Understanding global security - Peter Hough

Fully revised to incorporate recent developments in world politics, the second edition of Understanding Global Security analyzes the variety of ways in which people's lives are threatened and/or secured in contemporary global politics. The traditional focus of Security Studies texts - war, deterrence and terrorism - are analyzed alongside non-military security issues such as famine, crime, disease,disasters, environmental degredation and human rights abuses to provide a comprehensive survey of how and why people are killed in the contemporary world.

New features to this edition include:

• analysis of key international political events of recent years such as the War in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina and the Israeli incursion into Lebanon
• recent developments in the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and the 'war against terror'
• new data on deaths attributable to global warming and the contribution played by this in 'securitizing' the issue on the agendas of sceptical states
• examinations of 'lifestyle illnesses', largely spread by the diffusion of Western culture, like smoking or diabetes
• greater analysis of recent diplomatic and institutional developments in the area of security: the Human Security Network and the UN Commission on Human Security.

User friendly and easy to follow, this textbook is designed to make a complex subject accessible to all. Key features include:

• 'top ten' tables highlighting the most destructive events or forms of death in that area throughout history
• boxed descriptions elaborating key concepts in the field of security and International Relations
• 'biographical boxes' of key individuals who have shaped world events
• further reading and websites at the end of each chapter guiding you towards the most up-to-date information on various topics
• glossary of political terminology.

This highly acclaimed and popular academic text will continue to be essential reading for everyone interested in security.

Peter Hough is a Senior Lecturer in International Politics and heads up this subject at Middlesex University, UK. In addition to his research in the area of security, he has had published books and articles on global environmental politics, including The Global Politics of Pesticides (Earthscan 1998).

It can be very easy to lapse into academic jargon but it is a trap that Understanding Global Security avoids superbly. As with the first edition, this new version with new features acts not only as an excellent guide but also as a book of signposts as to where the student should go next. The transition to University can be a difficult one, but it would be easier for all students if their subject area had a book of this clarity and comprehensive content.

Lloyd Pettiford, Associate Dean and Professor of International Relations at Nottingham Trent University, UK