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In the wake of the post-Cold War era, the aftermath of 9/11, the 2008 global financial crisis, and the emergence of the G20, few commentators expected a reshaping of the global system towards multipolarity, and away from the United States. And yet, the BRICS—encompassing Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—has emerged as a challenge to the international status quo. But what is its capacity as a transformative force? The BRICS: A Very Short Introduction explores the emergence of the BRICS as a concept. It provides a contemporary analysis of the BRICS’ practice and influence as a forum and a lobby group in advancing a distinctive, but amorphous agenda among global politics.Less

Diplomacy: A Very Short Introduction introduces diplomacy from a historical perspective, providing examples from significant historical phases and episodes to illustrate the art of diplomacy in action. Like making war, diplomacy has been around a very long time, at least since the Bronze Age. It was primitive with few rules, but it was a recognizable form of diplomacy. Diplomacy has evolved greatly, coming to mean different things, to different persons, at different times, ranging from the elegant to the inelegant. Whatever one's definition, few could doubt that the course and consequences of the major events of modern international diplomacy have shaped and changed the global world in which we live.Less

International Relations: A Very Short Introduction covers the topics essential to an understanding of modern international relations. It explains the theories and practice that underlie the subject, and investigates issues ranging from foreign policy, arms control, and terrorism, to the environment and world poverty. This VSI examines the role of organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union, as well as the influence of ethnic and religious movements and terrorist groups which also play a role in shaping the way states and governments interact. It also considers how the international state system might be improved in order to improve relations between states.Less

International Security: A Very Short Introduction shows that the subjects of war and peace, military strategy, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and revisionist states remain central to the subject of international security, but burgeoning concerns such as climate change, migration, poverty, health, and international terrorism have complicated the field. So what really matters? The traditional prioritization of state security or the security needs of individuals, humanity, and the biosphere? Are states themselves as much a part of the problem as the solution for people's security needs? It outlines the nature of the key debates about contemporary international security challenges, and discusses the inherent difficulties that exist in tackling them.Less

Nuclear Weapons: A Very Short Introduction explains the history and politics of the bomb, from the technology of nuclear weapons, to the revolutionary implications of the H-bomb, and the politics of nuclear deterrence. The issues are set against a backdrop of the changing international landscape, from the early days of development through the Cold War. Despite not having been used in anger since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Bomb is still the biggest threat that faces us in the 21st century. But what significant lessons can be learnt from the history of the nuclear weapons era?Less