Karen A. Mingst

It is my belief (as that of my professor), that of the IR textbooks out there, this one (and its accompanying reader) tries hard to remain unbiased. It is lensed in the fact that there are "guiding ideologies" to IR, (ie. Liberalism, Realism, Radicalism(s), Constructivism, etc.), and while giving information on facets of the IR landscape, caters to the perspectives of these ideologies. While the textbook field can be seen as a "hive of scum and villainy," this one may just be the best you get.

It is to be noted that this is an accompanying reader to the "Essentials of International Relations" text, to which I assign an identical score and redirect you (the ideal reader of this review) for more substantial information. That given, I found this reader to be very interesting and thought-provoking. The selected texts are indeed from good and important readings, as well as from credible (or purposely dubious) sources. It functions as a strong reader, to accompany an equally strong show more textbook. show less

This is a textbook about international relations which may seem pretty boring. At times it was a little dry. However, it was a great resource because it gives information about many aspects of international relations. It's a great overview for someone who is interested in learning more about the topic. I really enjoyed it even though it was assigned reading for one of my undergrad classes.