International Relations Theories

Professor Peter Lawler retired in 2019 as Professor of international politics, at the University of Manchester, England. He has taught international politics for nearly 40 years, primarily in Australia and the UK but also on graduate and undergraduate programmes in Spain, Russia, Austria, India, Switzerland and Belgium. In the last few years of his career, Peter took a leading role in the design and development of interdisciplinary degree curricula at Manchester in cooperation with a range of British and European universities. Peter's early research was in peace research, centring on a critical theoretical analysis of the work of Johan Galtung, the founder of modern peace research. His subsequent research focussed primarily on the theoretical and practical relationship between ethics and the foreign policies of Western states, principally through exploration of the idea of "the Good State". This has led to a range of book chapters in edited collections and articles in journals.

This masterful textbook sets a new benchmark for introductions to International Relations theory. Lawler combines a comprehensive and insightful engagement with a broad spectrum of theories with a strong pedagogical sensibility. He works out from students lived experiences to introduce not only the importance of theory but also the nuances of particular theories, paying close attention to the historical contexts in which they emerged. In doing so, Lawler has crafted a work that will build student understanding and prompt established scholars to think afresh about the theories they teach, employ, and debate. It is an introduction without peers.

• 1: Introduction 2: The Liberal 'Idealist' Origins of the International Relations Discipline 3: Classical Realism and Neorealism 4: The English School of International Relations 5: Marxism and International Relations 6: Critical International Theory 7: Poststructuralism and International Relations 8: Constructivism and International Relations 9: Postcolonialism and International Relations 10: Feminisms, Gender, and International Relations 11: Green Perspectives and International Relations 12: Conclusion