Essential readings on international politics

I wanted to begin this blog with a series of Essential Readings that anyone interested in studying and understanding world politics should know about. The hypotheses argued in these readings--sometimes in the form of books, other times as journal articles, or chapters--grapple with truely fundamental issues of international life. Almost crossing over to other fields of study, such as philosophy, anthropology, or philosophy of science, with questions like: Why do wars occur? Why are wars recurrent? What is peace in world politics? Is there a "human nature"? Does if affect social behavior, and in what ways? What are the tensions between an "international society" of states and a "world community"? Which theories can help us better understand all these international problems?

Well, I cannot think of a better reading to kick-off this series than with Arnold Wolfers' terrifically influential book: Discord and Collaboration in International Politics. Essays on International Politics. This single book, originally published in 1962 (and later re-published in 1967) by The Johns Hopkins Press, constitutes--in my humble opinion--the most influential and profound work about international politics; only second to Kenneth N. Waltz's Theory of International Politics, of 1979. (Yes, even more than Politics Among Nations, by Hans J. Morgenthau. Wolfers' book, nevertheless, is rarely read by the young and fresh students of world politics of the 21st Century--to their own peril.)

    Arnold Wolfers [center]. November 8, 1934.

Unlike any other book from the first half of the 20th Century in the field, Discord and Collaboration has had many repercutions in numerous fields beyond mere international politics, such as in security studies, international relations theory, international political economy; and most notably, it has also been a source of constant inspiration not only for typical realist scholars such us Morgenthau, Waltz, Gilpin, Mearsheimer, or more recently Schweller, but also for many other liberal and constructivist scholars, such as Ikenberry, Keohane, or Wendt. Have you ever heard about the "billiard balls image"? It is Wolfers'. The "actor-structure" debate--now better known as agent-structure debate? Wolfers'. The "evil" vs. "tragedy" schools in realist theorizing? Yeap! Wolfers' too. The classical definition of "security" as "freedom from fear"? The realists' valorization of "moral choice" in states' decision-making for foreign policy? And on, and on... All Wolfers' original ideas. One could even identify the beginning of the so-called neoclassical realist school of international relations in this book.

In itself, the book is "just" a compilation of Wolfers' best articles and essays. As a review has put it, "this splendid collection of essays [...] is a single jewel of many facets, not a string of disconnected pearls." Many of the chapters (sixteen in total) are, indeed, reprints of previous publications. But there are others, also, who are brand new. And together, they make for an indispensable book. The Foreword of the book, as well, written by Reinhold Niebuhr, makes for a wonderful introduction to the deep, and intelligent take of Wolfers on almost every essential topic of world politics, from balance of powers, foreign policy decisions, theoretical issues, and many others.




File Size: 19.17 MB
File Type: PDF
303 pages
With original covers (color)












From the back cover:

"One essay from Professor Wolfers is worth the whole output of some university departments."
-The Economist.

"All essays exhibit an extraordinary feeling for nuance and are written in a luminous style. To read them is an exciting intellectual experience."
-The American Political Science Review.