Economic Factor in International Relations : A Brief Introduction

Economics, it seems, has reached near-divine status. It no longer form the backdrop to world events, but rather appear to drive every single political or social happening in today's world. It drives foreign policy, they represent an infinitely more powerful resource than military strength, they even - because of this - threaten to render was obsolete. If globalisation is irreversible, then conquering markets is much more important than conquering territory...These are some of the claims made about economics in world affairs, both by policy analysts and by armchair philosophers. *The Economic Factor in International Relations* examines these claims critically, and provides students with the intellectual artillery to attack these theories themselves. It points at the importance of weeding out ideological commitment from apparently unbiased economic analysis. It shows how political agendas and untested speculation have formed so much of our current assumptions about the workings of economics in the world today. Specifically, it seeks to guard against an exaggeration of the role of economics in international relations today.