Power in the Changing Global Order

Power has been compared to the weather: people discuss it all thetime, but very few really understand it. This book seeks todemystify this complex concept by providing students with anincisive and engaging introduction to the shifting configurationsof power in the contemporary global order.
Drawing on the work of leading international relations scholars,philosophers and sociologists, the analysis goes beyond simplisticviews of power as material capability, focusing also on itsneglected social dimensions. These are developed and exploredthrough a detailed examination of the changing international role,status and capacities of the United States, Russia and China sincethe end of the Cold War. Far from achieving multipolarity, the bookconcludes that the contemporary world remains essentially unipolar;America having moved to correct the mistakes of George W. Bush'sfirst term in office, while China and Russia have, in differentways, limited their own abilities to challenge Americanprimacy.
This book will be essential reading for students ofinternational relations and politics, as well as anyone with aninterest in the shifting balance of power in the global system.