Although not a travel journal of his walks through Japan (i.e. the terrific "The Roads to Sata" and "Looking for the Lost"), Booth turned the rather ordinary premise of a travel guide into a sociological exploration of the Japanese people as well as an indepth relation of the islands and prefectures of the country and their history. This is not a typical travel guide- there aren't any recommendations of restaurants or hotels. Instead, this is a description of Japan by a non-Asian who was able to master the Japanese language and who walked the entire length of the country, besides living there for half of his life. This man truly knew Japan and his knowledge is conveyed in his very lively discussions, complete with his typical dry humor and fascination with the people of the country. If you enjoyed "The Roads to Sata" and "Looking for the Lost", this book is different- it is aimed at travelers. However, you will love this book if the other books enticed you to learn more about Japan because Booth really took the time to share his wealth of knowledge and detail of the country for his readers in this terrific book. Also, the photos by Ken Straitton are a welcome addition for those who have always wanted to see exactly what Booth wrote about on his travels.

The horrors of September 11th 2001 have resulted in terrorism and political violence as an area of study becoming increasingly topical. In terms of publishing output this has been a mixed blessing. The area has become "fashionable" but quantity has not always been matched by quality. The past year has, quite frankly, seen a lot of rubbish published - from both ends of the political spectrum.

This book goes some way towards redressing the balance. It is essentially a series of essays by various academics on various aspects of the "War on Terrorism". There is something for everyone here. You will almost certainly find something you agree with, but equally you will doubtless find something that will infuriate you! The book purposely draws on academics with unashamedly differing world views (many of whom are EXTREMELY distinguished - a real A list bunch). A chapter by the Marxists' favourite Noam Chomsky shares space with a chapter by the British uber-realist Colin Gray and another by that master of fair and balanced analysis, Lawrence Freedman (why has John Keegan got a knighthood when Freedman hasn't?). Kenneth Waltz and Robert O'Keohane both feature, as do half the International Politics department of Aberystwith University. You really would be hard pressed to find work by so many quality people in one place elsewhere.

There's somebody for everybody here - corny but true. These are the people who have been setting the standards for the debate - not the left wing editorials of the European press and the right wing columnists in the American print media that both sides seem to get so worked up about these days.

If you're interested in the debate on the "War on Terror" post September 11th, this book deserves to be on your shelves.

I justfinished the bookand found it pretty interesting. It delevd into things I never even htought good influence the IR scene and hold so much bearing over the future of groups, countries, and regions. Very inciteful and written decently. I recommend this book be bought.

This volume edited by Ken Booth and Steve Smith takes as the starting premise that the World is going through major changes and International Relations, as a discipline, can no longer afford to pretend that it is a self-contained discipline. There are twelve chapters dealing with various aspects of IR theory that need modification and addition. The themes that are covered in this collection include Political Theory, International Political Economy, The Post-Positivist Debate, Neo-realism, International Society, and the Idea of World Community.

Particular emphasis is placed on the question on "identity", "security", "levels of analysis problem", for all of which the contributors acknowledge the need to make use of other disciplines such as sociology on the question of "identity". Fred Halliday's chapter on the end of the Cold War is also eye opening in that he readily accepts IR theory's failure to predict the demise of the Soviet Union. And some of his conclusions, both analytical and theoretical, show the clear need for IR scholars to study other concepts as well. For instance, the issue of ethnic conflict is too important for IR to trust it with historians.

The chapter on the Global Environment is also very successful in applying the recently considered normative concerns in IR theory. Building on Chris Brown's International Relations Theory: New Normative Approaches (1992), applications of criteria and classification of theories are presented on the issue.

I recommend this book to graduate students of Political Science, International Relations as the arguments presented in the book assume a developed understanding of the concepts and an extensive background.