International Relations

A Very Short Introduction

By: Christian Reus-Smit

Narrated by: Johnathan Rufus Welsh

International relations affects everyone's lives: their security, economic well-being, rights and freedoms, and the environment they share. Recently we have seen the transformation from a world of empires to today's world of sovereign states, which are enmeshed in a complex array of international institutions, all exercising degrees of political authority. The new global organization of political authority has far-reaching consequences.

This Very Short Introduction audiobook untangles this complex world, providing an accessible framework for understanding the contours of global political change. Christian Reus-Smit treats theory as an indispensable tool for grasping international relations but demystifies theorizing, introducing it as an everyday human practice. He surveys a range of theories, from realism to feminism: reading them as contrasting perspectives on the global organization of political authority. Historically, such organization has been shaped by diverse social forces, four of which are discussed in detail: shifting patterns of warfare, changing economic conditions, struggles for rights, and the politics of culture. Reus-Smit concludes with a reflection on the future of international relations in an era of profound global change.

©2020 Christian Reus-Smit (P)2021 Tantor

I love Christian Reus Smith

Christian Reus Smith always has a very key way of expressing the academic side of IR.

Not short nor intro

Too esoteric and dry for beginners. Little detailed stories. Too much abstract talks. Audience shouldn’t be for intro

Essential introduction

This book covers very directly pertinent information for all starting their journey to reading IR.
Well laid out. Broad approach touching on the most recent debates and theories.
I recommend to all IR students.

À great International Relations Resource book

I like the presentation. This book is not only a deep teaching on the origins of various theories of International Relations, it gives accurate and appropriate exemples. The language is not only simple but always accurate. The various topics are comprehensive.Every diplomat should read or listen to this book in audio form.It’s so interesting that I have listened to it three times and shall continue to hear the professorial author and take notes.
The examples given are world-wide and the author gives copious examples from the United Nations and other international organizations.
We need the kindle format of it, urgently for ease of hard copy quotations.

Short on IR, long on writer's opinion

The leitmotif of this work seems to be that European, right-wing, Christianity elemets are at the root of most that is wrong with International relations. So instead of a defining the conceptual framework of IR, it seeks to impose a normative one that makes this a polemic and not a introductary text.