The United Nations and Changing World Politics - Softcover

Praise for Previous Editions
“Few stories are as complex, as misunderstood, or as urgent as that of the United Nations. No one tells it better than this dynamic author team. Already a classic, their text offers invaluable insights into how the world tries, fails, and tries again to govern itself.” —Edward Luck, Columbia University

“Four expert authors join forces to provide a theoretically sophisticated survey of the UN as an actor—and not merely a stage—in international politics.” —Robert E. Williams, Jr., Pepperdine University

This completely revised and updated eighth edition serves as the definitive text for courses in which the United Nations is either the focus or a central component. Built around three critical themes in international relations—peace and security, human rights and humanitarian affairs, and sustainable human development—the eighth edition ofThe United Nations and Changing World Politics guides students through the seven turbulent decades of UN politics.

This new edition incorporates recent developments on the international stage, including peace operations in Mali and the Central African Republic; ongoing UN efforts to manage the crises in Libya, Syria, and Iraq; the Iran nuclear deal; and the new Sustainable Development Goals. The authors discuss how international law frames the controversies at the UN and guides how the UN responds to violence and insecurity, violations of human rights, poverty, underdevelopment, and environmental degradation. Students of all levels will learn that the UN is a complex organization, comprised of three interactive entities that cooperate and compete with each other to define and advance the UN’s principles and purposes.

Thomas G. Weiss is Presidential Professor of Political Science at The CUNY Graduate Center and Director-Emeritus of the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies.

David P. Forsythe is the Charles J. Mach Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Roger A. Coate is Paul D. Coverdell Professor of Public Policy at Georgia College & State University and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of South Carolina.

Kelly-Kate Pease is Professor of International Relations at
Webster University in St. Louis and the Director of the International Relations Program Worldwide. She also serves as a Fellow in the Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies.

Thomas G. Weiss is Presidential Professor at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York where he is also one of the directors of the UN Intellectual History Project and one of the editors of Global Governance. David P. Forsythe is professor and chairman in the Department of Political Science at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Roger A. Coate is professor of government and international studies at the University of South Carolina. Kelly-Kate Pease is associate professor and director of International Relations at Webster University in St. Louis. She is author of International Organizations: Perspectives on Governance in the 21st Century (2002) and has published several articles and book chapters on human rights, humanitarian intervention, humanitarian assistance, and foreign policy.