All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” William Shakespeare (1564–1616) wrote in As You Like It. The Bard of Avon’s words highlight the remarkable parallels between international relations and his masterful plays. Both have epic and complex plots. Although the characters are different, they still range from heroic to evil. The action is always dramatic and sometimes tragic. Justice sometimes prevails, but not always. Yet for all its complexity, the one constant in the action on the world stage is that it is riveting and a tale worth telling. The activities for chapter one will help you understand in an immediate and dynamic way how the drama of world politics impacts your world and the larger world beyond your borders.

Included here are many useful activities, from simulations to current debates to interactive maps, and of course a thorough review of the text to help you better understand the chapter concepts and arguments. You are encouraged to use the text review to test your understanding of each chapter as well as the Web news to help you apply the theories and terms from the chapter to current events.