Realism and International Politics

Realism and International Politics brings together the collected essays of Kenneth N. Waltz, one of the most important and influential thinkers of international relations in the second half of the twentieth century. His books Man, the State and War and Theory of International Politics are classics of international relations theory and gave birth to the school of thought known as neo-realism or structural realism, out of which many of the current crop of realist scholars and thinkers has emerged. Waltz frames these seminal pieces in his theoretical development by explaining the context in which they were written and, building on the broader aims of these theories, explains the elusive nature of power balancing in today’s international system. It is an essential volume for both students and scholars.

Kenneth N. Waltz is Senior Research Associate at the Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University. He is Emeritus Professor at University of California at Berkeley. He is a past president of both the American Political Science Association.

Part 1: Theory 1. Kant, Liberalism, and War 2. Conflict in World Politics 3. Reflections on Theory of International Politics 4. The Origins of War in Neorealist Theory 5. Realist Thought and Neorealist Theory 6. Evaluating Theories 7. Assaying Theories: Reflections on Imre Lakatos Part 2: International Politics 8. The Stability of a Bipolar World 9. Contention and Management in International Relations 10. International Structure, National Force, and the Balance of World Power 11. The Myth of National Interdependence 12. The Emerging Structure of International Politics 13. Structural Realism after the Cold War 14. Globalization and Governance 15. The Continuity of International Politics Part 3: Military Affairs 16. Reason, Will, and Weapons 17. Toward Nuclear Peace 18. Nuclear Myths and Political Realities 19. A Reply (to critics of Sagan and Waltz) Part 4: Policy 20. The Politics of Peace 21. America’s European Policy Viewed in Global Perspective 22. Another Gap? 23. America as a Model for the World? A Foreign Policy Perspective