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This edited volume conceives of International Relations (IR) not as a unilateral project, but more as an intellectual platform. Its contributors explore Islamic contributions to this field, addressing the theories and practices of the Islamic civilization and of Muslim societies with regards to international affairs and to the discipline of IR. (Publisher's description)

Islam and politics -- Warming up: the state vs. the umma -- The main event: liberalism vs. islamism vs. poststructuralism -- Structure of the book -- Islam(ism) and international relations -- International relations, islam, and the secular bias -- A framework for studying religion in international relations -- Postcolonial critiques of modernity -- Poststructuralism and Islam: a shared agenda? -- The study of religion in IR -- Unpacking political islam using constructivism -- Problems and limitations -- Sovereignty and political Islam -- Accounting for community --Value pluralism and the "international" of international relations -- To what extent is an Islamic notion of international relations tenable?

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.

"In this fully updated and revised edition, the authors explore the evolution, nature and function of international law in world politics and situate international law in its historical and political context. They propose three interdisciplinary 'lenses' (realist, liberal and constructivist) through which to view the role of international law in world politics and suggest that the concept of an international society provides the overall context within which international legal developments occur. These theoretical perspectives offer different ways of looking at international law in terms of what it is, how it works and how it changes. Topics covered include the use of force, international crimes, human rights, international trade and the environment. The new edition also contains more material on non-western perspectives, international institutions and non-state actors and a new bibliography. Each chapter features discussion questions and guides to further reading"--