Classics of International relations

My purpose in editing this book has been to present some of the best analyses of the most enduring questions of international relations. In doing so, I hope to capture the essence of what the field has to say to humankind. I have chosen to do this by bringing together the reflections of the great thinkers and the analyses of twentieth century scholars on a common set of problems. In selecting the works of the great thinkers, I have tried to select those works that are regarded as classics of Western civilization and essential to a liberal education. In selecting more recent works, I have tried to select classics of the discipline-representatives of the most influential work published on international relations in each of the last four decades. The resulting volume, I
believe, constitutes one of the most efficient and comprehensive sources through which the student or general reader can gain an overview of international relations inquiry. Hence, the volume is meant to stand by itself and does not need a supplemental textbook. The book is divided into four parts, each of which is devoted to a central issue. Part I focuses on the perennial question of whether morality should or can govern political behavior. Chapters on how the just-war, idealist, realist, and radical traditions have addressed this question in different historical contexts are included. Part II treats questions of how international relations should be studied-whether knowledge about the subject can be acquired, whether a science of international relations is possible, and whether a new theoretical approach is needed to comprehend world politics. Chapter 4 treats the debate over science between traditionalists and behavioralists. Chapter 5 presents some of the analyses of those who argue that an alterna tive to realism or power politics would provide a more valid perspective on the subject. Part III is devoted to the primary empirical concerns of the field-the conduct of foreign policy and its relationship to global conflict. The chapters on foreign policy, crisis, war, and imperialism provide a distilla tion of the most important theories and research on each of these questions. Part IV reflects the main purpose of the field-how peace can be achieved and maintained. Chapters on the balance of power; nuclear deterrence; and international law and world government present and evaluate the major proposals for the mitigation or elimination of war, and Chapter 12 includes selections on how conflict has been mitigated in the world political economy.