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This course is intended to introduce students to the contemporary issues in the study of international relations that defines the future trends of world politics in 21st century. It may also cover relevant topics of international relations not covered by other courses in this stream. In addition, it provides an opportunity for teachers to introduce their own expertise and more recent research findings to students thus broadening their academic and intellectual horizon. Students are expected to do intensive pre-readings, presentations, in-class debate and discussions, and ultimately conduct their own research on specific topics.
In this book, Zakaria argues that the rest of the world has risen in the fields of economy, industry, and culture, etc., by virtue of the actions that the United States spread liberal democracy across the world. He tries to explain this new world, examine factors to that led to current power balance, and describe its challenges and opportunities. Case studies focus on China and India. Zakaria also make comparisons in the historical context to examine American use of power. In the end, he strives to find ways to maintain the economic vitality and global influence of the United States.
This book shows how the global resurgence of religion confronts International Relations theory with a theoretical challenge comparable to that raised by the end of the Cold War or the emergence of globalization. Part One focuses on the implications for International Relations as a discipline in engaging seriously with religion and articulates what we call a “disciplinary” argument. Part Two tries to shed light on the complex relationship between religion, war, and security. Part Three proposes that theoretical and political debates concerning the possibility of a new global ethos cannot be adequate if they lack a thick engagement with worldwide religious traditions.
This book argues that the gold standard fundamentally constrained economic policies, and that it was largely responsible for creating the unstable economic environment on which they acted. Beginning with the prewar gold standard, the book then reviews the transformation of the international economic and political environment by the war. The book covers German hyperinflation, contrasts inflationary chaos elsewhere in Europe with the experience of countries that repelled the inflationary threat, and considers the operation of the reconstructed gold standard system. The book also traces the consequences of the disintegration of the gold standard system, and concludes with implications of persistence for the postwar international economic order.
