At the end of the deadliest century known to mankind, the world still finds itself mired in bloodshed. In addition to formal inter-state conflict, we see an increase in other forms of organized violence, including ethnic warfare, terrorism, civil conflict, and internationally necessitated police actions. Cornered by these powerful global forces, nation-states continue their quest for security. Theirs is a search plagued by futility since the very meaning of the word security is being eroded by the pace and tenor of change in an evolving international environment more complex and confusing than ever.

The explanatory power of traditional notions of international security, which has provided a cornerstone for international relations theory as a whole, seems increasingly inadequate in helping to understand the makings of global security. A novel approach is needed--one that integrates discerning insights from the study of language, history, geography, religion, economics, and technology, with more traditional understandings of the workings of power on an international level and on an intranational scale. "Of Fears and Foes" presents just this kind of innovative thinking by some of the most creative scholars working on these issues today. Ciprut invites us to consider a fundamental reassessment of what constitutes security and insecurity in an emerging global environment.

Poised between the end of the Cold War and the start of a new millennium, international relations theory finds itself at a major intellectual crossroads. Globalizing phenomena, emerging non-state actors, revolutionizing technologies, and a self-redefining fluidity in power relations are just a few of the challenges that international relations theorists must find ways to take into account. It is increasingly apparent that traditional paradigms alone are not up to the task. The time is right for a new set of explorations; based, ironically, on one of the field's greatest traditions--its willingness to apply an interdisciplinary approach to asking new questions and finding newer answers.

The outstanding contributors to this landmark volume offer a fundamental reexamination of the basic assumptions and theoretical tools of traditional international relations theory. Ciprut draws on a wide range of concepts, from the hidden dimensions of mindset and language to the societal implications of evolutionary ecology. Unabashedly creative and iconoclastic in its willingness to search for new insights, "The Art of the Feud" is a substantiated call to seek more inclusive, dynamic, and interactive forms of theory attuned to the new and evolving realities of the global scene.

At the end of the deadliest century known to mankind, the world still finds itself mired in bloodshed. In addition to formal inter-state conflict, we see an increase in other forms of organized violence, including ethnic warfare, terrorism, civil conflict, and internationally necessitated police actions. Cornered by these powerful global forces, nation-states continue their quest for security. Theirs is a search plagued by futility since the very meaning of the word security is being eroded by the pace and tenor of change in an evolving international environment more complex and confusing than ever. The explanatory power of traditional notions of international security, which has provided a cornerstone for international relations theory as a whole, seems increasingly inadequate in helping to understand the makings of global security. A novel approach is needed--one that integrates discerning insights from the study of language, history, geography, religion, economics, and technology, with more traditional understandings of the workings of power on an international level and on an intranational scale. Of Fears and Foes presents just this kind of innovative thinking by some of the most creative scholars working on these issues today. Ciprut invites us to consider a fundamental reassessment of what constitutes security and insecurity in an emerging global environment.

Poised between the end of the Cold War and the start of a new millennium, international relations theory finds itself at a major intellectual crossroads. Globalizing phenomena, emerging non-state actors, revolutionizing technologies, and a self-redefining fluidity in power relations are just a few of the challenges that international relations theorists must find ways to take into account. It is increasingly apparent that traditional paradigms alone are not up to the task. The time is right for a new set of explorations; based, ironically, on one of the field's greatest traditions--its willingness to apply an interdisciplinary approach to asking new questions and finding newer answers. The outstanding contributors to this landmark volume offer a fundamental reexamination of the basic assumptions and theoretical tools of traditional international relations theory. Ciprut draws on a wide range of concepts, from the hidden dimensions of mindset and language to the societal implications of evolutionary ecology. Unabashedly creative and iconoclastic in its willingness to search for new insights, The Art of the Feud is a substantiated call to seek more inclusive, dynamic, and interactive forms of theory attuned to the new and evolving realities of the global scene.