Critical Approaches to International Security (ePub)

During the Cold War the concept of international security was
understood in military terms as the threat or use of force by
states. The end of EastDWest hostilities, however, brought
'critical' perspectives to the fore as scholars sought
to explain the emergence of new challenges to international
stability, such as environmental degradation, immigration and
terrorism.



The second edition of this popular and highly respected text offers
a wide-ranging and comprehensive analysis of the growing field of
critical security studies. All the chapters have been fully
revised and updated to map the on-going evolution of debates about
international security since 1989, including the more recent shift
in emphasis from critiques of the realist practices of states to
those of global liberal governance. Topics covered include
the relationship between security and change, identity, the
production of danger, fear and trauma, human insecurity and
emancipation. The book explores the meaning and use of these
concepts and their relevance to real-life situations ranging from
the War on Terror to the Arab Spring, migration, suffering in war,
failed states and state-building, and the changing landscape of the
international system, with the emergence of a multipolar world and
the escalation of global climate change.



Written with verve and clarity and incorporating new seminar
activities and questions for class discussion, this book will be an
invaluable resource for students of international relations and
security studies.