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A review essay on books by (1) Saskia Gieling, Religion and War in Revolutionary Iran (London: I. B. Tauris, 1999); (2) Fred Halliday, Nation and Religion in the Middle East (London: Saqi Books, 2000); & (3) Ann Elizabeth Mayer, Islam and Human Rights: Tradition and Politics (3rd edition, Boulder, CO: Westview, 1999). The review article assesses whether Islam is an "independent" force in Middle East politics or is, by contrast, molded by the social, economic, & political circumstances in the region. It comes down, on balance, in favor of the second view. It uses the books under review, which cover three major areas in the study of international relations, war, the nation-state & nationalism, & human rights, to demonstrate that Islam is malleable to political needs & requirements & can be interpreted to fit with particular historical moments & ideas. Islam's impact on international relations is therefore "unexceptional" in the sense that it can be assessed using universal categories of analysis. The article argues that the approach that focuses on the historicity & flexibility of Islam can be useful for analyzing the role of religion in IR generally. Adapted from the source document.

Cover -- Contents -- Preface -- Glossary -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- L -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- 1 The Development and Nature of International Law -- Introduction -- The Historical Development of International Law -- The Binding Nature of International Law -- The Enforcement of International Law -- Centralized enforcement machinery -- Extra-legal considerations -- The enforcement of international law by individual states -- 2 The General Principles of International Law -- States as Sovereign Entities -- What is a state? -- State sovereignty and international law -- States as the Primary Subjects of International Law -- International organizations -- Individuals -- The Sources of International Law -- Customary international law -- Treaties as sources of international law -- Other sources of international law -- 3 International Relations Perspectives on International Law -- The Approach of International Relations Theories to International Law -- Realism -- Institutionalism -- Liberalism -- Constructivism -- Recent Interdisciplinary Work on the Role of International Law -- Byers: custom, power and the power of rules -- Koh: why nations obey -- Arend: do international rules matter? -- Conclusions -- 4 Preventing the Use of Force by States: Korea, the Gulf Conflict and Beyond -- Introduction -- Korea (1950) -- The Gulf Conflict (1990-1) -- The Legality of Subsequent 'Enforcement' Actions -- Iraq (1998) -- Kosovo (1999) -- Conclusions -- 5 Diplomacy and the Threat of Force -- Introduction -- The Threat of Force as a Tool of International Diplomacy -- The Legality of the Threat of Force -- Permissible Threats of Force -- The Legality of the Threat of Force in the Gulf Conflict -- Conclusions -- 6 Extraditing Pinochet -- Introduction -- The Issues -- The Decision in Ex parte Pinochet -- Extraditable crimes.

Realism and International Relations provides students with a critical yet sympathetic survey of political realism in international theory. Using six paradigmatic theories - Hans Morgenthau, Kenneth Waltz, the Prisoners' Dilemma, Thucydides, Machiavelli, and Hobbes - the book examines realist accounts of human nature and state motivation, international anarchy, system structure and the balance of power, international institutions, and morality in foreign policy. Donnelly argues that common realist propositions not only fail to stand up to scrutiny but are rejected by many leading realists as well. He argues that rather than a general theory of international relations, realism is best seen as a philosophical orientation or research program that emphasizes - in an insightful yet one-sided way - the constraints imposed by individual and national egoism and international anarchy. Containing chapter-by-chapter guides to further reading and discussion questions for students, this book offers an accessible and lively survey of the dominant theory in International Relations

This book is a major contribution to the debate about philosophy and method in history and international relations. The author analyses IR scholarship from classical realism to quantitative and postmodern work.

Meaning and international relations: some thoughts / Andrew Williams -- Surfing the Zeitgeist / Christopher Coker -- The delocalisation of meaning / Zaki Laïdi -- Meaning and social transformations: ideology in a post-ideological age / Gerard Delanty -- Eurosomnia: Europe's 'spiritual vitality' and the debate on the European idea / Stefan Elbe -- Whose meaning(s)?!: a feminist perspective on the crisis of meaning in international relations / Annick T.R. Wibben -- The search for meaning in global conjunctions: from ethnographic truth to ethnopolitical agency / Tarja Väyrynen -- When meaning travels: Muslim translocality and the politics of 'authenticity' / Peter Mandaville -- Messianic moments and the religious (re)turn in international relations / Andrea den Boer -- Reliving the Boxer Uprising, or, The restricted meaning of civilisation / Stephen Chan -- On the danger of premature conclusion(s) / Peter Mandaville

This innovative volume brings together specialists in international relations to tackle a set of difficult questions about what it means to live in a globalized world where the purpose and direction of world politics are no longer clear-cut. What emerges from these essays is a very clear sense that while we may be living in an era that lacks a single, universal purpose, ours is still a world replete with meaning. The authors in this volume stress the need for a pluralistic conception of meaning in a globalized world and demonstrate how increased communication and interaction in transnational s.

The nature of the relationship between the US & Saudi Arabia prior to & following the September 11 (2001) terrorist attacks against the US is examined. Four central aspects of the US's dependence on Saudi Arabia for oil are explored including the heavy participation of American companies in oil exploration & development in Saudi lands & the measures Saudi governments have taken to stabilize oil prices since the 1970s. Although some American leaders have advocated policies that reduces the US's oil dependency on nations in unstable regions, it is argued that relations between both nations have been strained over the ongoing conflict involving Palestine & Israel. It is asserted that the Saudi ruling family has experienced some difficulty in mediating growing national support for Middle Eastern Arab groups & US demands to combat international terrorism. Additional attention is dedicated to investigating the Saudi government's handling of the emergence of militant Islam throughout the nation during the late 20th century. Several recommendations for preserving existing US-Saudi relations are offered, eg, both countries' continued support for a peaceful resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. J. W. Parker

Cover -- Ethics and International Relations -- Contents -- Notes on the Contributors -- 1 Introduction: Beyond Dichotomies -- 2 The Possibility of a Cosmopolitan Ethical Order Based on the Idea of Universal Human Rights -- 3 International Politics as Ethical Life1 -- 4 Exploring Social Relations, Understanding Power, and Valuing Care: the Role of Critical Feminist Ethics in International Relations Theory -- 5 Everyday Ethics in International Relations -- 6 The Events of Discourse and the Ethics of Global Hospitality -- 7 Why Fight? Humanitarianism, Principles and Poststructuralism -- 8 Restyling the Subject of Responsibility in International Relations -- 9 Ethics and International Relations: Penelope or the Handmaids -- Index.

Since the beginning of its history, Islam has encountered other religious communities both in Arabia and in the territories conquered during its expansion. Muslims faced other religions from the position of a ruling power and were therefore able to determine the nature of that relationship in accordance with their world-view and beliefs. Yohanan Friedmann's original and erudite study examines questions of religious tolerance as they appear in the Qur'an and in the prophetic tradition, and analyses the principle that Islam is exalted above all religions, discussing the ways in which this principle was reflected in various legal pronouncements. The book also considers the various interpretations of the Qur'anic verse according to which 'No compulsion is there in religion …', noting that, despite the apparent meaning of this verse, Islamic law allowed the practice of religious coercion against Manichaeans and Arab idolaters, as well as against women and children in certain circumstances.