A Primer in Power Politics
By (author) Stanley Michalak
Not available to order
Publication date:
01 April 2001Length of book:
233 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9780842029506
In clear and jargon-free style, A Primer in Power Politics explains the concept of power politics and provides an introduction to the principles of humanistic political realism. This book answers the questions: When and why do states resort to the use of force, and what are the uses and limits of force in conflicts among nations? What can we realistically expect from the United Nations, the World Court, arbitration panels, and other peaceful settlement techniques? What role do morality, ethics, and world public opinion play in the international interactions of nations? Accessible and stimulating, A Primer in Power Politics provides important historical context and will teach students how to think analytically about the issues of war and peace. It shows what approaches to peace have failed in the past and explains why they will fail in the future. Students will know what kinds of questions to ask when addressing past, present, and future foreign policy issues. The first contemporary work in international politics that addresses power politics, this text is ideal for courses in international relations, United States foreign policy, comparative foreign politics, international conflict, and national security.
The best primer on power in politics since Hans Morganthau's In Defense of the National Interest. It draws upon the lessons of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and applies them to the post-Cold War world. The writing is clear and concise, and the historical cases flow beautifully. This book brings history alive and applies its lessons to the murky terrain of contemporary international politics.