Vincent Pouliot is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University, Montréal. His PhD, on which this book is based, was awarded the 2009 Vincent Lemieux Prize by the Canadian Political Science Association.

'Every decade, an International Relations book comes along that leaves a profound and lasting mark on the discipline. International Security in Practice suggests a paradigmatic new 'logic of practicality', a methodological approach for empirically studying practices, and an innovative theory of practice of security communities. It also shows lucidly and effectively why NATO and Russia failed to constitute a security community after the Cold War, what was NATO's role in such failure, and what can still be practically done to 'seduce' Russia back into the communitarian mode of pursuing security. This brilliant book pushes the boundaries of IR theory forward - read it!' Emanuel Adler, Andrea and Charles Bronfman Chair of Israeli Studies, University of Toronto

• 1. Introduction; Part I. Restoring the Practical Logic of Peace: 2. The logic of practicality: a theory of practice of security communities; 3. A 'sobjective' methodology for the study of practicality; Part II. The Symbolic Power Politics of NATO-Russia Diplomacy: 4. The logic of practicality at the NATO-Russia council; 5. The early steps: NATO, Russia and the double enlargement, 1992–7; 6. The fallout: NATO and Russia from Kosovo to Georgia, 1998–2008; 7. Conclusion.