From the impact of, and resistance to, globalization to the 'war against terrorism' and conflict in the Middle East, foreign policy is hardly ever out of the news, and its possibilities and limits are of crucial importance. This book provide an original synthesis of the theory and practice of foreign policy.

Despite the forces of globalization, this book argues that foreign policy remains a crucial site of political activity. It is the place where actors - including the many non- and sub-state entities which have begun to develop international strategies - engage, and attempt to manage their differences. It involves cooperation as well as conflict, bilateral and multilateral relations, and the use of many different foreign policy instruments. It poses major challenges, in terms of rationality, coordination and morality. It projects back into society as much as out into the wider world, embodying the concerns of a particular community but also often shaping domestic society itself. Often seen as an elite concern, this is the area of public policy with the greatest potential to determine life and death, a fact to which increasing numbers of citizens are now waking up.