In an introductory section, the authors first address a number of fundamental aspects, including issues of theory and theory building, theory classification, and theory history. They then divide key theoretical approaches into four schools of thought and present them concisely: the realist school, the liberal-institutionalist school, the behaviorist school, and the alternative-oppositionist school. The theoretical approaches discussed are classified according to their view of a fundamental phenomenon of the world of states: anarchy in the sense of a lack of regulatory authority for inter-state relations and its consequences for the nature of international politics.
The 4th edition has been expanded to include the latest research findings and developments in the field of international relations.
- Overview of four schools of theory
- Theory and theory building, theory classification, and history of theory
- Extensive bibliography of classic and further literature