With 30% new readings in the Eighth Edition, Essential Readings in World Politics introduces students to key classic and contemporary works in international relations. The selections in each chapter reflect diverse perspectives on major topics in international relations, and the headnotes provide the context and background that introductory students need. In the Eighth Edition, new readings offer diverse perspectives on current topics such the environment, global health, China's role in the global order and the future of globalisation.

From Voting to Violence examines the ways in which democratization can exacerbate nationalist fervor and ethnic conflict if the conditions promoting a successful transition are not in place. The book argues that international organizations sometimes cause more conflict than they avert in their rush to establish democratic governments and punish outgoing leaders. Snyder closes by prescribing policies that can make democratic transitions less dangerous and allow fledgling democracies to flourish.