Power in the changing global order : the US, Russia and China / Martin A. Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Martin A., 1965-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

International relations.

World politics--1989-.

World politics.

United States--Foreign relations--1993-2001.

United States.

United States--Foreign relations--2001-2009.

Russia (Federation)--Foreign relations.

Russia (Federation).

China--Foreign relations--21st century.

China.

Physical Description:

vi, 230 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge UK ; Malden MA : Polity, 2012.

Summary:

Power has been compared to the weather: people discuss it all the time, but very few really understand it. Power in the Changing Global Older seeks to demystify this complex concept by providing students with an incisive and engaging introduction to the shifting configurations of power in the contemporary global order.

Drawing on the work of leading international relations scholars, philosophers and sociologists, the analysis goes beyond simplistic views of power as material capability, focusing also on its neglected social dimensions. These are developed and explored through a detailed examination of the changing international role, status and capacities of the United States, Russia and China since the end of the Cold War. The book concludes that, far from achieving multipolarity, the contemporary world remains essentially unipolar - America having moved to correct the mistakes of George W. Bush's first term in office, while China and Russia have, in different ways, limited their own abilities to challenge American primacy.

This book will be essential reading for students of international relations and politics, as well as anyone with an interest in the shifting balance of power in the global system. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction : power in the changing global order

Understanding power

Power resources

Hegemony, unipolarity and the US

The multipolar moment? The US and the world in the 1990s

A new era? The George W. Bush administration's 'war on terror'

Return to multilateralism?

Russia as a 'continuing' or 'reviving' great power

The Russian multipolarity debates

China : 'rising power' or 'constrained state'?

China, 'anti-hegemonism' and 'harmony'

Conclusions : the US, Russia and China in a changing world.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Selected further reading": pages 214-219.

ISBN:

9780745634715

0745634710

9780745634722

0745634729

OCLC:

769419845