International Relations and World Politics introduces the issues in an organized and comprehensible way, examining them in relation to two trends; three broad, organizing themes or concepts; key actors; and three basic images or perspectives that provide structure for the pages that follow:
•     Two trends–increasing globalization and crises of authority–that characterize international relations and world politics
•     Key organizing themes or concepts–in particular, security, economy, and identity that structure the three major sections of the book
•     Key actors–states, international organizations, and transnational organizations and movements (such as nongovernmental organizations, multinational corporations, and terrorist groups)
•     Three basic images or perspectives on world politics–realism, liberalism (or pluralism as it is frequently called), and global economic structuralism (which includes Marxism, world-systems, and dependency theory) supplemented by references to other theoretical and conceptual understandings mentioned below
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Paul R. Viotti and Mark V. Kauppi wrote this book because they believe it is possible and essential to improve a student’s conceptual and theoretical thinking about international relations. If one does not think conceptually, a course in world politics threatens to become little more than current events. Hence, they structured the book in such a way that key concepts, themes, and trends are utilized throughout the discussion of various topics.