'A cutting-edge introduction to key security challenges and developments in the post-Cold War world. Drawing on a wide range of contemporary examples, it is an essential guide for students seeking to understand the theoretical and empirical debates over the fast-changing nature of international security today. The book is clearly organized into four main sections: Section 1 provides an analytical framework for the book, identifying the most significant post-Cold War shifts in international security and recent theoretical developments in security studies. Section 2 looks at environmental security, including the threat of resource-based conflict, most notably over oil and water, and the perceived security challenges of international migration. Section 3 analyzes the root causes of the so-called "new wars", and the broader insecurity found in many Southern regions. Dilemmas and problems of intervention, including the controversial debate over humanitarian intervention, are examined in detail. Section 4 discusses new security challenges posed by international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It explores the strategies and policies adopted by the United States, particularly in the aftermath of 9/11. Throughout the book Dannreuther argues that security can only be understood relative to other core values, such as freedom, prosperity and justice. It is, he contends, the role of the security analyst to find that critical balance, combining a three-fold set of responsibilities; as scientist, internationalist and moralist. Only then can we fully comprehend the complex threats and concerns which characterize the contemporary security agenda.' (Publisher's blurb.)