This book examines the ways in which the study and practice of international relations are misunderstood, both by scholars and politicians. It begins by examining critical errors in reasoning and argument which determine the way key issues in the field are discussed and explained. It then explores a number of case studies which are affected by these errors, including the legal status of the modern nation-state, the Israel-Palestine conflict, the idea of the Deep State, the relationship between the West and radical Islam, the impact of moral righteousness on historical understanding, and the role of class in modern Western politics.

Draws a link between well-established theoretical insights and contemporary issues in global politics to reveal anomalies on both sides of the IR coin; Examines the extent to which analysis in the field has been adversely distorted by unfounded political and cultural assumptions Complements and supplements both empirical and theoretical IR courses

Autorentext

Scott Burchill is Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Deakin University. He is the author of The National Interest in International Relations Theory (2005) and co-author and editor of Theories of International Relations (2013).

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 2. Critical Thinking Part One: The Limits of the Expressible.- 3. Critical Thinking Part Two: Escaping the Zeitgeist and Building an Intellectual Self-defence.- 4. Israel-Palestine Part One: Do States Have a "Right to Exist"?.- 5. Israel-Palestine Part Two: Australian Foreign Policy and the Israel-Palestine ConflictAvoiding the Colonialist Narrative.- 6. Is There a Deep State?.- 7. United States Foreign Policy: Radical Islam and the West.- 8. The Vietnam War: Morality and History.- 9. Class Power in the United States and Australia.