Overview

Realism said states seek power above all else. Liberalism said cooperation could tame the worst impulses of international politics. Both were built for a world that no longer exists. The twenty-first century has produced challenges that neither framework was designed to explain: a pandemic that exposed the limits of state sovereignty, a climate crisis that defies national borders, a U.S.-China rivalry that combines deep economic interdependence with intense strategic competition, and a digital revolution that has given non-state actors power once reserved for governments. The old theories still matter. But they are no longer enough. Beyond Realism and Liberalism takes you on a clear, structured journey through the full landscape of international relations theory from its foundational pillars to the emerging frameworks reshaping how scholars and practitioners understand global politics today. Inside, you will discover: Why realism and liberalism remain essential starting points and precisely where each framework breaks down when confronted with 21st-century realities How constructivism explains what realism cannot: the role of identity, norms, and ideas in shaping state behavior What postcolonial and critical approaches reveal about whose voices and whose experiences have been systematically excluded from mainstream IR theory How the English School bridges the gap between realist power politics and liberal internationalism through the concept of international society What network politics, complexity theory, and resilience frameworks offer for understanding a world where power is no longer held only by states Where international relations theory is heading and why the next generation of frameworks will look fundamentally different from the last Written with clarity and analytical precision, this book is designed for readers who want to understand not just what is happening in world politics but why, and through which conceptual lens. This book is for: undergraduate and postgraduate students in international relations and political science, policy professionals building their analytical toolkit, and informed readers who want the theoretical foundations that make sense of today's global disorder. Beyond Realism and Liberalism is the Primer of The Anatomy of Power Series by Evander Knoxley a structured series examining how power operates across every dimension of 21st-century international politics. Continue the series with How Great Powers Compete to see how the theoretical foundations explored here play out in the structural logic of real great power rivalry.

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