Perspectives on World Politicshas been essential reading for students of international relations since the start of the 1980's. Its focus on three competing perspectives provides a clear and coherent organization of the divergent conceptual tools used to study world politics. Since the huge success of the first two editions, the orientation of each of the three perspectives has evolved and an important epistemological debate has grown up around the three competing perspectives. Thematically divided, each section includes extracts from seminal texts by eminent thinkers. The substantially revised and updated third edition takes full account of the literature on the post-Cold War period and how theorists have been influenced by events of the 1990s. In particular, globalization and the role of the state are analyzed in this topical, up to date survey of the new world order.