People, States and Fear

The second edition of this book takes as its main theme the question of how states and societies pursue freedom from threat in an environment in which competitive relations are inescapable across the political, economic, military, societal and environmental landscapes. Throughout, attention is focused on the interplay of threats and vulnerabilities, policies of overemphasizing one or the other, and the existence of the types of contradictions which are endemic to ideas about security. The author argues that the concept of security is a useful way of approaching the study of international relations and that ideas about security can help frame an analysis of power and peace. The new edition has been revised and updated and takes a more positive, post-1989 tone. More emphasis is placed on the economic, societal and environmental aspects of security. The chapters on threat, the international political system and economic security have been rewritten and there is a new chapter on regional security. The book also includes new sections on developments in security concepts during the 1980s and on international society.
An expanded discussion of the theory of the state and of weak and strong states is included.