Theory of International Politics

The seminal text on neorealist analysis! From Theory of International Politics: National politics is the realm of authority, of administration, and of law. International politics is the realm of power, of struggle, and of accommodation. . . . States, like people, are insecure in proportion to the extent of their freedom. If freedom is wanted, insecurity must be accepted. Organizations that establish relations of authority and control may increase security as they decrease freedom. If might does not make right, whether among people or states, then some institution or agency has intervened to lift them out of nature s realm. The more influential the agency, the stronger the desire to control it becomes. In contrast, units in an anarchic order act for their own sakes and not for the sake of preserving an organization and furthering their fortunes within it. Force is used for one s own interest. In the absence of organization, people or states are free to leave one another alone. Even when they do not do so, they are better able, in the absence of the politics of the organization, to concentrate on the politics of the problem and to aim for a minimum agreement that will permit their separate existence rather than a maximum agreement for the sake of maintaining unity. If might decides, then bloody struggles over right can more easily be avoided.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 laws and Theories

Chapter 2 Reductionist Theories

Chapter 3 Systemic Approaches and Theories

Chapter 4 Reductionist and Systemic Theories

Chapter 5 Political Structures

Chapter 16 Anarchic Orders and Balances of Power

Chapter 7 Structural Causes and Economic Effects

Chapter 8 Structural Causes and Military Effects

Chapter 9 The Management of International Affairs

Review

“The late Kenneth Waltz was a towering figure in the academic study of the field of international relations. Waltz’s theoretical insights and his seminal contribution to neorealism will remain an enduring part of our understanding of how the world works in years to come. There are few books that can match the rigor and theoretical depth of Waltz’s Theory of International Politics.” –Nader Entessar, University of South Alabama

“Waltz’s Theory of International Politics is a classic and has great value today as power relations shift among major states in the system.” –James Rae, California State University, Sacramento

“Ken Waltz’s Theory of International Politics is a bedrock text for upper-level undergraduate and grad-level seminars in international relations. Waveland’s edition makes it a welcome addition to syllabi and its price a welcome relief for students’ pockets.” –Steven Jackson, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

About the Author

Kenneth N. Waltz is a leading international relations scholar. Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, he also taught at Swarthmore College and Brandeis University. Professor Waltz is a former President of the American Political Science Association and a recipient of its James Madison Award for Distinguished Scholarly Contributions to Political Science. A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he is a Senior Research Scholar at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University. The author of numerous books, Professor Waltz is a founder of neorealism, or structural realism.