The perfect book to get you started, or get caught back up, with International Relations. As a ‘Day 0’ beginner’s guide, this textbook condenses the most important information into the smallest space and present concepts in an accessible way. The chapters build up the foundations for understanding how the world works and then explore the key global issues that concern the discipline – taking readers from no knowledge to competency. The journey starts by examining how the international system was formed and ends by reflecting that International Relations is always adapting to events and is therefore a never-ending journey of discovery. The book is designed to capture attention with an engaging narrative that places the reader inside crucial issues and debates so they can understand how things work, and where they fit in the world around them. This book remains available, but has been replaced by a new version (2022), see below.

Edited by: Stephen McGlinchey

This book is designed as a foundational entry point to International Relations theory. Each chapter sets out the basics of a theory whilst also applying it to a real-world event or issue, creating a lively, readable and relevant guide that will help students to see not only what theories are – but why they matter. The first section of the book covers the theories that are most commonly taught in undergraduate programmes, from realism right through to postcolonialism. The book then expands in an innovative second section to present emerging approaches and offer wider perspectives.

Edited by: Stephen McGlinchey, Rosie Walters and Christian Scheinpflug.

This book is aimed at those with an interest in cultivating a clearer understanding of global politics. It will hopefully bring together those who are interested in the changing dynamics of the international system with those who seek to comprehend the often-bewildering pace of change in the world around them. Above all, it is aimed at those who recognise that in global politics the last page is never truly written. We therefore need a theoretical and conceptual framework in order to ground us in stormy waters. It is only through a better awareness that we can hope to offer any lasting improvement to the world we inhabit. The book is based on a popular A-Level Politics course, taken by students typically aged 16–18 in the UK’s national curriculum system and presents both as a guide to an A-Level student and/or a starting point for any reader looking to get to grips with the fundamentals of how the world works – including as preparation for embarking on an International Relations degree at university.