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Theories of International Politics and Zombies
What would happen to international politics if the dead rose from the grave and started to eat the living? Daniel Drezner's groundbreaking book answers the question that other international relations scholars have been too scared to ask. Addressing timely issues with analytical bite, Drezner looks at how well-known theories from international relations might be applied to a war with zombies. Exploring the plots of popular zombie films, songs, and books, Theories of International Politics and Zombies predicts realistic scenarios for the political stage in the face of a zombie threat and considers how valid—or how rotten—such scenarios might be.
Drezner boldly lurches into the breach and "stress tests" the ways that different approaches to world politics would explain policy responses to the living dead. He examines the most prominent international relations theories—including realism, liberalism, constructivism, neoconservatism, and bureaucratic politics—and decomposes their predictions. He digs into prominent zombie films and novels, such as Night of the Living Dead and World War Z, to see where essential theories hold up and where they would stumble and fall. Drezner argues that by thinking about outside-of-the-box threats we get a cognitive grip on what former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld famously referred to as the "unknown unknowns" in international security.
Correcting the zombie gap in international relations thinking and addressing the genuine but publicly unacknowledged fear of the dead rising from the grave, Theories of International Politics and Zombies presents political tactics and strategies accessible enough for any zombie to digest.
Drezner boldly lurches into the breach and "stress tests" the ways that different approaches to world politics would explain policy responses to the living dead. He examines the most prominent international relations theories—including realism, liberalism, constructivism, neoconservatism, and bureaucratic politics—and decomposes their predictions. He digs into prominent zombie films and novels, such as Night of the Living Dead and World War Z, to see where essential theories hold up and where they would stumble and fall. Drezner argues that by thinking about outside-of-the-box threats we get a cognitive grip on what former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld famously referred to as the "unknown unknowns" in international security.
Correcting the zombie gap in international relations thinking and addressing the genuine but publicly unacknowledged fear of the dead rising from the grave, Theories of International Politics and Zombies presents political tactics and strategies accessible enough for any zombie to digest.
168 pages, Paperback
First published December 21, 2010
194 people are currently reading
2367 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 294 reviews
February 3, 2016
I started this book with high expectations, partly because of its great cover design, but mainly because I was excited by the sense of humor of an author putting together the topics of international politics and zombies. Never have I been so wrong.
Ever since I first heard about the book, I'd been envisioning a tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic or absurdist attitude; instead, the author is almost apologetic about writing such a book, repeatedly explaining why he dared to bring these topics together and what good it can create. On top of that, the whole book (except its cover design) lacks the dead-seriousness that could have made this project a success in my mind. The forced analogies, the cheesy jokes, the cuteification of charts and graphs with brushes and comic fonts, the cartoons, all steal away from the force and the message of the cover.
But maybe most importantly, the book is so short and the bringing-together of international politics and zombies is so superficial that it just doesn't work. I love the zombie canon, and I was eager to learn some things in international politics, but the whole experience for me consisted of waiting for when things would get interesting. In the end, I don't feel like I learned anything, and I sure wasn't entertained by all those grandpa jokes about zombies. I wish the editor had the vision to tell the author "The idea of bringing these two topics is funny enough, and if you do it thoroughly and seriously, it will be highly informative and funny at the same time."
I mean, zombie governments? Come on.
Ever since I first heard about the book, I'd been envisioning a tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic or absurdist attitude; instead, the author is almost apologetic about writing such a book, repeatedly explaining why he dared to bring these topics together and what good it can create. On top of that, the whole book (except its cover design) lacks the dead-seriousness that could have made this project a success in my mind. The forced analogies, the cheesy jokes, the cuteification of charts and graphs with brushes and comic fonts, the cartoons, all steal away from the force and the message of the cover.
But maybe most importantly, the book is so short and the bringing-together of international politics and zombies is so superficial that it just doesn't work. I love the zombie canon, and I was eager to learn some things in international politics, but the whole experience for me consisted of waiting for when things would get interesting. In the end, I don't feel like I learned anything, and I sure wasn't entertained by all those grandpa jokes about zombies. I wish the editor had the vision to tell the author "The idea of bringing these two topics is funny enough, and if you do it thoroughly and seriously, it will be highly informative and funny at the same time."
I mean, zombie governments? Come on.
July 15, 2020
ผู้เขียนใช้ซอมบี้เป็นสถานการณ์ที่อธิบายการรับมือกับภัยคุกคามที่แตกต่างกันไปตามแต่ละสำนักของทฤษฎีความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างประเทศ แอบเสียดายที่สำนักคิดส่วนใหญ่เป็นกระแสหลัก แม้จะมีสำนักสตรีนิยมอยู่บ้างก็ตาม แต่โดยรวมถือว่ามีความแปลกใหม่ ช่วยให้ขบคิดถึงปัญหาที่มีลักษณะข้ามพรมแดนรัฐบาติได้ดีโดยเฉพาะเรื่องโรคระบาดที่กำลังเผชิญอยู่ขณะที่อ่านหนังสือเล่มนี้ ป.ล. สำนวนแปลภาษาไทยยังรู้สึกประดักประเดิด และมีหลายจุดที่แปลคลาดเคลื่อน เช่น แปล "biosafety" เป็น "ความหลากหลายทางชีวภาพ" หรือแปล "Uncanny Valley" เป็น ”หุบเหวลึกของจิตใจ" ซึ่งแนวคิดนี้เล่นกับความรู้สึกแปลกประหลาดซึ่งในบริบทนั้นสื่อถึงความ uncanny ของซอมบี้ที่มีรูปลักษณ์ใกล้เคียง ไม่แน่ใจว่าผู้แปลสับสนระหว่างคำว่า uncanny กับ unconscious ซึ่งเป็นคนละเรื่องกัน และในแง่ภูมิศาสตร์ ภูเขาน้ำแข็ง (iceberg) ที่เป็นสัญญะของ the unconscious ก็ไม่ใช่หุบเหว (valley) อะ
April 15, 2017
I have learned a great deal about Zombies; wish I could say the same about International Politics.
Intention behind reading this book, and the book as well, was to make International Political theories interesting for a casual reader, under the pretext of hypothetical apocalypse involving flesh-eating ghouls. Author demonstrates rigorous scholarship in defining zombies, using movies and social science literature as data source on events akin to an attack of the undead: pandemics, disasters, bio-terrorism, and so forth. Book then proceeds with variegated predictions of different international relation theories at the wake of outbreak, with references and footnotes from Romero's Night of the Living Dead to Zombieland and World War Z , which had me fuming with pride over my reading choice.
Author tries his level best in using contemporary movies like Shawn of the Dead and Resident Evil as reference material. But he easily falls short on the same and ends up finding solace in George Romero flicks, which readers of my age might not easily relate with. As for political theories, zombie contagion is considered with cross-border relations, military tactics, evacuation logistics, refugee policies, homeland security measures and all other jargons that you can include in etceteras. Though the book discusses psychological response quite well, things turned a bit apprehensive with responses from anarchist, realist, liberalist, neo-conservatalist, constructivist povs in domestic and international scene.
Zombie culture has got this infesting nature much like zombies themselves, from Fallout to Call of Duty to Pride and Prejudice, which make it an ideal parable premise to go cold turkey on complex theories. But even with such an ambitious theme, this is just another non-fiction book, trying its level best to look cool.
Intention behind reading this book, and the book as well, was to make International Political theories interesting for a casual reader, under the pretext of hypothetical apocalypse involving flesh-eating ghouls. Author demonstrates rigorous scholarship in defining zombies, using movies and social science literature as data source on events akin to an attack of the undead: pandemics, disasters, bio-terrorism, and so forth. Book then proceeds with variegated predictions of different international relation theories at the wake of outbreak, with references and footnotes from Romero's Night of the Living Dead to Zombieland and World War Z , which had me fuming with pride over my reading choice.
Author tries his level best in using contemporary movies like Shawn of the Dead and Resident Evil as reference material. But he easily falls short on the same and ends up finding solace in George Romero flicks, which readers of my age might not easily relate with. As for political theories, zombie contagion is considered with cross-border relations, military tactics, evacuation logistics, refugee policies, homeland security measures and all other jargons that you can include in etceteras. Though the book discusses psychological response quite well, things turned a bit apprehensive with responses from anarchist, realist, liberalist, neo-conservatalist, constructivist povs in domestic and international scene.
Zombie culture has got this infesting nature much like zombies themselves, from Fallout to Call of Duty to Pride and Prejudice, which make it an ideal parable premise to go cold turkey on complex theories. But even with such an ambitious theme, this is just another non-fiction book, trying its level best to look cool.
March 31, 2012
Take an insightful professor of international politics with a great sense of humor, mix in the entire canon of zombie lit and cinema, and you have the recipe for a delightfully fun and irreverent look at the "what ifs" of a world gone mad with brain eating hordes.
Drezner's preface to the book uses a Graceland tour guide as the analogy to what his treatise hopes to be; and it works. His posits are well researched and plausible - even though he is dealing with a subject matter pure fiction. Yes, he's jumping on the financial bandwagon for everything that is zombie (the hottest horror ticket in town over the past few years), but that doesn't detract from a real think-piece that places the reader in his world of possible outcomes of a world-wide pandemic. This book is worth the invested time (most should be able to finish it in one sit).
Drezner's preface to the book uses a Graceland tour guide as the analogy to what his treatise hopes to be; and it works. His posits are well researched and plausible - even though he is dealing with a subject matter pure fiction. Yes, he's jumping on the financial bandwagon for everything that is zombie (the hottest horror ticket in town over the past few years), but that doesn't detract from a real think-piece that places the reader in his world of possible outcomes of a world-wide pandemic. This book is worth the invested time (most should be able to finish it in one sit).
April 29, 2011
I heard an interview with the author of this book on public radio and it sounded great. Use the idea of a zombie outbreak to explain the different schools of thought in international relations. How would a neo-conservative think the world would respond to this crisis? And how does this same neo-con believe we should respond? What about those from realist or liberal schools of thought? And so forth.
Problem is, I think it made a much more interesting and funnier interview than it did a book. It's not that I hated it but the joke seemed to get old pretty quickly. I think that ultimately, this would have been better if just left as a long article in a magazine rather than trying to stretch it into an entire book.
Problem is, I think it made a much more interesting and funnier interview than it did a book. It's not that I hated it but the joke seemed to get old pretty quickly. I think that ultimately, this would have been better if just left as a long article in a magazine rather than trying to stretch it into an entire book.
November 23, 2011
I'm not entirely proud to say I read this. Still, it was far better than I expected. I honestly checked it out for the International Politics angle rather than the "braaaaains" angle. I took several courses in International Relations while in college and I always had problems keeping the distinctions between the various schools of thought straight. This book explained them in a way that made sense, and was entertaining. Still, Drezner could've gone deeper into explicating the theories without losing his audience. His reliance on external sources as opposed to explicating a clear definition of one zombie threat and analyzing alternate theoretical reactions was a rather weak approach. He would've been better off had he relied less on the fictional 'primary" sources, and instead stuck to even more real world examples. While the puns were occasionally groan-inducing, they were definitely amusing. I'd recommend it to either a student of International Politics, or a fan of zombie literature, but I can't really say a casual reader would become a fan of either just by reading Theories of Intl. Politics and Zombies.
September 28, 2025
I learned a lot more about Zombie cannon than I did about International Politics.
This book is probably a good idea, but poor execution. I honestly kept waiting for the author to get past arguing why he was going to do it, and just do it.
He spent so much time showing off his deep lore in Zombie literature and film, that he seems to have totally forgotten that he was actually talking about international relations.
The few times he does, he is making jokes about the various players, and left me wishing that this was an article not a book that I overpaid for.
This book is probably a good idea, but poor execution. I honestly kept waiting for the author to get past arguing why he was going to do it, and just do it.
He spent so much time showing off his deep lore in Zombie literature and film, that he seems to have totally forgotten that he was actually talking about international relations.
The few times he does, he is making jokes about the various players, and left me wishing that this was an article not a book that I overpaid for.
Read
February 7, 2020This was good and even funny, but I don't think Marks would like to protect zombie's rights as the true members of proletariat)))))))))))
This is just a very simple way to introduce the famous international relations theories and how they would act in a certain situation.
This is just a very simple way to introduce the famous international relations theories and how they would act in a certain situation.
October 12, 2019
i recognize this as a good book in the genre of political theory, but political theory? not for this gay. hard pass
September 2, 2023
in this book, drezner explains how the different schools of political thought would react to a zombie uprising.
whilst this is an incredibly clever way of simplifying otherwise complex fundamental theories in international politics, i must admit the author focused a bit too much on the zombie aspect for my liking. he has barely scratched the surface of the actual political aspect when he moves on to reference yet another zombie movie. granted, this book was meant to be a mere introduction, but i feel like an extra page per theory and their policy making would have really driven it home. to put it bluntly: more political theories, less zombies.
my favourite part of drezner’s book was his apology to kenneth waltz at the end of the acknowledgements.
i would recommend this to anyone interested in learning the absolute basics about international relations in an entertaining way, given that they are completely new to this subject.
whilst this is an incredibly clever way of simplifying otherwise complex fundamental theories in international politics, i must admit the author focused a bit too much on the zombie aspect for my liking. he has barely scratched the surface of the actual political aspect when he moves on to reference yet another zombie movie. granted, this book was meant to be a mere introduction, but i feel like an extra page per theory and their policy making would have really driven it home. to put it bluntly: more political theories, less zombies.
my favourite part of drezner’s book was his apology to kenneth waltz at the end of the acknowledgements.
i would recommend this to anyone interested in learning the absolute basics about international relations in an entertaining way, given that they are completely new to this subject.
March 19, 2023
This is the first book this year I DNF’d. I was only around 17 pages in when I stumbled across a line in the foot notes that said “to be blunt, this project is explicitly pro-human, whereas Marxists and feminists would likely sympathize more with the zombies. To Marxists, the undead symbolize the oppressed proletariat. Unless the zombies were all undead white males, feminists would likely welcome the post human smashing of existing patriarchal structures”. It seems to me that only reactionaries would be happy reading this.
December 30, 2016
Uma leitura bem curta e rápida sobre como seria tratada politicamente uma epidemia zumbi. Estava esperando uma análise do cenário político atual usando esse pretexto, mas não foi bem o caso. Acaba sendo mais um livro sobre como o mundo se comportaria com uma epidemia zumbi, algo que já foi bem explorado e escrito de maneira bem mais interessante no World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War.
August 28, 2018
A cool introduction to international relations theory through the popular example of zombies and an apocalypse :).
April 29, 2021
3.5 stars. If you are looking for a fun, quick read I would definitely recommend this, I just wasn’t blown away.
January 1, 2024
Read for school. It was fine lol.
February 12, 2024
Brain.exe loading...
April 27, 2021
”Daniel W. Drezner, Theories of International Politics and Zombies, Princeton University Press, f. l., 2011, 154 p.
Cum ar reacționa statele dacă mâine planeta ar fi invadată de o armată de zombies, animată de intenții malefice? Daca se potrivește acest termen, mă rog. Dincolo de semantica morților-vii, se pun probleme fundamentale: ar lua sfârșit civilizația sau umanitatea poate găsi resursele necesare pentru supraviețuire? Ne poate ajuta disciplina relațiilor internaționale să identificăm problema și să găsim unele soluții, înainte de a ajunge cu toții pe post de mic dejun?
Mi s-a părut una dintre cele mai interesante cărți de științe politice citite în ultimii ani, ceea ce spune multe despre inventivitatea și imaginația literaturii de specialitate. Am rămas cu o impresie de film noir, de un gri-cenușiu, pe care greu îmi pot da seama cum sa îi datez originea. Sunt oare teoriile noastre atât de limitate intelectual încât dincolo de o mare harababură, nu pot să prezică altceva decât tradiționalul ne vom descurca cumva sau așa este lumea în care trăim?
Cum una dintre poreclele din liceu era ”Zombie”, trebuie să recunosc nu numai un interes abstract ci și un fel de simpatie comprehensivă față de această carte, integrându-mă, în consecință la intersecția dintre epistemologiile pozitiviste și cele ale interpretării. Trecând și peste acest moment narcisist, trebuie să admit că Daniel Drezner oferă una dintre cele mai amuzante și ironice explicații ale teoriilor relațiilor internaționale, din perspectiva unei teme des întâlnite în cultura populară. Armate de monștri mâncători de creier, fără îndoială amenințări asimetrice și construcții sociale[1], zombies pot reprezenta o nouă provocare, conducând, printre altele, la o nouă rundă de extindere a conceptului securității.
Se pare că stilul cărții influențează pe cel al recenziei, probabil unul dintre cele mai mari complimente ce se pot adresa în această epocă a intertextualității. Reluăm, lucrarea este structurată conform celor mai ridicate standarde academice internaționale. Întâlnim pașii din orice ghid de redactare: argumentarea temei, definirea conceptelor, trecerea în revistă a literaturii de specialitate, mă rog, a filmelor. Urmează o discuție a principalelor curente teoretice, grupate potrivit nivelurilor de analiză și canonului perspectivelor conceptuale din orice manual respectabil.
Teza lucrării (cum să lipsească așa ceva?) nu-i foarte complicată, dar se sincronizează cu demersurile contemporane. Deși reprezintă ”amenințarea perfectă a secolului XXI”, adică este ”prost înțeleasă”, ”proteică” și desigur ”o provocare foarte gravă”, totuși nu se va prăbuși cerul[2]. Teoria relațiilor internaționale ne sugerează că, în cele din urmă, comunitatea internațională (a oamenilor) va reuși să facă față acestei probleme. Reacțiile vor fi slab coordonate, uneori ineficiente și supuse controverselor[3].
Autorul trece în revistă principalele conceptualizări din domeniu: realism, liberalism, constructivism, politica internă și cea birocratică, puțină psihologie. Nu am înțeles prea bine ce-i cu neoconservatorismul aici, dar Drezner este american și poate are sens. Aș vrea să spun că el se folosește de tema zombies pentru a deconstrui canonul opresiv al teoriei relațiilor internaționale, dar aș fi prea serios și nu sunt convins dacă Derrida avea simțul umorului. Problema merită aprofundată. Avem pur și simplu o lectură umoristă a relațiilor internaționale și o dovadă că mare este grădina științelor politice.
Iar verdictul nu se lasă așteptat: ”instituțiile internaționale vor fi probabil efemere sau ineficiente. Combaterea decisivă a … amenințării ar fi improbabilă. Morții-vii se vor alătura lungii liste de probleme ce vor afecta disproporțional țările sărace”[4]. Imperfecțiunile acestei lumi se văd în rezultate, nici catastrofale, nici triumfale și iar Hollywood-ul ne-ar dezamăgi. Nu am rezistat tentației de a ilustra această recenzie cu imaginea mortului-viu pe care îl joc în World of Warcraft și trebuie să mărturisesc recunoștința față de prietenii mei ce cumpără cărți atipice.
[1] Daniel W. Drezner, Theories of International Politics and Zombies, Princeton University Press, f. l., 2011, pp. 1, 15.
[2] Ibidem, p. 18.
[3] Ibidem, pp. 88-95, 96
[4] Ibidem, p. 110.”
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Cum ar reacționa statele dacă mâine planeta ar fi invadată de o armată de zombies, animată de intenții malefice? Daca se potrivește acest termen, mă rog. Dincolo de semantica morților-vii, se pun probleme fundamentale: ar lua sfârșit civilizația sau umanitatea poate găsi resursele necesare pentru supraviețuire? Ne poate ajuta disciplina relațiilor internaționale să identificăm problema și să găsim unele soluții, înainte de a ajunge cu toții pe post de mic dejun?
Mi s-a părut una dintre cele mai interesante cărți de științe politice citite în ultimii ani, ceea ce spune multe despre inventivitatea și imaginația literaturii de specialitate. Am rămas cu o impresie de film noir, de un gri-cenușiu, pe care greu îmi pot da seama cum sa îi datez originea. Sunt oare teoriile noastre atât de limitate intelectual încât dincolo de o mare harababură, nu pot să prezică altceva decât tradiționalul ne vom descurca cumva sau așa este lumea în care trăim?
Cum una dintre poreclele din liceu era ”Zombie”, trebuie să recunosc nu numai un interes abstract ci și un fel de simpatie comprehensivă față de această carte, integrându-mă, în consecință la intersecția dintre epistemologiile pozitiviste și cele ale interpretării. Trecând și peste acest moment narcisist, trebuie să admit că Daniel Drezner oferă una dintre cele mai amuzante și ironice explicații ale teoriilor relațiilor internaționale, din perspectiva unei teme des întâlnite în cultura populară. Armate de monștri mâncători de creier, fără îndoială amenințări asimetrice și construcții sociale[1], zombies pot reprezenta o nouă provocare, conducând, printre altele, la o nouă rundă de extindere a conceptului securității.
Se pare că stilul cărții influențează pe cel al recenziei, probabil unul dintre cele mai mari complimente ce se pot adresa în această epocă a intertextualității. Reluăm, lucrarea este structurată conform celor mai ridicate standarde academice internaționale. Întâlnim pașii din orice ghid de redactare: argumentarea temei, definirea conceptelor, trecerea în revistă a literaturii de specialitate, mă rog, a filmelor. Urmează o discuție a principalelor curente teoretice, grupate potrivit nivelurilor de analiză și canonului perspectivelor conceptuale din orice manual respectabil.
Teza lucrării (cum să lipsească așa ceva?) nu-i foarte complicată, dar se sincronizează cu demersurile contemporane. Deși reprezintă ”amenințarea perfectă a secolului XXI”, adică este ”prost înțeleasă”, ”proteică” și desigur ”o provocare foarte gravă”, totuși nu se va prăbuși cerul[2]. Teoria relațiilor internaționale ne sugerează că, în cele din urmă, comunitatea internațională (a oamenilor) va reuși să facă față acestei probleme. Reacțiile vor fi slab coordonate, uneori ineficiente și supuse controverselor[3].
Autorul trece în revistă principalele conceptualizări din domeniu: realism, liberalism, constructivism, politica internă și cea birocratică, puțină psihologie. Nu am înțeles prea bine ce-i cu neoconservatorismul aici, dar Drezner este american și poate are sens. Aș vrea să spun că el se folosește de tema zombies pentru a deconstrui canonul opresiv al teoriei relațiilor internaționale, dar aș fi prea serios și nu sunt convins dacă Derrida avea simțul umorului. Problema merită aprofundată. Avem pur și simplu o lectură umoristă a relațiilor internaționale și o dovadă că mare este grădina științelor politice.
Iar verdictul nu se lasă așteptat: ”instituțiile internaționale vor fi probabil efemere sau ineficiente. Combaterea decisivă a … amenințării ar fi improbabilă. Morții-vii se vor alătura lungii liste de probleme ce vor afecta disproporțional țările sărace”[4]. Imperfecțiunile acestei lumi se văd în rezultate, nici catastrofale, nici triumfale și iar Hollywood-ul ne-ar dezamăgi. Nu am rezistat tentației de a ilustra această recenzie cu imaginea mortului-viu pe care îl joc în World of Warcraft și trebuie să mărturisesc recunoștința față de prietenii mei ce cumpără cărți atipice.
[1] Daniel W. Drezner, Theories of International Politics and Zombies, Princeton University Press, f. l., 2011, pp. 1, 15.
[2] Ibidem, p. 18.
[3] Ibidem, pp. 88-95, 96
[4] Ibidem, p. 110.”
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November 8, 2023
This will be a fun read for any IR enthusiast - especially looking from today's post-Covid perspective
Read
September 20, 2021Helpful for intro to international relations and politics.
April 9, 2023
This book scratched an itch I didn’t even know I had and it was such an enjoyable experience.
I’m still so pleasantly surprised that the realm of literature allows me to merge interests that I would never DREAM to join together.
For any hardcore zombie fan like me, this book is an excellent deep dive into some of the more serious questions you might have asked yourself around the unraveling of a zombie apocalypse. It’s fun and entertaining, but it’s still a very serious and solid piece of investigation grappling with the question of how states would respond to a very real zombie apocalypse. As a Z fiend, it’s good to see these questions talked about seriously 🤓
Now, as an international relations enthusiast, I also found this book to be an excellent introduction and/or refresher on the main strands of international politics theory. In a way, I think it would be an excellent book to pick up for anyone looking to learn more about international relations that doesn’t have pre existing knowledge in the field, as it is accessible and fun but also informative!
I’m so glad that this book exists, and I had a blast reading it.
I’m still so pleasantly surprised that the realm of literature allows me to merge interests that I would never DREAM to join together.
For any hardcore zombie fan like me, this book is an excellent deep dive into some of the more serious questions you might have asked yourself around the unraveling of a zombie apocalypse. It’s fun and entertaining, but it’s still a very serious and solid piece of investigation grappling with the question of how states would respond to a very real zombie apocalypse. As a Z fiend, it’s good to see these questions talked about seriously 🤓
Now, as an international relations enthusiast, I also found this book to be an excellent introduction and/or refresher on the main strands of international politics theory. In a way, I think it would be an excellent book to pick up for anyone looking to learn more about international relations that doesn’t have pre existing knowledge in the field, as it is accessible and fun but also informative!
I’m so glad that this book exists, and I had a blast reading it.
March 13, 2021
Dit boek was echt niet wat ik verwacht had van een boek over internationale relaties. Initieel leek het mij super tof, aangezien ik 3 jaar geleden afgestudeerd ben in de internationale relaties. Echter, daar was dus weinig van terug te vinden in het boek. Het was eerder een speculatief boek over zombies, waarbij het 'internationale relatie - aspect' eerder saai was. Uiteraard doen zombies niet aan bureaucratie of feminisme, saaie conclusie om te maken.
Ik heb wel veel bijgeleerd over zombies en een aantal goede zombie-films gekeken op aanraden van het boek! Ik zou het dus eerder benaderen als een zombie boek in plaats van een boek over internationale betrekkingen.
Ik heb wel veel bijgeleerd over zombies en een aantal goede zombie-films gekeken op aanraden van het boek! Ik zou het dus eerder benaderen als een zombie boek in plaats van een boek over internationale betrekkingen.
April 16, 2022
If i wrote my version of this book
You'd be terrified at what I would say
and what i might even justify
The zombies would be the least disturbing aspect of the book
other than having no sense of humor whatsoever!
It would probably be like something like:
The Outer Limits
meets
The Invaders
meets
Kolchak the Night Stalker
meets
The X-Files
and Kissinger would look like Bernie Sanders!
oh and i hate cutesy books
and dumbed down stuff
None of this carebear creampuffery
I got my finger on the button
and the disintegration chambers are fully charged
there will be a fifty saucer flyby within ten minutes
You'd be terrified at what I would say
and what i might even justify
The zombies would be the least disturbing aspect of the book
other than having no sense of humor whatsoever!
It would probably be like something like:
The Outer Limits
meets
The Invaders
meets
Kolchak the Night Stalker
meets
The X-Files
and Kissinger would look like Bernie Sanders!
oh and i hate cutesy books
and dumbed down stuff
None of this carebear creampuffery
I got my finger on the button
and the disintegration chambers are fully charged
there will be a fifty saucer flyby within ten minutes
August 7, 2021
Fun book which summaries international relation theories in an entertaining way. However, as good as it was using the theories on a hypothetical zombie apocalypse case it does not necessarily provide the best explanation of the actual theories.
Therefore, I recommend this book to anyone who already understands at least to some degree IR theories as it is entertaining and a good refresher. But if you are looking to learn more about IR theories then you should pick up a book such as "The globalization of world politics an introduction to international relations" or something similar.
Therefore, I recommend this book to anyone who already understands at least to some degree IR theories as it is entertaining and a good refresher. But if you are looking to learn more about IR theories then you should pick up a book such as "The globalization of world politics an introduction to international relations" or something similar.
May 11, 2025
“Indeed, one concern would be that the initial neoconservative response to a zombie outbreak would be to invade Iraq again out of force of habit.”
I wanted to dip my toe back into some political science reading and this was the perfect, tongue in cheek book to do that. I laughed out loud more than a few times. It’s also fun to read theory written in 2011, making this book a refreshing break from the nightmare of current politics and a peek into the nightmare of 2011 international politics.
I wanted to dip my toe back into some political science reading and this was the perfect, tongue in cheek book to do that. I laughed out loud more than a few times. It’s also fun to read theory written in 2011, making this book a refreshing break from the nightmare of current politics and a peek into the nightmare of 2011 international politics.
August 7, 2025
This book was really helpful to learn about international relations theory. I wasn’t interested in the zombie stuff but it was still easy to focus on the concepts that can be broadly applied to international relations. I loved the point that narratives about epidemics can be scary but can also remind people that humans have a capacity to adapt to new threats and overcome them. This point is vital to remembering in the midst of any epidemic whether that be living, dead, or undead.
April 23, 2018
Drezner presents good questions. Why, indeed, does every Hollywood zombie outbreak cause an instant apocalypse? Wouldn't it be more likely that zombie infections would move more slowly like a regular plague, that people would be skeptical at first, that they would cooperate with each other to survive, and that governments would react like the human organizations that they are? Much to chew on.
January 17, 2020
I enjoyed this very much. The author did a good job. He made today’s politics understandable. Maybe if my government teachers had referenced politics in this manner I would have passed the class....
December 3, 2021
At times this made me laugh out loud and at other times I'd roll my eyes (I get it's satirical but his hot takes on feminism are patronizing at best), but overall this is a great book for explaining the different current international political schools of thought. I really enjoyed this quick read.
August 3, 2021
Short but all the information is concise and presented in a fairly entertaining way. Idk why though calling zombies "ghouls" kind of threw me every time it came up.
December 18, 2023
A fun, introductory-level book into the major theories in international politics — realism, liberalism, neocons, and constructivism. Its analogy of using zombies expose how these different theories will respond in such an extreme situation. A gd one of u wanna start learning IR.
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