- Introduction. International Relations in the 21st Century
- I. Norman Angell: The Illusion of War.
- 1. The philosophical bases of traditions
- 2. The four periods of international relations theory
- 3. Epistemological perspectives
- 3. Alternative approaches for the future
- II. Edward Carr: Utopia and Reality
- 1. Introduction
- 2. “Pars costruens”: peaceful change and the capital/labour analogy
- 3. Force and legitimacy: the necessary conditions
- 4. “Pars destruens”: the roots of utopia and the axe of realism
- 5. The illusion of realism? The critical reception of the book
- III. Hans Morgenthau: The Struggle for Power and Peace
- 1. Introduction
- 2. The struggle for power
- 3. Limitations of power: the balance of power
- 4. Peace through accommodation
- 5. Peace through transformation: the world state
- 6. National interest and power politics
- Other works by Morgenthau
- IV. Thomas Schelling: Game theory, Deterrence and Strategic Behaviour
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Schelling and strategic realism
- 3. Strategy of Conflict and strategic interaction
- 4. Re-orienting game theory
- 5. Deterrence, surveillance and arms control
- 6. Reception of the book and Schelling’s legacy
- V. Raymond Aron: Peace and War. A Sociological Account of International Relations
- 1. Introduction
- 2. The sociology of war
- 3. Key theoretical concepts in international relations
- 4. The antinomies of diplomatic conduct: toward a reasonable policy
- 5. Reception of the work and main criticisms
- VI. Graham Allison: Conceptual Frameworks of Foreign Policy Decision Making
- 1. Introduction
- 2. FPA and IR
- 3. Three models for analyzing foreign policy
- 4. Why did the Soviet Union attempt to place offensive missiles in Cuba?
- 5. Why did the United States choose to respond to the Soviet missile emplacement with a blockade of Cuba?
- 6. Why did the Soviet Union withdraw the missiles?
- Conclusions
- VII. Hedley Bull: In Search of International Order
- 1. Introduction
- 2. The origins of the book and its reception
- 3. The grotian tradition: the idea of an international society
- 4. International order and the anarchical society
- 5. Rules and institutions of the anarchical society
- 6. After the anarchical society
- VIII. Kenneth Waltz, Anarchy and International Politics
- 1. Introduction
- 2. International science, structural theory and the balance of power
- 3. The continuity of the Theory of International Politics and its change
- IX. Robert Gilpin: Hegemonic Stability and War
- 1. Introduction
- 2. The nature of systemic change
- 3. Systemic equilibrium
- 4. The transition to disequilibrium
- 5. Correcting the imbalance
- 6. Expectations about the future
- 7. The response to Gilpin
- 8. The legacy of war and change
- X. Robert Keohane: The Promises of Cooperation
- 1. Introduction
- 2. After Hegemony
- 3. Reception of the book
- XI. George Liska: The Revenge of History
- 1. Introduction
- 2. International systems in time and space
- 3. Physics and tragedy in international systems
- 4. The critique of international relations
- 5. The book’s reception
- XII. Samuel Huntington: Civilizations in Conflict
- 1. Introduction
- 2. The Clash of Civilization
- 3. Reception of the book
- XIII. Alexander Wendt: The Social Construction of International Politics
- 1. Introduction
- 2. The ontology of the international system: the critique of materialism
- 3. The three cultures of anarchy
- 4. From the international system to culture, via the anarchical society
- 5. Uncertainty and change
- XIV. Bruce Russett and John Oneal: Investigating the Liberal Legacy
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Back to Kant
- 3. The theory and practice of peaceful triangulations in the post-Cold War era: liberalism strikes back
- 4. The book’s framework and democratic peace: empirical evidence and debates
- 5. Economic interdependence and peace: reassessing the steadiest path
- 6. The “peaceful union” amid Kantian synergies and clashes of civilizations
- 7. Beyond the post-Cold War era: all over again?
- 8. Conclusion: the virtues of an imperfect triangulation and the future of the liberal legacy
- XV. Stahis Kalyvas: Making Sense of Senseless Violence
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Civil wars: at the “centre-stage” of international politics?
- 3. A theory of violence in civil wars
- 4. Advancing knowledge in civil wars’ research