Theories of International Politics and Zombies

Ever since I first started studying International Relations I have felt the need for a layman's explanation of IR theory that would fill the gap between me attempting to explain the differences between realism and neorealism on the back of a beer coaster or recommending a read of something by Kenneth Waltz, Samuel Huntington or John J. Mearshimer. "Theories of International Politics and Zombies" offers the promise of being just that book - anything with Zombies in the title couldn't possibly be too academic and heavyweight, surely? A further advantage is that whatever your views of global warming, transnational capitalism or Islamic fundamentalism, most readers would agree that a Zombie outbreak would be a security problem deserving of state and international responses. (If your philosophical response to zombies would be to agree with Noam Chomsky that we just need to blame Wall Street and oppose anything Washington does, or with Pat Robertson that it would all be because of homosexuals, you might as well stop reading now).After examining the Zombie literary and popular culture canon to identify the nature of the threat (think more along the lines of George Romero zombies rather than traditional Haitian ones), Drezner takes a chapter each to describe how states would respond if motivated by realist, liberalist, neo-conservative and constructivist policy, followed by further discussion of constraints on policymakers such as domestic politics and possible institutional or bureaucratic failings in the face of such a dynamic threat - liberally peppered with examples from such authoritative references as  Night of the Living Dead , Shaun of the Dead  and  World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War . This is done with a generally light touch and some genuinely witty observations - my only real objection is that Drezner has let his own (non-zombie infested world) policy preferences shine through in the neo-conservative chapter, which is largely a thinly-veiled swipe at the military response to Iraq and Afghanistan. Fair enough, but a bit more discussion of the likely failings of the liberal UN peacekeeping force that turns up with timid rules of engagement that leads to it watching zombies eat the locals would have been just as amusing.Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed it, even if I did get a couple of strange looks reading it in a crowded airport lounge (especially when I guffawed out loud at the wry footnotes explaining how neocons would just invade Iraq again "out of force of habit" or how the EU would eagerly take the opportunity to ban the import of UK beef). As a Zombie literature neophyte, I found this side of the book quite easy to follow, but I wonder if the IR side of the book - especially the occasional references to game theory - is still a bit too much of an in-joke for policy wonks and a bit off-putting for the wider public? I plan on inflicting this on unsuspecting workmates and friends to see what they think and will get back to you! Until then, four stars.

It appears that those of us who remain human can survive the zombie apocalypse after all, if we’re lucky. Addressing what he describes as the “zombie gap” in the existing international relations literature, Drezner (a Tufts University professor and member of the Zombie Research Society) analyzes and compares various theories of international relations by looking at how each would predict the actions of states in the event of a plague of brain-eating zombies. Lest you think that the walking dead are not the kind of threat that can help illuminate political reality in the 21st century, keep in mind that some of the most vexing threats to world order occupying the strategic thinking of political and military leaders today are not the traditional concerns of invasion by another state. Think of threats like terrorists, piracy, failed state implosion, and, yes, zombies. OK, maybe zombies don’t occupy the same mental space as the other threats, but if they did, would there really be a different set of possible responses than those Drezner outlines? And that’s the serious, scholarly part of his argument. The nature of the challenges to international stability has changed, and it is worth asking whether or not states can operate in the same way as before in the face of those challenges. And if they can (or must), then which strategic approach will yield the best results?This book would be good as assigned reading in introductory classes in international politics in either high school or college. Seriously. As an entry point into the topic, a zombie invasion is as good as any other. Would the question be any different if the threat came from a massive invasion of Jinn, or perytons, or deranged hippogriffs? Not really, except for the shuffling step, the moaning, and the fondness for human brains. And because Drezner knows his zombie stuff, the book would also be a pretty good place to start for anyone interested in the topic of zombie literature and film.Drezner is right. There is not nearly enough discussion of a possible zombie invasion in the international relations literature. Read this book, batten down your brain, and keep your powder dry.

Who knew that zombie theories could accurately hep to explain political theories. Well, Drezner did, and in this book he uses the highly popular idea of zombies to explain concepts such as neo-realism, liberalism, constructivism and others IR concepts. He explains how people would react to zombie crises such as when explaining neoconservative theories he explains how "neocons" agree with liberal theories about democratic peace, then he goes on to clarify that "neocons" share the realist skepticism about International instructions. The zombie part comes in when he explains how "neocons" would respond to an up-rising of un-dead flesh eaters by using an aggressive and militarized response to ensure that humans would remain the dominant race (to ensure zombies wouldn't take over).The comparison of the two ideas (zombie and IR theories) made this book a fun yet academic read. As IR theories can get somewhat dry, this book grabs your attention when you read phrases such as "all we want to do is eat your brains". Instead of only referring to states, he uses zombies as a juxtaposition of what would happen in the IR system given a certain theory or idea. Although the idea of the book is very interesting as Drezner got more into some concepts I did have trouble following along and keeping interest. So as long as you go into reading this book knowing that it is more of an academic read than entertaining you will find it enjoyable! I would definitely recommend this book if you are taking any sort of IR or political theory class as it will be a good supplement to textbook reading!

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This is rational prose as well as funny eccentric writing. Author Daniel W Drezner not only jokes, but also conveys an important serious message.In other words, this is not only about non-existing, nonsensical stuff such as world political order, international political theory etc. This book delves also deeper into the field of zombie research, thus producing scientific insight into pivotal questions of today's everyday life. This has to find my appraisal, of course, ouaahhaaahhh.Five stars.

A short but fact filled journey through the different situations that would likely occur if the Zombie apocalypse ever came. If you're thinking that this can teach you something about real world scenarios, then you would be right. It is a good by for a first year I.R student.

Makes learning IR theory more interesting

Extremely funny

Stell Dir vor, es käme der Zombie ... und keiner hätte eine gute International-Relations-Theorie parat. Dem sei Dan Drezners Buch vor! Der US-Professor verbindet fundierte Zombie-Studien und -Recherchen mit einer kurzen wie pointierten Darlegung einiger wichtiger Richtungen der Internationalen Beziehungen: Realismus, Liberalismus, sogar Konstruktivismus und natürlich die Neo-Konservativen, ... Die Letztgenannten würden bei einem Auftreten von Untoten übrigens wohl einfach aus Gewohnheit in den Irak einmarschieren, so Drezner. Der offensichtliche Nerd hat Spaß, sein Fachwissen einmal so an einem beißend realen Beispiel zu deklinieren.Ein kurzes amüsantes Buch mit Hirn und Biss, das angesichts der nagenden Zombie-Gefahr weithin ... verschlungen werden sollte. Viereinhalb Sterne.