| | | Introduction by John Baylis and Steve Smith and Patricia Owens | | |
| 1 | | Globalization and global politics by Anthony McGrew | | 14 |
| Pt. 1 | | The historical context | | |
| 2 | | The evolution of international society by David Armstrong | | 36 |
| 3 | | International history, 1900-90 by Len Scott | | 54 |
| 4 | | From the cold war to the war on terror by Michael Cox | | 70 |
| Pt. 2 | | Theories of world politics | | |
| 5 | | Realism by Tim Dunne and Brian C. Schmidt | | 90 |
| 6 | | Liberalism by Tim Dunne | | 108 |
| 7 | | Contemporary mainstream approaches: neo-realism and neo-liberalism by Steven L. Lamy | | 124 |
| 8 | | Marxist theories of international relations by Stephen Hobden and Richard Wyn Jones | | 142 |
| 9 | | Social Constructivism by Michael Barnett | | 160 |
| 10 | | Alternative approaches to international theory by Steve Smith and Patricia Owens | | 174 |
| 11 | | International ethics by Richard Shapcott | | 192 |
| Pt. 3 | | Structures and processes | | |
| 12 | | The changing character of war by Mike Sheehan | | 210 |
| 13 | | International and global security by John Baylis | | 226 |
| 14 | | International political economy in an age of globalization by Ngaire Woods | | 242 |
| 15 | | Gender in world politics by J. Ann Tickner | | 262 |
| 16 | | International law by Christian Reus-Smit | | 278 |
| 17 | | International regimes by Richard Little | | 296 |
| 18 | | The United Nations by Paul Taylor and Devon Curtis | | 312 |
| | More... | | |