Arguments have consequences in world politics that are as real as the military forces of states or the balance of power among them. Neta Crawford reveals how ethical arguments, not power politics or economics, explain decolonization, the greatest change in world politics to occur over the last five hundred years. The book also analyzes how argument might be used to to remake contemporary world politics, suggesting how such arguments apply to the issue of humanitarian intervention.

Douglas Lemke inquires as to whether the factors that lead to war among great powers also apply to other countries, considering different regional circumstances and historical experiences. The book examines Africa, the Far East, the Middle East and South America, and argues that the causes of war are similar across these regions, but that there are differences based on varying patterns of development. This book will interest students and scholars of international relations, peace studies, comparative politics and area studies.

Combining a detailed examination of theory with a full and up-to-date account of historical development, this study analyzes the nature of the international order--the hierarchical state system--and explores its potential for reform. The theoretical account is given tracing two traditions of thought in the writings of Kant and Rousseau, while the historical survey explores the evolution of international organizations since 1815, covering such aspects as concert diplomacy, alliance systems, international organizations, and such internal understandings as nuclear deterrence, crisis management,...

What is meant by international society? On what principles is the notion of international society based? How has the notion of nationalism influenced its evolution? In this book James Mayall addresses these questions and sheds important new light on the issues of nation and international society by bringing together subjects that have hitherto been examined separately. Three central themes run throughout the study. First, the challenge posed to previous conceptions of international society and order by the principle of national self-determination. Secondly, the relationship between national...

In this book, Michael Nicholson outlines social scientific approaches to international relations and then describes the problems of rational decision-making in conflict situations. He shows how rationality is in many strategic situations hard to define and often leads to paradoxes such as the prisoners dilemma, and explores rational beliefs about the international system. He examines theories of arms races, alliances, and the international problems of ecology. Here he is critical of the classical school of international relations for a lack of rigor in dealing with the problems of evidence...

In this book, Professor Holsti approaches the study of the origins of war and the foundations of peace from a new perspective. He asks three interrelated questions. Which issues generate conflict? How have attitudes toward war changed? And, what attempts have been made historically to create international institutions and orders that can manage, control or prevent international conflicts? Starting with the peace treaties of Munster and Osnabruck of 1648, Kalevi Holsti examines 177 international wars. Through these, he identifies the variety of conflict-producing issues and how they, as well...

A world government capable of controlling nation-states has never evolved. Nonetheless, considerable governance underlies the current order among states. In this study, nine leading international relations specialists examine the central features of this governance without government. They explore its ideational bases, behavioral patterns, and institutional arrangements as well as the pervasive changes presently at work within and among states. Within this context of change and order, the authors consider the role of the Concert of Europe, the pillars of the Westphalian system, the...

By assessing the impact of norms on decision making, this book argues that norms influence choices by providing reasons rather than by being causes for action. It approaches the problem via an investigation of the reasoning process in which norms play a decisive role. Professor Kratochwil argues that depending on the strictness of the guidance that norms provide in arriving at a decision, different styles of reasoning with norms can be distinguished. To that extent, Kratochwil argues that "law" is characterized by a particular mode of reasoning that is a subset of "practical reasoning." While...

This book offers an original analysis of the relationship between twentieth-century theories of international relations, and the political theory of civil society. The author views theories of international relations both as an ideological expression of the modern state, and as a clear indication of the difficulties of thinking about a world politics distinct from relations among states. Theories are examined in the light of recent debates about modernity and post-modernity, the rearticulation of political space/time, and the limits of modern social political theory.

In this work, Professors Stopford and Strange explore the mutual interdependence of states and firms. They show how global structural changes often impel governments to seek the cooperation of managers of multinational enterprises, but within the constraints of each country's economic resources, social structures and history. Using research into the experience of over fifty multinationals and one hundred investment projects in Brazil, Malaysia and Kenya, the authors develop a matrix of agendas. They present the impact on projects of the multiple factors affecting the bargaining relationships...