Over the years, the 'Bush Doctrine' - that the security threats we face are entirely unprecedented - has echoed around the world. This book states that global security and stability is challenged not only by states and nuclear war, but by insurgency, disease, environmental degradation and military privatisation.

Rethinking the 21st Century brings much needed context and perspective to the security problems we face today.

In recent years, the 'Bush Doctrine' - that the security threats we now face are entirely unprecedented - has echoed around the world. Global security and stability is now challenged not only by states and nuclear war, but by insurgency, disease, environmental degradation and military privatisation. Yet this creates a deep sense of disconnect in the way we perceive politics, and can be dangerously stark and ahistorical.

The chapters here show that, far from being a clean break, the 'new' problems faced today might actually have 'old' solutions. What can Locke tell us about terrorists? What does Bentham have to say about sanctions? What are the ethics of outsourcing war to private companies? By looking back to decades and even centuries of ethical analysis and political theory, this book provides fascinating insight into all these questions.

The editors bring the deep and rich traditions of political theory and international ethics to confront cutting edge security questions in a bold and far-reaching manner. The result is a set of essays treating difficult issues like economic sanctions, the privatization of war and other contemporary security concerns in a fuller and fresh light.