Rethinking Power, Institutions and Ideas in World Politics Whose IR?

The study of international relations, has traditionally been dominated by Western ideas and practices, and marginalized the voice and experiences of the non-Western states and societies. As the world moves to a "post-Western" era, it is imperative that the field of IR acquires a more global meaning and relevance. Drawing together the work of renowned scholar Amitav Acharya and framed by a new introduction and conclusion written for the volume, this book exposes the narrow meaning currently attached to some of the key concepts and ideas in IR, and calls for alternative and broader understandings of them.

The need for recasting the discipline has motivated and undergirded Acharya's own scholarship since his entry into the field over three decades ago. This book reflects his own engagement, quarrels and compromise and concludes with suggestions for new pathways to a Global IR- a forward-looking and inclusive enterprise that is reflective of the multiple and global heritage of IR in an changing and interconnected world. It is essential reading for anyone who is concerned about the history, development and future of international relations and international relations theory.

Introduction, Rethinking Power, Institutions and Ideas in World Politics I. IR Theory and Its Discontents Chapter1. International Relations Theory and Western Dominance, Chapter 2. Dialogue and Discovery: International Relations Theories beyond the West Chapter 3. Comparative Regionalism: A Field Whose Time Has Come? II. Power, Intervention and Global Disorders Chapter 4. The Cold War as "Long Peace" Reexamined Chapter 5. State Sovereignty After 9/11: Disorganized Hypocrisy III. Institutions, Autonomy and Regional Orders Chapter 6. Multilateralism : Beyond Hegemony and Without Victory Chapter Chapter 7. The Contested Regional Architecture of World Politics IV: Ideas, Agency and Normative Cultures Chapter 8 How Ideas Spread, Whose Norms Matter? Chapter 9. Norm Subsidiarity and Regional Orders, Conclusion Towards a Global IR? Pathways and Pitfalls