Since the end of the Cold war, the international security agenda has become increasingly important. This Very Short Introduction considers traditional topics such as war and peace, military strategy and nuclear weapons, alongside other issues such as climate change, international migration, poverty, and international terrorism.

• 1: Introduction


• 2: A contested nature


• 3: The problem of war


• 4: The United Nations


• 5: The changing nature of armed conflict


• 6: Human security and development


• 7: Resources, climate change, and capitalism


• 8: Saviours or sinners?


• 9: The politics of fear and control

Christopher S. Browning is Associate Professor of International Security at the University of Warwick. He has published widely on his core research interests of identity politics, critical approaches to security and critical geopolitics and has a particular interest in the politics of civilisations, the performance of nationhood and the constitution of security communities in the Nordic region, Europe and the West. His most recent books include: Constructivism, Narrative and Foreign Policy Analysis: A Case Study of Finland (2008) and The Struggle for the West: A Divided and Contested Legacy (2010).