International Security: Politics, Policy, Prospects

by Michael E. Smith

From war, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, through environmental and economic crises, to epidemics, cyber-war and piracy, the twenty-first century world seems beset by a daunting range of international security problems. At the same time, the academic study of security has become more fragmented and contested than ever before as new actors, issues and theories increasingly challenge traditional concepts and approaches. This innovative new text focuses on the politics of international how and why issues are interpreted as threats to international security and how such threats are managed. After a brief introduction to the field and its major theories and approaches, the core chapters systematically analyze the major issues on the contemporary international security agenda. Each is examined according to a common framework that brings out the nature of the threat and the responses open to policy makers.

Genres: Politics, International Relations

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2010

About the author

See also:

Michael E. Smith, specialist on Aztec cultures
Michael E. Smith (Derbyshire)

Professor Michael E. Smith joined the University of Aberdeen in 2010; prior to that he was a Reader in International Relations at the University of St Andrews and an Associate Professor of Political Science at Georgia State University in Atlanta. A native of western Pennsylvania in the US, he holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of California (Irvine) as well as an MA in International Affairs from The George Washington University. He has been a Fulbright scholar to the European Union in Brussels, a Council for European Studies fellow, a visiting research fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, and a University of California Institute for Global Conflict and Cooperation/MacArthur Foundation fellow. He was the founder and first co-chair of the “EU as a Global Actor” interest section of the European Union Studies Association (2003-07), and he is on the editorial boards of the Journal of European Public Policy and European Security.

Research Interests

International security; international cooperation/organization/institutions; regional integration/governance; Europe/European Union; the international politics of science/technology.