Rules of the Game: A Primer on International Relations

This introductory text presents an overview of fundamental concepts and principles of international relations (IR) using a game metaphor. The use of the game metaphor as an organizing principle allows the author to present the inner logic of IR in a succinct, coherent, and dynamic manner. The first part of the primer focuses on the nature of the international community and how the IR game is played. In this section, the author examines the nature of the IR game, the actors eligible to play the game, and the goals and strategies for playing the game. In presenting the basic architecture of global politics, the book illuminates key elements of the traditional Westphalian system and then highlights important changes currently under way in the emerging postmodern international system. The second part of the primer shows four types of "rules of the game" in action-political, economic, legal, and moral. Although IR has often been defined in terms of power politics alone, all four types of rules play an important role in structuring the international behavior of states and other actors. The text concludes by examining developments that are likely to influence the future IR game. Beginning students and laypersons with an interest in global affairs will find this innovative and clearly written guide a useful conceptual roadmap to the field of IR.