One of the flashpoints of international relations is the tortuous relationship between established 'status quo' powers and revolutionary states such as China, North Korea, Iran, Nicaragua and Iraq.

This textbook bridges the gap between analyses of revolutions, which tend to concentrate on their domestic causes, and the study of the impact of 'renegade' states on the international system. It sees revolutionary states as a central dynamic of modern international society, rather than as aberrations damaging an otherwise stable international body politic. The authors provide a series of historical and contemporary case studies, and theoretical analyses.

They contribute significantly to a debate on the nature of international politics that has foundered into complacency and self-congratulation about the 'end of history'.