This textbook presents security studies as a branch of international relations theory, providing readers with the critical conceptual tools to develop their expertise. The author evaluates the claims of rival theories - realism, neorealism, liberal institutionalism, classical economic liberalism, and Marxism - to explain why international actors choose or eschew force and coercive threats in order to elicit favorable outcomes in their interdependent exchanges. Also discussed are behaviorism and constructivism, contesting approaches to validate prevailing security paradigms. The author argues that only an interdisciplinary approach to security, drawing on the insights of each perspective, can meet the rigorous requirements of testable theory and the practical needs of actors in an increasingly globalizing world. The book will provide students and scholars of international relations and security studies with a valuable survey of the subject, and includes essay questions and guides to further reading.

‘This is a valuable resource for scholars as well as a text for students. It is the most comprehensive survey of alternative ways of thinking about international security available. Maintaining theoretical and methodological rigor while integrating security studies into the larger field of international relations is a monumental achievement.’

David A. Baldwin - Columbia University

‘Security and International Relations is a very welcome addition to the literature in both the field of international relations and that of security studies. Clear and forceful prose, balanced analysis, and comprehensive coverage make the volume a superb introduction for both advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Unlike so much of the recent literature in the field which begins with the assumption that the author has found ‘truth’ and proceeds to demonstrate the superiority of ‘this approach’ over all others, Kolodziej’s text guides the reader through the complexities of identifying the problems of concern in determining why and when state actors decide to use force, as well as to the strengths and weaknesses of the myriad theoretical approaches to IR and security studies.’

Roger E. Kanet - Miami University