Today?s students will graduate in an era of globalization in which no national economy stands alone. No event has made this clearer than the financial downturn that began in 2008 in the United States and quickly spread throughout the globe. Interconnections among states, societies, and individuals form an increasingly complex web of factors including identity, information, technology, and natural resources. But these interconnections involve more than just economic issues. The broader global phenomenon we are witnessing is the blurring of the traditional line between domestic and international issues. International issues increasingly pervade domestic politics and vice versa, whether the topic is inmigration, global warming, the spread of disease, terrorism, or the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite these increasing interconnections, many students begin college misinformed about basic facts of international relations (IR) such as the extent of poverty and levels of foreign assistance given to the global South, and the trend toward fewer wars over the past two decades. An introductory textbook plays a key role in students? education about international affairs, and we have worked hard to make this one timely, accurate, visually appealing, and intellectually engaging. We hope this textbook can help a generation develop knowledge and critical thinking in order to find its voice and place in the changing world order. IR is not only an important topic but also a fascinating one. The rich complexity of international relationships-political, economic, and cultural- provides a puzzle to try to understand. The puzzle is not only an intellectual challenge but also emotionally powerful. It contains human-scale stories in which the subject?s grand themes-war and peace, intergroup conflict and community, integration and division, poverty and development- play out.