding different results. There are a few other paradigms referenced, but these are not generally used through the text. The overall structure of the book then goes to looking at world politics and international relations both from a world systems view to comparative and foreign policy standpoints. Following this is a section on international conflict and cooperation, including international law and issues of war and peace. Next is a section on international political economy, which looks at issues of defense, resources, developmental gaps, integration and globalization issues. The final section address future possibilities in three modes, as well as pressing problems facing the world on a major scale at present. The authors use game theory quite extensively throughout the text (which was sometimes confusing for my first-year and second-year undergraduate students - this is where the idea that this should be a graduate student text arises for me). As the authors state, this book uses game theory `more, indeed, than most other books of this sort. Rational choice analysis is an increasingly common approach to the study of world politics.' Game theory is an effective way of doing this, but presupposes a certain level of comfort with the concepts (often mathematically or logically based) that some of my students did not have. I do appreciate the extra resources available for students via their website. There is also a good number of maps, charts, graphs and other pieces beyond the simple narrative text that are helpful to students. However, this book does presume some level of familiarity with the international system, governments in general, and some degree of history that many beginning undergraduates do not possess. I would gladly use this text again for an advanced undergraduate text, possibly for a course that follows a comparative politics course.

This particular book happens to be a very good textbook, but in tradtional textbook fashion, i'm not keeping myself up at night reading it for fun til the wee hours of the mornin. If your school requires you to have this book, then you will get it. If not, you won't. It is really that simple. My opinion of it is irrelevant. That said, It is a tolerable book on a moderately interesting subject, so if you are forced to read it, then don't despare.